Trump Owns the GOP
This week confirmed that the Republican Party is wholly owned and run by Donald Trump. Not only is Trump the presumed Republican presidential nominee, but the entire GOP is beholden to Trump, which explains the chaos, obstruction, and danger we are seeing from the Republican Party.
On October 20 — immediately after returning from a historic trip to Israel — President Biden pledged emergency security funding for Israel and Ukraine, as well as humanitarian assistance for Palestinians. In his request to Congress, President Biden included funding to secure our border, a national security priority that Republicans agreed must be included in any emergency spending package.
When Republicans finally acted, instead of allowing the House to vote on President Biden’s proposed spending package, they introduced a bill conditioning aid to Israel on cuts to the IRS, knowing it was dead on arrival in the Senate. If Democrats controlled the House, vital security assistance for Israel would have passed in November of last year.
Four months after Hamas’s brutal attack, and as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues, Republicans have continued to obstruct emergency aid to Ukraine and Israel. Ukraine is fast running out of money and faces a renewed Russian onslaught, but Republicans refuse to provide it with essential support, giving a win to Donald Trump’s fellow “dictator on day one” Vladimir Putin.
Over the weekend, the Senate reached a bipartisan deal on the emergency spending package, only to have Trump veto it shortly thereafter. Trump doesn’t care about Israel without a clear political benefit for him, he wants Ukraine defeated by Russia, and he doesn’t actually want to bolster border security because he wants to exploit it as a campaign issue.
Republicans never miss an opportunity to play political games with Israel, and true to form, yesterday they forced a vote on a stand-alone package on Israel. Democrats overwhelmingly support aid to Israel, but Republicans did not offer this bill in good faith. It was a cynical attempt to undermine the possibility of a comprehensive, bipartisan funding package that addresses security challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine, and at our border. JDCA issued a strong statement on this GOP political ploy, which failed in the House and further delayed essential aid to Israel.
The only way to solve our nation’s problems is by electing Democrats. Republicans demonstrated this week that they are unwilling and unable to govern. The GOP is beholden to Donald Trump and his political interests. The Democratic Party is beholden to the American people and our nation’s interests and is aligned with the interests and values of the vast majority of Jewish American voters.
If you haven’t already, join our movement to ensure we continue to elect Democrats who share our values.
Sincerely,
Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America