WI members of Congress split over Israel aid, whether U.S. should back ceasefire

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS 58) -- Wisconsin's elected representatives in Washington are divided over how Congress should respond to the intensifying Israel-Hamas war, and how the U.S. should provide additional funding to Israel.

The disagreement comes as Israeli air strikes targeted a refugee camp for a second straight day on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

Israeli military officials maintain they're going after Hamas targets who are hiding among civilians. Palestinian health ministry says more than 8,500 civilians have died since the Israeli offensive began after the October 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 Israelis.

Sen. Ron Johnson said he believed the U.S. should fully back Israel in terms of both funding and attitude.

"Our primary goal needs to be to support Israel in their right to defend itself," Johnson told CBS 58 in an interview. "And, quite literally, destroy Hamas."

Some Democrats, including Rep. Mark Pocan, said while they support Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, they believe the Israeli response has gotten excessive.

"I think we're at the point where we need to tell the Israeli government that what they're doing is outside of their actual mission of going after Hamas," Pocan told CBS 58 Wednesday.

Pocan went even further, suggesting Israel was deliberately attacking non-Hamas targets.

"I think there is a broader goal here of collective punishment," Pocan said. "And that's not at all acceptable by any international standards of war that I know of."

On the issue of aid, House Republicans are pushing a plan to separate Israeli support from continued funding for Ukraine, as well as additional dollars for border security.

Rep. Tom Tiffany said he backed his caucus' proposal and added he wants to see a compelling case for why the U.S. should provide more aid to Ukraine in its effort to fend off Russia.

"What does victory look like in Ukraine? What is success going to be in Ukraine? [The White House] can't identify it," Tiffany told CBS 58. "They just keep saying, 'Keep sending more money in is as a blank check.'"

When asked whether the same thing could be said for Israel, where a long-term solution of peace has never been identified, Tiffany said he trusted Israel to responsibly use U.S. aid but didn't feel the same way about Ukraine.

"These are two very different situations," Tiffany said. "Israel has been responsible with the money we've sent to them...whereas Ukraine has a long history of corruption."

Johnson said he backed the House GOP proposal, taking new House Speaker Mike Johnson at his word that there aren't enough votes in the House to pass a combined Israel, Ukraine and border security package.

The plan proposes giving Israel $14.3 billion in a standalone act. The money would come from a reduction in funding for the Internal Revenue Service, which previously received a $80 billion boost in the Inflation Reduction Act for enhanced tax collection efforts.

Johnson bristled at a report Wednesday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which estimated the House GOP plan would add nearly $12.5 billion to the federal deficit because the IRS would collect less money.

"The CBO scores, I don't trust anything they really do, basically," Johnson said.

Pocan said it was "cartoonish" of Johnson to reject the CBO estimate. He added the proposal was dead on arrival, citing the White House and Senate leaders from both parties having stated their support for an aid package that includes Ukraine and border security.

"Right now, Mike Johnson has to do what the clowns in the Shriner car want him to 'cause they're the ones who finally elected him [House Speaker] after three weeks," Pocan said.

As for whether the U.S. should admit any Palestinian refugees, both Tiffany and Johnson said they didn't trust the Biden administration to properly vet civilians trying to escape Gaza.

Even though one of the most prominent pharmacists in Milwaukee is a Gaza native, Johnson said he believed the federal government should hold off on allowing present-day Gaza evacuees to enter the U.S.

"We've done our fair share in terms of bringing people into this country," Johnson said. "Let the Arab states take the Gazan refugees."