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Lok Sabha extends budget session by one day, no question hour on Feb 10

The Lok Sabha will sit on Saturday, February 10, 2024. There will be no Question Hour on that day.

Rahul Gandhi criticises PM Modi’s speech in Rajya Sabha, calls it ‘heap of lies’

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of saying false things about the UPA government and claimed that his speech in the Rajya Sabha was only focused on criticising the Congress.

Whitmer introduces $80.7B budget slammed by GOP lawmakers: ‘public relations talking points’

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday presented a $80.7 billion budget Wednesday that aims to boost education spending and deliver on her promise to provide students free education from preschool through community college. The second-term Democratic governor unveiled her budget proposal in a joint session between the House and Senate appropriations committees. It follows a State of the State speech last month where Whitmer concentrated on initiatives such as free community college for all high school graduates, free preschool for 4-year-olds and continuing a free breakfast and lunch program for all students. “My budget today will deliver on the vision I outlined a couple weeks ago,” Whitmer told lawmakers. “Lowering costs, improving education and ensuring that anyone and everyone can make it here in Michigan.” INTERNET LEFT BAFFLED BY GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER’S ‘PROFESSOR POTATO’ VIDEO ABOUT COMMUNITY COLLEGE Whitmer asked for $63.5 million to expand free pre-K to 4-year-olds and $30 million for the free community college program. Continuing to provide free breakfast and lunch would cost $200 million this year, according to the governor. In addition to prioritizing more money for education, Whitmer also proposed increases to address the ongoing repairs of roads and bridges, provide tax credits for family caregivers and expand subsidies aimed at attracting businesses to Michigan. Republican Senate Leader Aric Nesbitt criticized Whitmer’s budget, labeling it as mere “public relations talking points.” He said it prioritizes excessive tax incentives for businesses while neglecting support for families. “It’s unfair to force Michigan families to pay billions in government corporate handouts as they struggle to deal with higher grocery bills and energy prices,” Republican Senate Leader Aric Nesbitt said in a statement. Whitmer said that the two priorities that guided her budget proposal this year were “lowering people’s costs and growing Michigan’s economy.” Her office estimates that free breakfast and lunch for Michigan’s 1.4 million public school students will save families an average of $850 a year and free community college will save families an average of $4,820. The $80.7 billion budget is a slight decline from the current fiscal year’s $82 billion budget. Jen Flood, the state budget director, described the proposal as a “return to normal” after the state experienced large surpluses as a result of COVID-era funds. Lawmakers will now work over the next several months to pass their own budget, with a self-imposed July 1 deadline. The 2025 fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Michigan’s Legislature worked at a historic speed last year to pass pent-up policy demands after Democrats gained full control of the state government for the first time in decades. But the state House will be deadlocked 54-54 — with no tie-breaker — until at least April, when special elections for two open seats are set to be held. So far, there have been no signs that Republicans will help pass Whitmer and other Democrats’ priorities. Republican House Leader Matt Hall slammed Whitmer’s budget proposal as being “out of step with the people of Michigan” and for not providing “real value for their tax dollars.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempt to disrupt Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont as he gives annual speech

Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to disrupt Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, as he presented the State of the State address at the state capitol in Hartford on Wednesday afternoon. Lamont, a two-term governor and multimillionaire, provided an upbeat assessment of the state’s finances and praised the fact that the two-year $51 billion budget was passed with a bipartisan vote. He also said the state “is still in the black,” unlike several peer states, and includes tax cuts that will be implemented later this year. As the governor continued to speak to members of the state Senate and House, protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza attempted to disrupt him, and at one point, according to the New Haven Register, the governor came to a full stop. Groups of protesters were scattered throughout the state Capitol building and began chanting “cease-fire” as they unfurled banners calling on the U.S. to stop funding Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTORS ARRESTED AT PENNSYLVANIA CAPITOL, CALL ON STATE TO STOP BUYING ISRAELI BONDS Some of the banners and signs were hung around the Nathan Hale statue outside the House of Representatives chamber, the publication reported, where Lamont was speaking. Protesters could be heard from inside the chamber, though they were quickly removed from the building by Capitol police. ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS CLASS WITH NYPD OFFICERS IN FIERY SCUFFLE THAT LED TO ARRESTS: ‘NYPD, BURN IN HELL’ According to the Associated Press, there was an unusually large police presence at the state Capitol, and about 25 people were removed from the first floor, while about 10 were removed from the House gallery, where Lamont was speaking. The state’s Capitol Police did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on the matter. State Capitol Police Lt. Gregory Wimble told the Associated Press that none of the protesters were arrested, nor were they issued a summons to appear in court. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Many Texas community college students who transfer don’t finish their degrees, study says

Black students and students over 24 are less likely to get their bachelor’s degree after transferring, the report found.

Haley says ‘we didn’t even count’ Nevada after losing primary without Trump on ballot; calls caucus ‘rigged’

LOS ANGELES – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has her eyes on the next major contest in the GOP nominating calendar – the primary later this month in her home state of South Carolina, as well as on Super Tuesday in early March. And Haley is downplaying this week’s primary and caucus in Nevada, saying they weren’t “anything we were looking at” and charging that the caucus is “rigged” for former President Donald Trump. Haley made her comments Wednesday, one day after she lost by a more than two-to-one margin to the “none of these candidates” option in Nevada’s state-run GOP presidential primary. The contest was open only to registered Republican voters.  HALEY LOSES NEVADA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY WHERE TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT Trump, the commanding front-runner for the Republican presidential nominationas he bids a third straight time for the White House, was not on Tuesday’s ballot. And voters casting ballots in the state-run Republican nominating contest couldn’t write in Trump’s name, but they could vote for a “none of these candidates” option. Trump supporters Fox News spoke with at polling stations on primary day in Las Vegas said they were casting a ballot for “none of these candidates.” While her name was on the ballot, the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration ignored the Nevada primary. HALEY CAMPAIGN CHARGES NEVADA GOP CAUCUSES ‘RIGGED’ Haley didn’t campaign in Nevada ahead of the primary and hasn’t been in the state since speaking in late October at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership conference. “In terms of Nevada, we have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada,” Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters on Monday. “So Nevada is not and has never been our focus.” Haley, speaking Wednesday with FOX 11 Los Angeles during a stop in southern California, emphasized that “we knew months ago that we weren’t going to spend a day or a dollar in Nevada, because it wasn’t worth it. And so we didn’t even count Nevada. That wasn’t anything we were looking at.” Hours earlier, as the votes were being counted on Tuesday night, the former president took to his Truth Social network to take aim at Haley. “A bad night for Nikki Haley. Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to “None of These Candidates.” Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!” he argued. And Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita charged: “More embarrassment coming in South Carolina …the @NikkiHaley Delusional Tour continues,’ LaCivita claimed in a social media post. BIDEN HITS THE JACKPOT IN NEVADA’S DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY While Trump wasn’t on the primary ballot, his name will be listed on Thursday in a presidential caucus being run by the Nevada GOP. The confusion over having two competing contests dates to 2021, when Democrats, who at the time controlled both Nevada’s governor’s office and the legislature, passed a law changing the presidential nominating contest from long-held caucuses to a state-run primary.  The Nevada GOP objected, but last year their legal bid to stop the primary from going forward was rejected. In a twist, the judge in the case allowed the state Republicans to hold their own caucuses, where all 26 delegates will be up for grabs. The state GOP ruled that candidates who put their name on the state-run primary ballot could not take part in the caucuses.  Haley and some of the other now-departed Republican presidential candidates viewed the Nevada GOP as too loyal to Trump and decided to skip a caucus they believed was tipped in favor of the former president. Nevada GOP chair Michael McDonald and both of the state’s members of the Republican National Committee are supporting Trump. WHAT NIKKI HALEY TOLD FOX DIGITAL ABOUT WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO TO KEEP RUNNING “We made the decision early on that we were not going to pay $55,000 to a Trump entity that, you know, to participate in a process that was rigged for Trump,” Ankney argued on Monday. And Haley on Wednesday charged that “Nevada – it’s such a scam. They were supposed to have a primary. Trump rigged it so the GOP chairman – who’s been indicted – would go and create a caucus.” “We knew that it was rigged from the start,” Haley argued “Our focus is on South Carolina, Michigan, Super Tuesday.” Michigan holds its primary on Tuesday Feb. 27, three days after the South Carolina Republican primary. Fifteen states, including the behemoths of California and Texas, hold contests a week later, on Super Tuesday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Haley’s two campaign stops on Wednesday in California were her first to date in any of the Super Tuesday states. And the swing to the Golden State appears in part to be a marker for Haley as she pushes back against calls by some Republicans to drop out of the race and give up her uphill climb for the nomination.  The trip also included a series of fundraisers. And as Fox News Digital first reported on Wednesday, Haley hauled in $1.7 million in fundraising during her two days in California. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Garland says special counsel probing Biden classified records has submitted report, under White House review

Attorney General Merrick Garland notified congressional lawmakers that Special Counsel Robert Hur has submitted his final report after months of investigating President Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records. Garland, in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ranking Member Jerry Nadler, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin and Ranking Member Lindsey Graham, Garland said Hur submitted the final report on Feb. 5 to the Justice Department. BIDEN CAMP REPORTEDLY FEARS PHOTOS FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL CLASSIFIED DOCS PROBE COULD DEVASTATE REELECTION BID “Prior to submitting his report to me, Special Counsel Hur engaged with the White House Counsel’s Office and President’s personal counsel to allow comments on the report,” Garland wrote. “That included review by the White House Counsel’s Office for executive privilege consistent with the President’s constitutional prerogatives.” Garland, though, said the White House’s privilege review “has not yet concluded.”  “As I have made clear regarding each Special Counsel who has served since I have taken office, I am committed to making as much of the Special Counsel’s report public as possible, consistent with legal requirements and Department policy,” Garland wrote. Garland vowed to “produce to Congress the report, its appendices, and the letter from counsel following completion of the White House’s privilege review.”  Hur has been investigating Biden’s improper retention of classified records since last year. Reports suggest there will be no charges filed against the president.  Classified records were first found inside the Washington, D.C., offices of the Penn Biden Center think tank on Nov. 2, 2022, but only disclosed to the public in early January 2023. A second stash of classified documents was also found inside the garage of the president’s home in Wilmington in December but revealed to the public earlier this month, prompting Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint former U.S. Attorney Rob Hur to serve as special counsel. Days later, additional classified documents were found in the president’s home in Delaware. The FBI conducted a more than 12-hour search of Biden’s Delaware home Friday, seizing additional classified records. Biden has defended the storing of classified documents in the past. “By the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage, so it’s not like they’re sitting out on the street,” he once said. But Garland, on Nov. 18, 2022, appointed former DOJ official Jack Smith to serve as special counsel to investigate whether Trump was improperly retaining classified records at Mar-a-Lago. When Smith was appointed to investigate Trump, Garland and top DOJ officials were simultaneously conducting an internal review of President Biden’s mishandling of classified records. That review, and the discovery of classified records at Biden’s office, was not disclosed to the public until January. BIDEN INTERVIEWED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL ABOUT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS Republicans and allies of former President Trump were outraged, blasting the Justice Department for a double standard. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges out of Smith’s probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump, the 2024 GOP front-runner, was then charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of Smith’s investigation – an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. Trump pleaded not guilty. That trial is set to begin on May 20, 2024.  Biden’s aides told Axios earlier this week that they are fearful former President Trump’s campaign could use the photos against the Democrat incumbent ahead of their likely 2024 rematch. COMER DEMANDS ANSWERS ON WHETHER BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS MENTION COUNTRIES RELATED TO FAMILY BUSINESS DEALS Anthony Coley, a former senior adviser to Garland, accused the Biden team of slow-walking discovery in the president’s classified records case, versus the handling of the Trump probe. “Against the backdrop of former President Trump’s indictment on charges of willful and deliberate retention of classified documents, the Biden team’s drip, drip, drip of information made the discoveries seem even worse,” he wrote in an op-ed. Reports this week suggested the Biden campaign was concerned about potentially embarrassing photos included in Hur’s expected report.  The campaign was concerned that the images would show how Biden stored classified materials. The classified documents were carried over from Biden’s time as former President Obama’s vice president. Hur interviewed Biden at the White House – an interview that lasted two days. The White House said the president’s interview with Hur was “voluntary.” Last year, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who is co-leading the impeachment inquiry against President Biden, began investigating whether the sensitive, classified documents Biden retained involved specific countries or individuals that had financial dealings with Biden family members or their related companies.  Comer questioned why Biden would have kept certain classified materials and asked Hur to provide his committee with a list of the countries named in any documents with classification markings recovered from Penn Biden Center, Biden’s residence, including the garage, in Wilmington, Delaware, or elsewhere; and a list of all individuals named in those documents with classification markings; and all documents found with classified markings. It is unclear if Hur cooperated with Comer’s request. 

CT Gov. Lamont waxes optimistic in State of the State address interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday gave an upbeat assessment of the state and its finances, countering calls from some of his fellow Democrats to raise taxes on the wealthy and spend more money on urgent needs including higher education and social services, as well as help for those struggling to make ends meet. The two-term governor, a multimillionaire himself, lauded the fact that the two-year $51-billion budget passed last year on a bipartisan vote “is still in the black” unlike most of Connecticut’s peer states. It also includes tax cuts that take effect this year. “And people are noticing,” Lamont told a joint session of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly on opening day of the short, 13-week legislative session. “Unlike our neighboring states, which are losing population, Connecticut has gained population over the last few years.” AS CONNECTICUT EXPERIENCES CANNABIS SHORTAGE, NEW YORK MARKET IS OVERSUPPLIED Lamont on Wednesday also released his proposed adjustments to the second year of the two-year budget. Despite calls to the contrary from progressive Democrats, the governor’s plan abides by the state’s “fiscal guardrails,” bipartisan financial restraints imposed in 2017 that have been credited with bringing financial stability to the state. Some top Democrats, including Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, have suggested the caps on spending and borrowing should be adjusted to allow for more spending in key areas. “Governor Lamont offered another status-quo budget address that yet again highlights how distant our multi-millionaire Governor is from everyday Connecticut residents,” said Norma Martinez HoSang, director of Connecticut For All, a coalition of faith, labor and advocacy groups, in a statement. As Lamont was addressing state lawmakers, groups of protesters scattered throughout the state Capitol building began chanting “cease-fire” and unfurling banners calling for the U.S. to stop funding Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. There was an unusually large contingent of police at the Capitol on Wednesday, and officers from multiple departments quickly removed about 25 people from a demonstration on the first floor and about 10 to 12 people from the House gallery, which is above where Lamont was speaking. No one was arrested or issued a summons to court, State Capitol Police Lt. Gregory Wimble said. While Lamont faces pushback from the more liberal wing of his party, the top Republican leader of the state Senate praised the governor for still embracing the budgetary caps, calling it “music to our ears.” Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, a Republican from Stratford, said budgets are about priorities and if the Democrats want to spend more money on social services and other programs, then they need to reprioritize spending. “The guardrails have worked fabulously well,” he said. “They’ve resulted in balanced budgets. They resulted in a rainy day fund. They’ve resulted in paying down debt.” Looney said Democrats don’t want to “blow up” the guardrails, as they have been accused, but rather make adjustments, including to the so-called volatility cap that imposes a threshold for “volatile” income tax revenue such as capital gains from the stock market. It requires excess to be set aside for the state’s budget reserves or to pay down pension debt. “There are a number of things that we could do, that are discreet things, that would not undermine the cap overall, would not undermine the guardrails, but would still give us a little bit more room to address what needs to be addressed,” he said. Looney also supports a surcharge on capital gains income for high-earners. Lamont’s budget attempts to address some of the concerns of his fellow Democrats. He said it includes the “largest state grants ever” for Connecticut’s state college and the University of Connecticut. There is also a combination of state and federal COVID funds set aside to continue providing universal free breakfast and reduce-price meal subsidies for school lunches to students. Lamont’s spending proposal also sets aside an additional $43.3 million, on top of the $68.8 million already in the budget, for various early childhood initiatives. He has also proposed eliminating state licensing fees for various occupations, including nurses and home child care workers. And Lamont’s plan includes additional funding to provide no-cost legal representation to income-eligible tenants facing eviction. The governor stressed, however, that more work needs to be done to make housing in Connecticut affordable, noting that state funding is doubled for various housing initiatives in the two-year spending plan. “We have too many people who cannot find a place to live,” Lamont said. “It is not available or it is not affordable.”

Kentucky lawmakers break bread with the homeless while weighing public camping ban in state legislature

Kentucky lawmakers weighing a bill to make sleeping on a sidewalk or under a bridge illegal shared a meal of fried chicken and green beans Wednesday with people who could be most affected by the legislation. The luncheon in the Capitol Annex gave lawmakers a glimpse into the lives of unhoused Kentuckians as they consider a sweeping criminal justice measure that critics say would criminalize homelessness. A leading supporter says the intent is to steer them toward treatment, not put them in jail. KENTUCKY LEADERS TOAST TO RECORD-BREAKING GROWTH IN THE BOURBON INDUSTRY Impassioned speeches over the legislation — which would impose harsher sentences for an array of crimes — gave way to a quiet buffet lunch where lawmakers chatted with a small group of people residing in shelters. Lawmakers trickled in and out of the room, taking a break from committee meetings. Republican Sen. Adrienne Southworth said she spoke with a woman stuck for two years on a waiting list for subsidized housing. Democratic Sen. Robin Webb heard another woman recount the setbacks that spiraled into her living on the streets. They shared a bond as natives of eastern Kentucky. “They’re just working-class citizens and people who have an instance of bad luck,” Webb said later. “Affordable housing should be a priority of the legislature, and putting a face on it certainly doesn’t hurt because especially in rural areas, resources are limited and sometimes it’s hidden.” Several thousand people experience homelessness in Kentucky on a given night, advocates say. The Kentucky House recently passed the legislation that includes creating an “unlawful camping” offense. It means people could be arrested for sleeping or setting up camp in public spaces — including streets, sidewalks, under bridges and in front of businesses or public buildings. A first offense would be treated as a violation, with subsequent offenses designated as a misdemeanor. An amended version would allow people to sleep in vehicles in public for up to 12 hours without being charged with unlawful camping. Local governments could choose to designate temporary camping locations for unsheltered people. The bill is awaiting action in the Senate. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers. One of the most contentious sections would create a “three-strikes” penalty to lock up people for the rest of their lives after conviction for a third violent felony offense. The provisions dealing with homelessness also have drawn considerable pushback. An advocate said Wednesday that it was important for lawmakers to hear directly from the unhoused. “This is why we brought our folks here to allow legislators to see, hear and know the people who are being impacted by their actions,” said Ginny Ramsey, director of the Catholic Action Center, which has spent years working with people living on the streets. Andrew Chase Mason, 29, who is staying in a shelter, said she enjoyed chatting with Webb over lunch. “It’s always nice getting to meet new people,” Mason said. She said she struggled years ago with drugs and alcohol, but said she’s ready to get a job and a place of her own. She said she spent nights sleeping outside, next to a building in Lexington, putting her clothes underneath her for a bit of a cushion. She would have been in violation of the legislation now being considered, said Thomas Caudill, a volunteer who drives a van at night offering people rides to shelters. He also hands out food, blankets, gloves and socks as he checks on those without homes. Caudill was deeply skeptical of the sections of the bill dealing with homelessness, saying: “It’s judging them because they’re under the bridge.” Critics of the homeless provisions include the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, which has branded the measure as harsh and misdirected. “We cannot arrest our way out of homelessness,” ACLU of Kentucky spokeswoman Angela Cooper said in a statement. “Investing in services that will treat the root causes of these problems, like affordable housing and job training, is a more effective solution than relying on punishment and incarceration.” Republican Rep. John Hodgson, a leading proponent of the homeless provisions, said he had a nice chat with an unhoused man during the lunch. Their topics included the legislation being considered. Homeless camping on streets or sidewalks can create traffic hazards and hurt businesses, he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The goal is to direct the homeless into substance abuse, mental health and job training services to improve their lives, not to put them in jail, said Hodgson. For some of them, Hodgson said, “they’re not going to get any help if they don’t have a little bit of a stick to push them into that.”

Conservatives plot new Israel aid plan with spending cuts after Johnson bill goes down in flames

FIRST ON FOX: House conservatives are exploring ways to send aid to Israel while cutting spending elsewhere after they voted down a “clean” bill to fund the Middle Eastern ally on Tuesday night. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is introducing a bill that would give $17.6 billion in military and security assistance to the U.S.’s top Middle East ally, while also pulling back $22 billion aimed toward the Department of Commerce Nonrecurring Expenses Fund. It comes after 14 Republicans voted against a bill giving the same amount to Israel. Many, including Biggs, said they support aid to Israel but demanded that it be paid for in other federal spending cuts. “Israel remains America’s greatest ally and deserves to be protected from barbaric actors like Hamas,” Biggs told Fox News Digital. “My legislation grants an opportunity to financially support Israel while not having to borrow money to do it. If we’re going to provide them funding, we have to get serious about defunding radical Democrat priorities.” SOUTH AFRICA’S GENOCIDE CASE AGAINST ISRAEL SETS UP HIGH-STAKES LEGAL BATTLE AT UN’S TOP COURT That $22 billion was allocated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), a bipartisan deal struck by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Biden to raise the debt limit last year, which conservatives opposed. GOP hard-liners have previously called the nonrecurring expenses fund a “slush fund” while attacking McCarthy and Biden for making “side deals” in debt ceiling talks. One of Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson’s first acts as the new speaker was passing a $14.3 billion aid package for Israel on the House floor. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who wanted those funds to be part of a wider supplemental funding request for Ukraine and Taiwan, rejected the bill and called its offsets a “poison pill.” Biggs’ bill is called the Fiscally Responsible Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024, according to text obtained by Fox News Digital. LONDON THEATER CANCELS DOUGLAS MURRAY’S PRO-ISRAEL EVENT AT LAST MINUTE AFTER EMPLOYEES REFUSED TO WORK Like the bill put forth by Johnson, the aid would go to Israel only and includes no humanitarian funding for Gaza, something Democrats have pushed for. It comes after Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who like Biggs is a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News Digital that GOP hard-liners are discussing avenues for aiding Israel that they believe could get Republican-wide support. “We’re having ongoing conversations about what we need to do to stand with Israel but do it responsibly,” Roy said. FRANCE’S NEW FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ISRAEL, CALLS FOR CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE “Which means we’ve got to factor in paying for it, and/or dealing with UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) and all of the ridiculous things this administration is doing to fund Israel’s enemies or slow-walking munitions – [Secretary of State Antony Blinken] is undermining [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] – and/or what can we do about our own border.” Roy added, “But right now, sending a blank [check], that’s not going to work. So, we’ve got to figure out a way to get something, and that’s what we’re working on.” It comes after a $118 supplemental security aid bill, the product of monthslong bipartisan talks with the Senate and White House, failed to overcome GOP opposition despite Republican lawmakers blessing the talks. That bill would have given aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and Gaza as well as overhauling the U.S. asylum system. Democrat leaders in the House and Senate are now pushing for a supplemental aid bill without the border provisions attached. The White House issued a veto threat against Johnson’s $17.6 billion Israel aid bill despite its lack of spending offsets. Johnson called out President Biden and the majority of House Democrats who voted against his bill during comments to reporters on Wednesday. “The president of the United States threatened to veto … the Israel funding package. Chuck Schumer then said that he would put a blockade up in the Senate. He had 166 House Democrats who followed leader Hakeem Jeffries off that cliff. They took that lead, and they blocked the funding,” Johnson said. “They’re doing it for political purposes. It’s bad for national security.” He would not say whether he’d consider Democrats’ new supplemental aid plan.