Democratic Senators Patty Murray (Wash.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) yesterday unveiled their $118 billion national security supplemental that includes a Biden administration proposal allowing the White House to waive the requirement that it notifies Congress before sending Israel up to $3.5 billion in foreign military aid, including advanced weapons systems.
The proposal could prevent Congress from being made aware of what types of aid and weapons systems the U.S. is providing to Israel, hamstringing its ability to conduct oversight. The oversight waiver was originally proposed by the Biden administration on October 20, 2023, when it sent Congress a request for a national security supplemental including additional funds for Israel. Under the legislation, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken could waive the congressional notification requirement if he “determines that to do so is in the national security interest of the United States.”
Schumer and Murray, the sponsors of the supplemental, have both received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funding over the years from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel donors. According to OpenSecrets, Schumer has received at least $1.7 million from pro-Israel donors, making him the their highest recipient of pro-Israel money in the Senate, and Murray has received $681,000.
AIPAC donors have given Murray at least $119,000 since 2019, making the pro-Israel group her third-largest contributor over the period, according to OpenSecrets.
