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Congress signed off on $225 million in aid for Israel before beginning a long congressional recess.
The Senate approved the money for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system on Friday morning, hours after an ugly floor spat nearly left the U.S. ally without additional aid. The House approved the funding Friday night in a 395-8 vote.
Fiscally conservative Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) on Thursday night blocked the emergency cash infusion for the Iron Dome, which intercepts rockets fired at Israel by Hamas, over concerns that the spending was not offset and would increase the deficit. But Coburn represented only a narrow minority of GOP senators who wanted to see the funding offset, and his objections were opposed by nearly the entire rest of the Senate.
By Friday morning, when the Senate opened up for its last session until September, Coburn had relented. The Senate unanimously approved the Israeli aid, a rare moment of bipartisan agreement after a nasty Thursday derailed attempts to aid Israel, provide new funding for the migrant influx at the southern border and confirm a raft of nominees to global hotspots.
“This is a good example of us being able to put aside partisan considerations and work together to help our good friend, Israel,” said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who first proposed splitting off the Israeli aid from a failed larger package that also included money for the border and to fight wildfires.
“I will stand by Israel for a lot of personal reasons but certainly for political reasons. And I have no hesitation in declaring to the world that’s how I feel,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who called the retiring Coburn a “fine man” despite the floor snafu on Thursday. Reid said he refused to point fingers at the Oklahoma Republican, despite their often contentious relationship.
In a statement, Coburn on Friday replied that “it is unfortunate, yet typical, the Senate majority blocked an amendment to pay for the costs of protecting Israel by reducing unnecessary contributions to the U.N.”
Reid, McConnell and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) all shook hands after the Iron Dome money finally passed — an uncommon kumbaya moment in a bitterly divided Capitol.
“As dysfunctional as the Congress has been, this is one of our finer moments. We’re about to leave here soon with a lot of work undone. “But let it be said” that “we did have the foresight and the ability — and quite frankly the moral decency — to end on a positive note,” Graham said.