Deluzio Statement on Republican Effort to Condition Israel Aid on Helping Rich Tax Cheats

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) put out the following statement after voting against the House Republican bill to help wealthy tax cheats paired with Israel security assistance:  

“Former President Obama once said, ‘if there was an asteroid headed towards earth and you asked Republicans what they want to do, they’d say cut taxes on the wealthy.’  

“House Republicans did not miss a beat. 

“The Republican proposal I voted against today is a fiscally reckless and partisan effort to condition Israel aid on helping billionaires and massive corporations cheat on their taxes—putting the interests of the wealthy over security for Israel and services for Americans. 

“To twist the knife further, because the Republican bill would defund IRS efforts to crack down on rich tax cheats, the bill would balloon the deficit by an estimated $12.5 billion. This is fiscal irresponsibility at its worst, all to protect the rich and powerful. 

“President Biden has already made clear that he would veto this Republican bill should it ever reach his desk, so I hope the Senate will take a more responsible path.

“I look forward to supporting President Biden’s security supplemental request. The package not only helps our friends in Israel, Ukraine, and around the world, but also provides humanitarian assistance to desperate Palestinian civilians and fights for America’s national security interests abroad and at home—like stemming the flow of fentanyl across our border. 

“It is time for House Republican leadership to treat this urgent moment with the seriousness it demands and stop playing politics with issues of grave national security. Speaker Johnson and his party need to get behind the President’s emergency supplemental package—the only proposal that supports both Israel and other United States national security interests.”

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