Washington DC - US lawmakers voted Tuesday to reject a Republican-sponsored standalone Israel aid bill introduced to compete with a cross-party border crackdown and foreign assistance package that would include cash for war-torn Ukraine.

Republicans in the House of Representatives scheduled the vote after the Democratic-led Senate released a bipartisan bill Sunday pairing billions of dollars for Israel and Ukraine with some of the strictest immigration curbs in decades.

But support for that $118 billion package has dwindled, with Donald Trump – who is running for a second White House term – pressuring Republicans to avoid handing President Joe Biden what could be perceived as a legislative victory ahead of November's election.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the border and foreign aid bill was unveiled that it would be "dead on arrival" if it reached the lower chamber of Congress.

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The standalone Israel bill would have provided $17.6 billion in military aid for the country as it continues to wage its bloody assault on the people of Gaza, at least 27,585 of whom have been killed since October.

But 167 Democrats voted no after Biden had threatened to wield his veto, angered that the legislation appeared aimed at undermining the larger package, hammered out after months of negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators.

The standalone bill was also opposed by 13 Republicans as it did not contain budgetary offsets that conservatives have been pushing for with every proposal for new spending.

One of Johnson's first actions when he took office in the fall was to shepherd a bill through the House that would have provided $14.3 billion to Israel, but it included steep cuts to the Internal Revenue Service, which Biden opposed.

The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus blasted Johnson for "surrendering" to pressure for an even larger package which is not offset by cuts.

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Biden's Office of Management and Budget had said the Republican "ploy" would undermine efforts to "secure" the US border and support Ukraine against Russian aggression, while denying humanitarian assistance to Palestinians under siege.

But Johnson countered at a news conference Tuesday that it was "outrageous and shameful" Biden would suggest vetoing support for Israel "in their hour of greatest need."

House Democratic leaders called the bill a "nakedly obvious and cynical attempt" to undermine the larger package, which ties the Israel cash to $60 billion in aid for Ukraine and $20 billion for US border measures but is deadlocked in Congress.

"Unfortunately, the standalone legislation introduced by House Republicans over the weekend, at the 11th hour without notice or consultation, is not being offered in good faith," House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a letter to colleagues.

Others – including Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress – opposed the idea of providing any further support for Israel's killing spree in Gaza.

"Here we go again, sending $17.6 billion dollars – US tax dollars – with no conditions attached to Netanyahu's extremist government to drop more bombs on innocent Palestinians," Tlaib said in a speech on the House floor.

"I'm tired of my colleagues coming to me whispering, 'I don't really like Netanyahu.' Well then, why are we sending him billions of dollars with no conditions?" she continued. "Many of my colleagues that continue to tell me they do not want to condition the aid. They give it to a genocidal maniac."

"If you don't support Netanyahu, if you are disgusted by the countless videos of lifeless children pulled out of the rubble, if you actually believe in upholding human rights and international law, vote 'no' on a blank check to Netanyahu's genocide."

Meanwhile, immigrants' rights advocates rallied outside the Capitol on Tuesday to denounce the inhumane border measures included in the larger package, which they say will lead to increased racial profiling and other human rights abuses in border communities as well as deny migrants their internationally protected right to seek asylum.