WASHINGTON — One of the White House's top Republican critics on Tuesday played down talk that US aid to Israel could face deep cuts at a time when overseas assistance from Washington is being scrutinized.
"I've always said that any aid to foreign countries should pass the test of whether it helps support the security of the United States," Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told AFP.
Cantor said it was "very clear" that Israel was waging "the same war against radical Islam that we are in" and therefore met that test.
The lawmaker also cautioned against expecting "across-the-board" cuts in overseas funds as President Barack Obama's Republican foes press ahead with their campaign promise to slice government spending to where it was in 2008.
Republicans have said that their efforts to save roughly $100 billion will not necessarily result in every program being cut, and that foreign aid is undergoing a region-by-region, country-by-country, program-by-program review.
Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US aid since World War II, and gets nearly $3 billion each year from Washington, according to the US Congressional Research Service.
Cantor's comments came a day after the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Howard Berman, warned that the Republican plan, if enacted, could lead to "drastic cuts" including in aid to Israel.
Berman said the Republican plan imperiled "financing for the purchase of US military equipment to ensure Israel's qualitative military edge" over potential adversaries.
