On Thursday of this past week, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would give Israel an additional $1 billion dollars in military aid for its missile defense system known as the Iron Dome.
Progressives in the House had earlier managed to strip the bill as an attachment to a must-pass government funding bill known as a continuing resolution. In response, Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer put the legislation on the floor as a stand-alone bill without going through the normal committee process, or what is called regular order.
Dave Reed spoke to Beth Miller, Senior Government Affairs Manager at JVP Action, about the political maneuvering that brought the Iron Dome bill to the floor and to its ultimate passage.
SHOW NOTES:
- Learn more about JVP Action at their website
- Follow JVP Action on Twitter
- Follow Beth Miller on Twitter
- House overwhelmingly approves Iron Dome funding in 420-9 vote, by Michael Arria
- Just 9 votes — but ‘bitter’ House debate is an advance for progressive stance on Israel, by James North & Phil Weiss
- No, Iron Dome doesn’t save Palestinian lives, by Khaled Elgindy
Most timely and “right on the money.”:
SURPRISE: ISRAEL WANTS MORE MONEY – Wednesdays Wars
“SURPRISE: ISRAEL WANTS MORE MONEY” Sept. 26/21
Wednesday Wars by Tom Callaghan
EXCERPTS:
“It’s always something with Israel. Fight this country; bomb that country. Israel join us in battle? Never. Pester us for more money? Constantly.
“We made a deal with Israel five years ago. We, The USA, would give Israel $3.8 Billion a year for ten years. Israel signed on. Now, they’re coming to us and saying, send us an EXTRA $1 Billion for this year. They say, they had to launch a bunch of rockets against Hamas a few months ago and don’t want to use ‘their own’ money…meaning money we already sent them under the Agreement. They want ‘new’ money from us, in addition to the Agreed upon money.
“Why the heck are they bugging us with this Mickey Mouse, BS? Israel is a country with 71 Billionaires, more than three times that of the entire continent of Africa. Use the money we already sent you. The $3.8 Bil for this year isn’t exactly chump change. Don’t come to us with ‘extras’. That’s not our deal. And, if you have to spend a dollar of your own……..
“And, by the way, the money we give to Israel, each year, is more than the money we give annually to all of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, combined. That happens to be the area of Africa where the slaves came from. Population, 950 million people. They get squatoosh which is a smidge more than bupkis.
“You already know how this story ends. Israel will get ‘their’ (meaning OUR) extra $1,000,000,000 for this year. Do you think it will be different next year? Possible. People are starting to talk.
“The good news is that nine brave souls, out of 435 in the House of Representatives, voted NO and slowed the process down. Israel likes its ‘special arrangements’ buried in massive multipurpose legislative packages. The Virtuous Nine made that impossible. So, a little daylight got shined on the scam, making it a little more difficult to pull off again.
“Bret Stephens, New York Times Columnist put up a very Pro Israel Funding piece. Nine of the top Ten Recommended Comments opposed USA Funding indicating Israel popularity is higher in the Congress than in the Country.
“People are starting to talk.”
The Israelis should have been prepared to fund the “Iron Dome” themselves if it is so bloody important!
will Iron Dome protect Israel from incendiary balloons from Gaza ? ?
The US designed NATO and the Marshall Plan to feed the US military/industrial complex. The US designed Iron Dome to feed the US military/industrial complex. Peace is a lot cheaper.
One day DC will stop paying for Iron Dome. Power is like that.
1. http://www.amazon.com/Language-Symbolic-Power-Pierre-Bourdieu/dp/0674510410
Another of his aphorisms is that ‘the dominant retain their position by constantly changing their stance’.