Ritchie Torres says Democrats were 'held hostage' by 'homophobic' Republicans and had to include Pride flag ban in $1.2 trillion spending bill, AOC balks at deal's ban on funding to Palestinian relief agency

'That's the latest manifestation of the homophobia Republican Party,' Torres, who is gay and chairs the Congressional Equality Caucus, told DailyMail.com. 

The provision only allows for flying U.S. flags above embassies, meaning flags for celebrations such as Pride month would not be allowed. 

'Republican Party loves nothing more than to demagogue at the expense of LGBTQ Americans.'

Still, he said he would vote for the $1.2 trillion deal that would fund six agencies of government. 'I support funding the federal government. So we are we're held hostage by the extremism of the Republican Party.' 

New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres blamed 'homophobic' Republicans for a provision in the new must-pass spending legislation that bans flying LGBTQ pride flags above U.S. embassies

The provision only allows for flying U.S. flags above embassies, meaning flags for celebrations such as Pride month would not be allowed. JUNE 25, 2020: The US national flag and an LGBT pride flag on the front facade of the US Embassy in Moscow

The spending bill is expected to pass the House on Friday, before a government shutdown could kick in at 11:59 p.m. 

House Republican leadership has touted a number of conservative policy wins in the deal they brokered with Democratic leadership. But while right-wing Republicans have come out swinging against the bill, most Democrats have either said they'll vote for the bill or haven't yet decided. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told DailyMail.com she'll vote against the deal, citing a ban on funding to UNRWA, a UN agency for Palestinian relief, for the year.  

The deal also slashes funding to a UN agency that investigates Israel's alleged war crimes. 

Israel accused 12 of UNRWA's 30,000 employees of taking part in the October 7 attack. They accused another 190 employees of being Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said he's undecided on how we'll vote, but listed off a slew of complaints about policy riders in the bill. 

'The LBGTQ+ flag ban, I think that's a step backwards,' he told DailyMail.com. 'The UNRWA hold on funds for a year, I think is very devastating,' he added. 'People don't understand what the organization does.' 

'They're just, you know, handing out bread, which is really important, but they're the infrastructure for every other organization. So you could have $50 billion in Gaza aid ready to go without UNRWA, it's not going to get in there.'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , D-N.Y., told DailyMail.com she'll vote against the deal, citing a ban on funding to UNRWA, a UN agency for Palestinian relief, for the year

Palestinians flee by walking following the Israeli army's attacks on Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on March 21, 2024

 'We've seen some, you know, good things on housing. NIH money for gun violence prevention to that something that lifted up my spirits a little bit,' he added.

The bill includes $12.5 million into the Center for Disease Control and another $12.5 million into the National Institute of Health for firearm injury prevention research. 

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, said of the flag ban: 'It shows just how low the Republican Party has gotten that they've threatened to shut down government services over trying to figure out which flags can be floated in front of which buildings or not.' 

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., a chair of the Democratic Caucus and an appropriator, said the flag ban was a small price to pay compared to many of the policy proposals conservatives had wanted in the bill. 

'In the grand scheme of crazy policy riders that Republicans were advocating, attacking women's reproductive freedom, I think the [Appropriations] committee staff did an amazing job pushing back against all of that.

The package ramps up investment at the border amid the historic migrant crisis and increases defense spending modestly by three percent. 

It also prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves and maintains the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding to be used for abortions. 

Some $20 billion will be cut from the IRS and another $6 billion in funds for Covid relief will be clawed back. 

For the border, there is $19.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection, a $3.2 billion increase above fiscal year 2023. 

There is also $495 million for additional Border Patrol agents, which the Biden administration has called for, but no funds for the wall. The money will be used to pay 22,000 border agents. 

Immigrant detention beds would be boosted from 34,000 to 42,000 at migrant facilities across the country and funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be cut by 20 percent. 

Foreign aid generally will be cut by six percent.  

For the military, there is a 5.2 percent pay increase for service members.

Funding for most defense agencies would remain at current spending levels. 

Some $20 billion will be cut from the IRS and another $6 billion in funds for Covid relief will be clawed back.  

In the defense appropriations portion of the bill there is $500 million for Israel's defense programs, funding the Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow.

The defense bill also bans any funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology and EcoHealth Alliance, believed to be Covid-19's place of origin.

Another $3.3 billion will go to Israel under the State-Foreign Operations section of the bill, with new conditions on any assistance to Gaza and stipulations to prevent the money from being used to move the Israeli embassy out of Jerusalem or to implement an Iran nuclear deal.

Democrats have celebrated a list of investments in the package including a $1 billion jump in childcare, boosts for cancer and Alzheimer's research and the addition of 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban during the U.S. withdrawal.

They can also tout a one-year extension of international HIV /AIDS prevention efforts under a program known as PEPFAR. 

Ultra-conservatives are fighting mad that the 1,000 page bill was released at 3 a.m. on Thursday and they likely won't get three days to read it in following with the 72-hour rule. 

They called out the bill's $200 million for a new FBI headquarters and $300 million that goes toward the Ukrainian Assistance Initiative.