Iran's attack on Israel at the weekend has increased the pressure on Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to pass a long-stalled foreign aid bill that includes billions in extra funding for the US ally.
A democratic congressional aide told The National that after Saturday's attack, there “has been a substantive push on the House Republican side to Speaker Johnson to get him to put up the security package as it currently is in the Senate”.
Republican divisions have held up a bipartisan $95 billion national security package that includes aid to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel from being taken up in the House.
The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the legislation earlier this year.
Far-right hardliners in the Republican Party have threatened to remove Mr Johnson from his role as Speaker if he brings the bill to the House floor for a final vote, due to objections over US support for Kyiv and partisan battles over securing the southern border with Mexico.
“I think the people of Ukraine, the people of Taiwan and I think the people of Israel and the innocent civilians in Gaza are a little bit more important than having Speaker Johnson trying to save face,” the aide said.
House Republicans are due to meet for a closed-door conference on Iran on Monday evening.
The conservatives are deliberating over setting a date to bring the full aid package to the floor for a vote as it is, while some have suggested once again trying a new stand-alone package containing only funding for Israel.
Ari Sacher, a senior policy adviser at the US Israel Education Association, a pro-Israel group, said he is confident Saturday's events would push Republicans to get the bill over the line.
“This escapade on Saturday night cost a half a billion dollars … We're going to need the assets and the American support is critical, and America knows that,” Mr Sacher told The National.
He recently organised a trip to Israel for Republican Senator James Lankford and House representatives Randy Weber, Morgan Griffith and Brandon Williams.
“The feeling on the Republican side is … the support for Israel is visceral," Mr Sacher said.
“The question is whether or not it'll be tied to the Ukraine and how much it will be."
But the prospect of a standalone Israel aid package also seems unlikely.
The congressional aide said Senate Democrats, and some Republicans, are “united” in supporting the package as it is.
“I just don't see a scenario where we start segmenting this,” the Democrat said.
Iran's attack on Israel – in pictures
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Israel's air defence system intercepts projectiles amid an attack by Iran, as seen from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Screengrab from AFPTV / AFP -
Missiles fired from Iran towards Israel are intercepted over the northern part of the country. AFP -
Explosions light up the sky in Hebron in the Palestinian territories during the attack. Screengrab from AFPTV / AFP -
Explosions occur over Hebron. Screengrab from AFPTV / AFP -
Explosions light up the skies over Jerusalem during the attack. Screengrab from AFPTV / AFP -
Explosions occur over Jerusalem. Screengrab from AFPTV / AFP -
Israel's Iron Dome air defence system moves to intercept missiles fired from Iran. AP -
Iranian demonstrators chant slogans during an anti-Israel gathering in Tehran. AP -
People in Tehran appear to celebrate in the street after the attack on Israel. Wana (West Asia News Agency) / Reuters -
Iranians appear to celebrate in the street after the attack. Wana (West Asia News Agency) / Reuters -
A man kisses a mock rocket during an anti-Israel rally in Tehran after Iran launched the attack. EPA -
People hold Iranian and Palestinian flags at Palestine Square in Tehran. EPA -
US President Joe Biden meets members of his national security team about the attack on Israel by Iran. The White House / AP
“It just is, first of all, way too challenging and complicated. Second of all, there doesn't need to be an issue. There doesn't have to be any major revisions on our end.”
In a “Dear Colleague” letter published by US outlet Punchbowl News, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries declared that the “gravely serious events in the Middle East and Eastern Europe underscore the need for Congress immediately”.
“We must take up the bipartisan and comprehensive national security bill passed by the Senate forthwith. This is a Churchill or Chamberlain moment,” Mr Jeffries wrote.
Momentum to pass the full supplemental package comes from leadership in the House Republican caucus, too.
“What happened in Israel last night happens in Ukraine every night,” House foreign affairs committee chairman Michael McCaul told CBS on Sunday.
“We don't have time on our side here, we have to get this done.
"I need to educate my colleagues that [Iran and Russia] are all tied together.”
