Israel 'Iron Dome' Missile Defense System Funding Backed By Congress

Congress approved $225 million in emergency funding for Israel's "Iron Dome" missile defense system on Friday, sending the measure to President Barack Obama to be signed into law, according to The Associated Press.

The House of Representatives approved the funding by a 395-8 vote late on Friday, several hours after the Senate passed it unanimously, the AP reported.

The money would be used to replenish Israel's arsenal of Iron Dome interceptor missiles, many of which have been used to shoot down short-range rockets fired from Gaza into populated areas of Israel in the current three-week-long conflict, according to the AP.

More than 1,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed with Israeli air strikes, while Israel's death toll reaches 52, consisting mostly of soldiers.

Israel's Iron Dome missile interceptor system, which was partly funded by the United States, has shot down most of the rockets fired at its cities by militants in Gaza, providing much greater protection for Israelis than during past conflicts, according to the AP.

An earlier version of the funding plan had failed on Thursday when Senate Republicans blocked a broader spending bill that was largely intended to provide money to handle the current immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, the AP reported.

Lawmakers in both chambers subsequently reached agreements to pass the missile funding measure separately, according to the AP.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Obama would sign the legislation, but several administration officials have made comments this week praising the Iron Dome system, the AP reported.

The backing is being treated as emergency spending, similar to that used by Congress to pay for wars and natural disaster relief, the $225 million can simply be added to the U.S. deficit, according to the AP. It does not need to be offset by other savings under congressional budget rules.

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