Democrat Davids urges Congress to include humanitarian funding to Middle East
By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA ā The three Kansas Republicans in the U.S. House voted Thursday night for a $14.3 billion military aid package for Israel that was combined with a plan to rescind an equivalent amount appropriated to the Internal Revenue Service for hiring of new federal agents.
The GOP-led House adopted the measure 226-196 with support from U.S. Reps. Jake LaTurner, Tracey Mann and Ron Estes of Kansas. Congresswoman Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat, voted against what she referred to as āirresponsible and partisan legislation pushed by House leadership.ā
The House bill didnāt include aid for Ukraine, humanitarian assistance for Gaza or funding for U.S. border security. It faced bipartisan opposition in the U.S. Senate and a likely veto by President Joe Biden.
LaTurner, who serves the 2nd District of eastern Kansas, said the decision to vote in favor of H.R. 6126 was easy because of the importance of delivering military firepower necessary to āhelp Israel destroy Hamas.ā
Hamas militants attacked Israel Oct. 7 and killed more than 1,400 people. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed an estimated 9,000 people in Gaza.
āI will not stand by while ruthless terrorists who chant ādeath to Americaā continue to kill and kidnap innocent Israelis,ā LaTurner said. āThe stand-alone package that we passed today provides vital aid to help Israel destroy Hamas, replenish our stockpiles here at home and evacuate americans currently stranded in impacted regions.ā
He said it was important to offset expenditures on Israel by clawing back funding earmarked for the IRS, which had been authorized last year by Congress to add more than 80,000 agents to improve investigation of tax violations.
Davids, the 3rd District Democrat representing the Kansas City area, said the House bill āputs political games ahead of both saving innocent lives and Americaās national security.ā She said the legislation was flawed because it didnāt include humanitarian aid for Gaza and West Bank.
āWe must work in a bipartisan manner to ensure security assistance for Israel against Hamas, as we have consistently done during times of conflict,ā she said. āIāll continue working together with Republicans and Democrats to achieve that goal and to deliver the necessary and adequate humanitarian aid to civilians in the Middle East.ā
Davids said deletion of IRS funding would result in potential loss of $49 billion in federal tax revenue and would increase the national deficit by $24 billion by granting ābreaks to large corporations and the top 1 percent of Americaās wealthiest individuals.ā
The House measure would deliver $4 billion for Israelās missile defense systems known as āIron Domeā and āDavidās Slingā as well as $1.2 billion for Israelās āIron Beamā system focused on defense against short-range rockets, artillery and mortars.
Separately, $4.4 billion would be dedicated to replenishing U.S. Department of Defense munition and weapon stockpiles.
Mann, the 1st District Republican representing constituents from the Colorado border to Lawrence, said the priority was protection of Israel. He also said Biden should be held responsible for decisions indirectly supportive of terrorist organizations.
āIsrael is Americaās strongest ally in the Middle East and the regionās only functioning democracy,ā Mann said. āWe must not sit idly by while our ally suffers brutal attacks from terrorists who want to wipe them off the face of the earth. Americaās national security depends, in part, on a free and secure Israel.ā