ICYMI: Thomas Friedman and David Firestone Columns on House Republican Bill

This week, Thomas Friedman and David Firestone wrote columns in the New York Times highlighting House Republicans' push to pass a bill that inserts partisanship into our support for Israel, conditions national security needs on partisan poison pill offsets, and denies humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people around the world, including Palestinian civilians.

Friedman calls this an "utterly incoherent worldview that would undermine the American global leadership that has shaped a world we've thrived in for the past century." Firestone notes that this push has "everything to do with the Republican desire to score political points whenever possible."

As the Administration has made clear, we urge House Republicans to work with us towards an agreement on the package the President presented to Congress, which is in our national security interests, rather than moving forward with this political stunt.

New York Times (Opinion): Seeing the Big Picture in Two Big Wars
[Thomas L. Friedman, 11/2/23]

[Speaker Johnson] conditioned even the $14.3 billion the administration wants to send to Israel on President Biden agreeing to strip the same amount from funds added to the Internal Revenue Service so it could better collect taxes from cheaters…If it sounds like an utterly incoherent worldview that would undermine the American global leadership that has shaped a world we've thrived in for the past century, it's because it is. And if it feels as if House G.O.P. leaders are small thinkers in a big time, it's because they are. They are shameless, shameful and dangerous.

New York Times (Opinion): Mike Johnson Just Confirmed How Unserious He Is
[David Firestone, 11/1/23]

On Monday, only five days after being elevated to one of the most important leadership roles in the country, he upended a major foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, meekly obeying those Republican House members who see their main role as disengaging from the world and taking self-destructive potshots at Democrats. Nothing in Mr. Johnson's record suggested he might try to shore up America's leadership in the world, but his actions show that his new position has not added any gravitas to his thinking; he's just pandering to his cronies in the far right wing.

Specifically, he stripped money for Ukraine and Taiwan from the $105 billion package requested by President Biden, leaving only the $14.3 billion the administration wants to send to Israel. But then he imposed a condition on the Israel money: Mr. Biden must agree to cut the same amount out of the money the Internal Revenue Service uses to chase down high-income tax cheats. So essentially the U.S. can protect Israel as long as it also protects rich white-collar criminals.

The I.R.S., of course, has nothing to do with the war between Israel and Hamas, but it has everything to do with the Republican desire to score political points whenever possible.