(Politicizd) Last night, in the context of a potential government shutdown, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi caved in to the progressive left, and killed a $1 Billion fund meant to replenish Israel's Iron Dome. The Iron Dome, recognized as an incredible advancement of military technology, has guarded Israel with a missile defense system since 2011. The technology has also been credited with saving tens of thousands of Israeli lives in 2011, 2012 and the most recent 2021 conflict.
Nevertheless, as House Democrats pondered the 'must pass' budget bill, progressive lawmakers took advantage and utilized the urgency to push their own agendas. In fact, without the bill, the government would not be properly funded through at least December.
As a result, the 'The Squad' threatened to vote against the bill, if funding for the Iron Dome was included. Henceforth, the funding was removed, and the bill was passed, avoiding a serious government shutdown.
According to the Department of Defense, "at least half of the civilian workforce, and the full-time, dual-status military technicians in the US National Guard and traditional Guardsmen are furloughed and not paid while the shutdown is in effect."
A shutdown could also affect "programs that are funded by laws other than annual appropriations acts (like Social Security) may also be affected by a funding gap, if program execution relies on activities that receive annually appropriated funding" and "Parts of the Washington, D.C. municipal government [could] shut down, closing schools and suspending utilities such as garbage collection."
Ultimately, with these considerations in mind, Republicans and Democrats were forced to accept the bill, and leave Israel's safety in the air. Still, though many were supposedly 'livid', calling out progressives for using Israeli lives as a political tool.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, (D-New Jersey) was among the dissatisfied, taking to twitter to call out the tactic.
Later, many other Democrats joined the discussion professing their own support for Israel and their discontent with their progressive colleagues.
In fact, Michigan Democrat and former CIA analyst, Representative Elise Slotkin, leveled more serious claims, saying that certain Democratic colleagues attack 'anything Israel'.
On twitter, she explained:
"To target Iron Dome now means the issue isn’t a genuine concern over the system, but rather the desire to attack something - anything - related to the State of Israel; it’s devoid of substance and irresponsible"
(Rep. Elise Slotkin on the latest attack on the Iron Dome)
The accusation, seemingly obvious to Republicans, represents the now-growing divide between progressive Democrats and the rest of their own party.
On the flip side, professors for peace in Israel have also called out the move, saying it does more harm than good, from any perspective. More clearly stated, they argue that without the Iron Dome, Israel will be forced to respond with more fury, and will attack the rockets at their source, resulting in more Palestinian casualties. Thus, in this scenario more Israelis and Palestinians will die as a consequence to this latest funding block on the Iron Dome.
Jonah Goldberg, the Editor in Chief of "The Dispatch", remarked just this, tweeting that move made no sense from the Pro-Israel or Pro-Palestine perspective.
"The stupidity of opposing Iron Dome is profound. If Hamas launches rockets at Israel, and Israel can’t intercept them in the air, it will at the source. And they will be 100% justified. More Palestinians will die. So if you’re doing this on behalf of them, you’re doing it wrong." (Jonah Goldberg, EIC, "The Dispatch")
Overall, the latest move details an increasing divide between the progressive caucus focused on eliminating Israel and the others focused on the region's safety. Nevertheless, the tension is just beginning with more and more Democrats becoming cognizant of the growing Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism on the radical left.
Like Politicizd on Facebook
Follow @realpoliticizd on Twitter
