White House Opposes Proposal to Increase Military Aid for Israel

[Purveyor]

Source: Haaretz

Last month, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended $600 million in funding for fiscal year 2017 – $454 million over U.S. President Obama’s request.

Jacob Kornbluh, Jewish Insider Jun 15, 2016 6:50 AM

The White House announced its opposition to a congressional proposal to increase funding by $445 million for Israel’s missile defense program in the 2017 budget.

In a “Statement of Administration Policy” released by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday, the administration said it “opposes the addition of $455 million above the FY 2017 Budget request for Israeli missile defense procurement and cooperative development programs.”

Last month, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended $600 million in funding for fiscal year 2017 – an increase of $113 million from last year and $454 million over President Barack Obama’s request.

In a statement AIPAC said it was “deeply disappointed” that the increased funding has been objected by the administration. “On a bipartisan basis, Congress has increased funding above administration requests this year, as it has done for well over a decade,” AIPAC said.


Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.725078

[phleshdef]

1. We give them plenty of money, more aid than we give to any other country.

[Scarsdale]

13. Hungry citizens

There is an ad running here in Illinois, asking people to donate $25 to feed Israeli citizens, who are lacking food!! Thanks to the US aid, they have universal healthcare, plenty of weapons, but NO FOOD? What has Bibi been spending all our taxpayer $$$ on? Someone in authority should look into the food banks in THIS country. Plenty of hingry people right here. Charity begins at home, I was told.

[broiles]

18. It's running in Texas too, on CNN.

[sheshe2]

2. Your Point????

[snooper2]

16. This is an odd response to an article being posted....

[Ford_Prefect]

3. Its a Money Laundering scheme: AIPAC turns it around and uses it to pay off Congress.

MIC uses the same model to "lobby" Congress to pay for ever larger military budgets and un-ending projects like the F-35.

[JI7]

4. how does AIPAC get money that goes to Israel ? AIPAC is an american group that supports

pro israel policies. but it's still American and this is about money that goes to Israel.

[Ford_Prefect]

5. AIPAC is a funded subsidiary of the Israeli Foreign office. QED

[RealAmericanDem]

6. America's aircraft carrier in the Middle East

According to the former Supreme Commander of NATO forces and Secretary of State, the late General Alexander Haig: “Israel constitutes the largest US aircraft carrier, which does not require a single US boot on board, cannot be sunk, deployed in a most critical region to the US economy and national security. And, if there were not Israel in the eastern flank of the Mediterranean, the US would have to deploy – to the region – a few more real aircraft carriers and tens of thousands of troops, which would have cost the US taxpayer some $15 BN annually. All of which is spared by the existence of Israel.”

Israel has been the most cost-effective, battle-tested laboratory of the US defense industries; the most reliable and practical beachhead/outpost of the US defense forces; sharing with the US unique intelligence, battle experience and battle tactics. Thus, Israel extends the US strategic hand, at a time when the US is experiencing draconian cuts in its defense budget, curtailing the size of its military force and the global deployment of troops, while facing tough international industrial-defense competition and dramatically intensified threats of Islamic terrorism overseas and on the US mainland.

[EndElectoral]

7. Never used to see quotes from Haig and Kissinger here.

[Helen Borg]

8. Simple solution...

Focus on renewable energy -> Oil independence -> No more use for Israel

[azurnoir]

9. Bibi leans back in his chair and says - "7 more months"

[Chemisse]

10. True. But he must have a trickle of fear that Trump would get in.

And possibly decide to cut the cash flow entirely.

[azurnoir]

11. maybe or not

http://forward.com/opinion/israel/336586/aipacs-applause-for-donald-trump-sends-a-shameful-message/

[bemildred]

12. Yeah, not everybody is on the same page about Trump.

I've seen some amazing babble about him, it's like they share a common hatred of muslims or something.

[azurnoir]

15. possibly maybe might could be

[Chemisse]

17. Who knows what he would do as president?

Some of the protectionist talk makes it sound like he wants to cut support to other countries (in general). Of course he loves to make exceptions. He is so erratic, it's really hard to know what he would do regarding support for Israel.

[azurnoir]

14. more from Politico-Why Israel Loves Donald Trump

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/donald-trump-israel-2016-netanyahu-213748

[Aristus]

19. Good. Time to try it on your own, Israel.

Run along now...