Jerusalem Post photo
DC – Two Democrat members from Illinois of the US House – Marie Newman (IL-3) and Chuy Garcia (IL-5) joined with the Liberal Left Thursday to oppose American financial aid to Israel's key protection from radical terrorist attacks.
The bill to help Israel retain its missile defense system called the "Iron Dome" passed the House with an overwhelming 420 to 9 vote.
The "no" votes were Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; Cori Bush, D-Mo.; André Carson, D-Ind.; Marie Newman, D-Ill., Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.; Chuy Garcia, D-Ill.; and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
Defense News explained what happened.
Earlier in the week,
A proposal to send Israel $1 billion for the Iron Dome air defense system has been cut out of a stopgap government funding bill, meant to avoid a government shutdown after Sept. 30, in order to ease its passage in the House.
House Democrats introduced the bill Tuesday with the Iron Dome proposal in it, alongside $6.3 billion in emergency funding to resettle Afghan refugees and other Pentagon-friendly provisions. However, the lron Dome funding had to be cut because it created an internal schism for Democrats, who must unify to overcome Republican opposition to the broader bill, according to a source familiar with the matter.
After a stand alone bill passed the House Thursday to continue funding Israel's Iron Dome, Defense News reported:
Earlier in the week, a group of the House’s most liberal Democrats objected to the new money being included in a broader continuing resolution, meant to keep the government open past the start of the new fiscal year and through Dec. 3. That jeopardized its passage because Republicans were united against the CR’s inclusion of a clause to raise the country’s debt limit.
Those "most liberal Democrats" now includes two from Illinois, despite a sizable Jewish community in the Chicago region.
