Montana’s representatives come down against aid for Israel, Ukraine
Palestinian municipality workers clear the rubble in the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams, Tulkarem, Sunday, April 21, 2024. The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service meanwhile said it has recovered more than a dozen of bodies from an Israeli raid in the Nur Shams urban refugee camp in the West Bank that began late Thursday. Those killed include three militants from the Islamic Jihad group and a 15-year-old boy. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
U.S. Reps. Matt Rosendale and Ryan Zinke voted against funding for war-torn Israel and Ukraine in a $95 billion foreign aid package approved by the House on Saturday.
The quartet of bills included long-sought funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia, $26 billion for Israel — with $9 billion slated for humanitarian efforts in Gaza — $8 billion for Indo-Pacific allies grappling with China and bipartisan piece of legislation that cut ban the Chinese social media giant TikTok and see the seizure of Russian assets.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., secured help from Democrats to pass the measures in defiance of opposition from hard-right members of his own party. President Joe Biden signaled last week that he would support the legislation.
Zinke was among the opponents of aid for Ukraine and Israel. He condemned the inclusion of humanitarian aid for Gaza in the funding for Israel, saying it amounted to propping up the enemies of an ally.
“This bill included more than $9 billion for Biden’s USAID to send money to Gaza, and thereby sending it directly to the front lines of Hamas,” he said in a statement. “No aid for Gaza until an unconditional surrender and release of hostages.”
The fighting has turned more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents into refugees, according to the Associated Press, and killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. Experts warn the region is at risk of sliding into famine.
Zinke opposed aid to Ukraine as well, saying he wanted the Biden administration to produce a roadmap for managing the conflict, which is in its third year.
“I’m a believer in fighting for freedom and supporting our allies, but I am not a supporter of a blank check on the taxpayer’s dime,” said Zinke, who argued that the federal government ought to prioritize domestic issues, like border security, law enforcement, education and combating inflation.
When it came to allies across the Pacific, though, Zinke supported aid. He described China as a “competitor at best, enemy at worst,” and warned that ceding influence in the Pacific put the U.S. at risk.
“The U.S. cannot afford to cede territory in the Pacific because the next stop is right here on mainland soil,” he said.
Zinke also voted in favor of the bipartisan bill that included language that would ban TikTok unless it finds a U.S. buyer.
Rosendale voted against all four bills, criticizing the price tag of the package and arguing the legislation failed to address the U.S. border with Mexico.
“I refuse to send funds our country, and our taxpayers, do not have to fuel foreign conflicts,” he said in a statement.
Like Zinke, Rosendale took issue with coupling funding for Israel with aid to Gaza, calling it “backwards logic” to send dollars to both sides of the Israel-Hamas war. He spoke favorably of the bill that could see TikTok banned, but said the language aimed at transferring seized Russian assets to Ukraine could destabilize the U.S. dollar.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.