House passes Israel aid bill despite Biden veto threat

The US House of Representatives has approved a $14.3bn (£11.7bn) aid bill to Israel, though Democrats have warned it is dead on arrival in the Senate.

The Republican measure was approved by 226-196 with the help of 12 Democrats. Two Republicans voted no.

Democratic leaders want a bill that includes funding for Ukraine, but House Republicans opposed bundling Ukraine and Israel aid into the one measure.

Senate leader Chuck Schumer slammed the House bill as "deeply flawed".

Mr Schumer said the upper chamber of Congress, which his fellow Democrats narrowly control, will not pass it.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has vowed to veto the bill should it ever land on his desk.

It was the first major legislative action under the new Republican House Speaker Mike Johnston.

To offset the cost of the aid to Israel, Republicans proposed cutting $14.3bn in funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is responsible for collecting US federal taxes.

The funding plan includes $4bn for Israel's Iron Dome and David's Sling - defence systems it uses to shoot down rockets - as well as the transfer of some US equipment.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, however, said that the proposal to cut IRS costs would add billions of dollars to the country's overall deficit since tax collection would be affected.

Democrats have dismissed the Republican proposal as unserious. Instead, Senate leaders said they would work on a bipartisan package that includes aid for Israel, Ukraine and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Support for continued assistance to Ukraine is steadfast among Democrats, who say it is essential as the country continues to fight against Russia's invasion that began in February 2022.

Many Senate Republicans also support helping Ukraine, but a vocal group among them have questioned the continued aid at a time of US financial strain.

Republican House Speaker Mr Johnson said he intends to propose a separate package for Ukraine that will be combined with money to increase security at the US-Mexico border.

"Ukraine will come in short order. It will come next," he told reporters on Thursday.

"We want to pair border security with Ukraine, because I think we can get bipartisan agreement on both of those matters."

The US has approved $113bn in military, humanitarian and economic aid for Ukraine since its war with Russia began.