New House Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to separate Israel funding from Ukraine aid is being met with opposition from some senators, according to The Hill.
House Republicans on Monday introduced a plan to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel by cutting funding for the Internal Revenue Service, setting up a showdown with Democrats who control the Senate.
In one of the first major policy actions under Johnson, Republicans unveiled a standalone supplemental spending bill only for Israel, despite President Joe Biden's request for a $106 billion package that would include aid for Israel, Ukraine, and border security, Reuters reported.
But senators say the plan by Johnson, R-La., to offset the aid to Israel by IRS cuts will fizzle in the Democrat-controlled upper chamber, The Hill reported.
"It's a non-starter. It's a poison pill," said Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin, D-Md.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen Roger Wicker, R-Miss., also don't want the emergency funding split.
McConnell has urged Senate Republicans to keep the funding package for Israel and Ukraine together.
Said Wicker: "I'm open to suggestions but I think it's important that we do border, Ukraine, Israel, and give Taiwan what they need, also."
Said Graham: "We got national security issues that are all connected up — I'd like to do it all at once."
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, noted: "We all know how hard it is to find offsets of substance. This is real money we're talking about. If you're looking at trying to offset the entire package, I think that's going to be a real challenge for that.
"We're operating with a pretty tight time frame, in order to move something."
The Hill also reported there is uncertainty Johnson can even get the proposal through the House.