cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15415020
Biden administration is sending $1 billion more in weapons, ammo to Israel, congressional aides say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday.
It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold this month. The administration has said it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Serious question, is the president allowed to do this kind of thing unilaterally? I feel like this is an “act of Congress” kind of thing that the president likely has little control over aside from causing delays - like he’s already done. Is it really fair to lay this shit as Biden’s feet?
Congress has to approve any spending, but they very often give the executive branch some level of discretion to deal with issues that come up in real time. Almost the entire reason for the executive to exist is that some things can’t wait for a committee.
He’s already went around congress to give out tax dollars to Israel…
Everyone kept telling me it wasn’t a big deal because Congress would have approved it anyways.
To me tho, that always made it worse.
Not exactly. In the cases you’re referring to Biden wasn’t bypassing congress to give tax dollars to Israel (presidents can’t just allocate money willy nilly, congress does that). He bypassed them to approve a sale of weapons to Isreal (Israel spending their money to buy American arms). Usually arms sales also get submitted to congress so they can review them beforehand but currently the president can bypass that. And yeah it’s doubtful congress would have stopped it, they would have needed to pass a law restricting the sale to do so.
What the current article is describing is US tax dollars going to Israel, since congress has now allocated funding to buy Israel weapons. It also mentions some republican lawmakers are still so enraged the large bombs are being held back, that they’re attempting to create laws to prevent him from withholding any further weapons in the future. Unlikely to pass with democratic control of the senate though, and Biden has said he would veto it if it did.