US lawmakers move to push bill slashing PA funding to terrorists through Senate

"Legislation that would cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it doesn't stop paying terrorists and their families was added to a larger appropriations bill on Thursday in a bid to increase its chances of passing Congress.

The Taylor Force Act, which advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month, is now included in a foreign operations bill slated for a vote by the full chamber in December.

Putting the measure into a broader package is aimed at giving it a second path to passage while Congress is gearing up for a busy legislative session.

The bill can still move forward as stand-alone legislation, but because US President Donald Trump has sent Capitol Hill a lofty to-do list, advocates worry it won't be scheduled for a near-term debate and vote on the Senate floor.

This maneuver thus ties the Taylor Force Act to an appropriations bill already scheduled to be voted on by year's end, in the case that the measure never sees individual floor-time...

Named after a former US army officer who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian assailant while visiting Tel Aviv in March 2016, the latest version of the Taylor Force Act passed the Senate foreign affairs panel in August by a vote of 17-4.

If passed by Congress and signed into law, it would cut US funding to the PA until Ramallah stops paying stipends to Palestinian terrorists and their families. The State Department would also be mandated to publish an annual, declassified report detailing the PA's practices regarding cash payments that reward terrorism..."