After months of delays, $1 billion extra for Iron Dome wrapped into Congress’ must-pass 2022 spending bill

After months of maneuvering over $1 billion to replace Iron Dome batteries Israel lost in last year’s Gaza conflict, the money is to be included in a bipartisan spending bill Congress will consider this week as it looks to avoid a government shutdown.

Also included in the $1.5 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Agreement announced early today by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is substantially increased funding for nonprofit security, a key request by major Jewish groups over the last year.

The House is likely to vote on the bill later today, as stopgap funding for the government ends Friday.

The massive 2,741-page bill makes clear that the $1 billion is in addition to a separate $500 million in the bill for Israel’s missile defense. The $500 million in funding, brokered in the last months of US president Barack Obama’s administration, is part of a $3.8 billion annual defense assistance package for Israel that has been written into law.

It comes after progressive Democrats in the House last year insisted on considering the funding separately from another massive spending bill, a signal that defense assistance for Israel will from now on be under much stricter scrutiny going forward.

Despite that fraught debate, the House then overwhelmingly approved the standalone $1 billion for additional Iron Dome spending in September. The Senate was also set to push it through when a single senator — a Republican this time, Rand Paul of Kentucky — used his prerogative to hold up the bill.