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| Whew! Obama Approves $225 Million In Iron Dome Funding |
| 2014-08-05 |
[IsraelTimes] WASHINGTON — President Barack ObamaReady to Rule from Day One... signed a bill granting an additional $225 million in funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. The defense system has been highly effective in the current round of violence between Israel and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, intercepting hundreds of rockets headed toward major population centers in Israel. Israeli officials say it has a success rate as high as 90 percent. The US has provided hundreds of millions of dollars for Iron Dome in the past. The new package is intended to replenish Israel's capabilities. Congress approved the money last week before politicians left for their annual summer break. Obama signed the bill late Monday in the Oval Office with a handful of photographers present. During a marathon session devoted largely to passing immigration legislation, the House of Representatives had voted late Friday night by a landslide majority to provide the funding. "Israel is our friend and Israel's enemies are our enemies," House Speaker John Boeher tweeted shortly after the measure passed its final legislative hurdle by a vote of 395-8. Four Republicans and four Democrats voted against the funding, and an additional 29 did not vote. No debate was held on the bill, which had passed the Senate earlier Friday with unanimous consent. Israel requested the additional $225 million for the partially US-funded project, which is credited with saving dozens, possibly hundreds, of lives. The Iron Dome has intercepted hundreds of rockets during Operation Protective Edge, but is notable for its high operating costs which have heretofore largely been covered by the US. After Israel requested more aid for the missile defense system, the Department of Defense approved the request. Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) said shortly after the resolution's passage that the additional funding "is crucial to the defense of Israeli citizens from Hamas terrorism" as well as "a testament to the United States' long standing and deep friendship with Israel." Iron Dome intercepts over the course of Operation Protective Edge have likely cost Israel tens of millions of dollars. For much of the past week, it seemed as though the additional funding would be tied up in partisan bickering, but on Friday, senators agreed to support a standalone bill that did not tie the funding to other budgetary allocations. A number of organizations which had pushed Congress to approve the additional funding before it left for a month-long recess greeted the bill's passage with enthusiasm. The American Jewish Committee expressed "heartfelt appreciation to the United States Congress for approving additional funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system." "Iron Dome has been a genuine life-saver for Israelis enduring round-the- clock barrages of Hamas rockets and missiles from Gazoo," said AJC Executive Director David Harris in a statement late Friday evening. "Thankfully, Congress, in the spirit of its long support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, recognizes the essence of the ruthless Hamas threat to Israelis of all ages. And Israel's experience with this system will also no doubt prove invaluable to the U.S. and other democratic countries that may face the threat of violence from both state and non-state actors." Shortly after the resolution's passage, AIPAC circulated an email to supporters suggesting that they launch a letter writing campaign to thank members of Congress individually for their support of Iron Dome. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #7 Meet The Eight Members of Congress Who Voted Against the Iron Dome Bill |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2014-08-05 18:17 |
| #6 That basically works with those who are going to vote Donk anyway who are only looking for excuses to do so. If those among the masses haven't figured out that the LSM is just lying sockpuppets for the Inner Party by now, they're never going to find the truth, if they ever were concerned about doing so anyway. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-08-05 10:41 |
| #5 Guess Harry got the message to decouple the legislation from what ever he wanted to pass with his own agenda No, Harry got what he wanted, which was to place the GOP in a bad light with the initial 'no' vote. Hence little to no news coverage of passage and signature of the "new" bill. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-08-05 09:53 |
| #4 Actually, it's an insignificant amount of money. Less than four or five standard Obama vacations I'd wager. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-08-05 08:52 |
| #3 Guess Harry got the message to decouple the legislation from what ever he wanted to pass with his own agenda [that is, other Donks senators felt the heat of the mid-terms enough to tell him to move it]. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-08-05 08:11 |
| #2 Anyone notice the lack of media coverage regarding this important piece of legislation ? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-08-05 08:00 |
| #1 Thank G*d for midterms. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-08-05 04:15 |