‘God wants us to do the right thing’: How Schumer persuaded House Speaker Johnson to pass foreign aid bill

By Jacob Kornbluh
April 28, 2024

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the recent bipartisan passage of a $14.3 billion military aid bill to Israel, without imposing any conditions, a “great victory” for the Jewish state.

In an exclusive interview on Sunday, Schumer said that he dedicated significant time to discussions with House Speaker Johnson, emphasizing the importance of passing the comprehensive foreign aid package, crucial for Israel’s defense, all without bowing to extremist demands.

“I told him, you’re a person of faith, as am I. God wants us to do the right thing,’” Schumer, who is Jewish, shared about his conversation with Johnson, who is Christian.

Since its Senate approval in Feb., Johnson held up the bipartisan $95 billion aid package to help Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan due to fierce pushback from some GOP House members who oppose sending aid to Ukraine. Earlier this month, Johnson introduced a compromise by splitting the aid into four separate bills to secure majority support and Democratic approval. Last Tuesday, the Senate approved the aid package in a bipartisan vote of 70-29. Three Democrats voted against the bill due to the absence of conditions on Israel and the remaining opponents were Republicans.

Schumer said the vote was a strong message against the extremists on both the far right and far left. He was aided by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who firmly backed the bill.

“It was classic how I operate,” Schumer said. “I kept it bipartisan. I kept the pressure on extremists in the House. And it’s the second bill in a row where there are no conditions.”

He brushed off the opposition from the three Democrats who voted against the bill — Sens. Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch and Jeff Merkley —  describing their efforts as having “tried and failed.”

Schumer said he was satisfied with the result. “You know, having a majority leader who’s committed to Israel is vital for Israel’s relationship with the U.S.,” he said. “This is the tachlisgetting the money that Israel needs,” he added, using the Yiddish word for the bottom line.

“Israel is extremely happy,” Schumer said.

The Senate leader also said he is “pushing” the Biden administration to “send a very strong stance” against possible arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials. “The ICC has been biased against Israel for decades.”

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