House Republicans approved a $14.3billion aid package for Israel on Thursday, setting up a showdown with Democrats at the White House and Senate who have attacked the GOP bill because it excludes Ukraine funds and cuts IRS coffers.

The vote of 226 to 196 was almost exclusively along party lines. Twelve Democrats joined all Republicans except two Republicans in order to pass the bill through lower chamber.

The Democratic opposition extends even to the Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, announced Thursday that the chamber will not be taking up the “deeply flaw proposal.” He’s instead vowing to work on a package which includes funding for Israel and Ukraine, as well as competition with the Chinese Government, and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The Biden administration threatened to veto House legislation in a press release, arguing that it was “bad for Israel and the Middle East, as well as for our national security.”

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The vote is a victory for the newly-installed Speaker Mike Johnson (R – La). The new Speaker, Mike Johnson (R-La), is trying to bring together a divided GOP after last month’s bitter vote that ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Johnson’s aid package was his first major legislative initiative as Speaker. It was a preview for how Johnson, the Louisiana lawmaker who rose to the position of Speaker amid GOP chaos, plans to guide the House in the coming weeks and months.

Johnson’s decision, to separate the Israel funding and to marry it with IRS cuts was an olive leaf to conservatives who are wary of overseas spending and deficits. It united almost all of his conference. Reps. Thomas Masssie, R-Ky. and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. were the only Republicans who opposed the measure. They cited concerns about U.S. encroachment on foreign affairs and cost to American taxpayers.

The GOP’s tactics also complicate the process of getting Israel aid on Biden’s desk. They push the Senate to its own strategic course — one that Johnson warned couldn’t be passed by the House — raising new questions as to how the feuding chambers can find compromise nearly a month after Hamas’s deadly attacks.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority leader (R-Ky. ), has remained cold towards the House legislation. He argues that the aid for Israel and Ukraine should be combined into one package. Johnson stated Thursday that House consideration on Ukraine aid will “come next” and reiterated his desire to combine funding for Kyiv along with U.S. Border Security.

Biden, the White House’s Vice President, is pushing for a larger emergency aid package of $106 billion that includes funding for Israel and Ukraine, border security, and Indo-Pacific allies. House GOP leaders were forced to separate the package into two bills because of growing GOP opposition to funding Kyiv and the linking of support between the two U.S. Allies. Johnson warned GOP senators this week that a bigger package wouldn’t pass the lower chamber.

The House Republicans’ measure combines the $14.3 billion of foreign aid with the exact same amount in IRS funding cuts that were approved by the Democrats in their marquee spending bill last year — the Inflation Reduction Act.

Republicans applauded the package for its ability to reduce deficit spending. Congressional Budget Office estimates that IRS cuts, by reducing the auditing resources of the agency, would add billions to the federal debt.

Democrats reacted angrily to the IRS provision, accusing Johnson and GOP legislators of setting a trap for liberals by daring them to support Israel or to side with IRS, and to chip away at Biden’s landmark legislative achievement.

Hamas’s assault on Israel last week has revealed the deep-seated Democratic divides in Middle East policy. Pro-Israel lawmakers who support the nation’s defense efforts are pitted against pro-Palestinian liberals who accuse Israeli leaders of human rights violations and war crimes.

Even some of Israel’s most ardent Democratic allies opposed the package because of the inclusion of IRS reductions in the Israel Aid Bill — and the exclusion of humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

In addition to the White House several Democrats have noted that emergency funding doesn’t usually include offsets.

Brad Schneider (D, Illinois), another staunch supporter of Israel, stated that he never imagined he would be asked by his colleagues to vote in favor of a bill which cynically condition aid to Israel upon granting the demands of a single party.

Twelve Democrats supported the bill despite their reservations, stressing the importance of standing with Israel in its fight against Hamas.

The bill was supported by Democratic Reps. Angie Craig, Don Davis, Lois Frankel, Jared Golden, Josh Gottheimer and Greg Landsman.

Many of them still were not pleased.

Wasserman Schultz said on Thursday during a debate in the House that Johnson was willingly jeopardizing Israel’s security by requiring support for Israeli aid to be contingent on matters unrelated to Israel’s security. He’s taken a step that is unprecedented and could have fatal consequences.

As it became apparent that only the GOP could support the bill, the Democratic “yes” vote trickled in. Moskowitz stated that this was discussed among Democrats who were considering supporting the bill.

Johnson, on his part, denied that he was playing politics by tying Israel aid with spending cuts. He insisted that the move aimed to “get back the principle of fiscal prudence.”

Johnson told reporters on Thursday that he was ready to debate the issue if Democrats in the Senate, the House, or anywhere else wanted to argue that the hiring of more IRS agents in this moment is more important than standing by Israel. “But I didn’t attach that for politics.”