The foreign aid package passed by the House last week continues to draw conservative Republicans' ire, as it contained no border security provisions on top of humanitarian aid for Gaza that they argue will go to Hamas. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) focused on this latter aspect of the package in a recent op-ed for the Washington Times, calling it "a disaster" and "one of the worst" pieces of legislation Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) allowed to pass in the House.
"America continues to fund both sides of conflicts and wars. This is typified by the latest Israel aid portion of the package voted on by the House of Representatives," Rep. Biggs began, echoing sentiments spoken by his colleague Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) in a recent interview with Cactus Politics.
Other Republicans have expressed similar concerns about lending humanitarian aid to Gaza, claiming it will end up in the hands of Hamas, such as Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). But like Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL), Rep. Biggs blasted the Biden Administration as "kneeling to the base of the Democratic Party" and resurrecting the "two-state solution."
Does Texas have a constitutional right to defy Supreme Court on protecting its border?
Additionally, Biggs noted that "the best thing that House Speaker Mike Johnson has done was to push a package that provided military and humanitarian aid to Israel last November," referencing the $14 billion aid package passed by the House that diverted funds from the expansion of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rather than be stacked on top of it.
However, Johnson did not send the November bill to the Senate because it would not be passed, which the Arizona Congressman said explains why we ended up with the foreign aid package we have now, "And that’s how we end up funding both sides of the Israel-Hamas war."
Biggs suggested the Democratic Party and Biden Administration are seeking to supplicate the antisemitic far-left of their party, which has become increasingly vocal, and that Ukraine funding was what they were after all along.
"If the first Israel aid package of last November was the best thing Mr. Johnson has done, this last legislation (which came to the House as one bill and returned to the Senate as one bill, not four separate bills) is one of the worst," Biggs concluded.
