The House on Thursday passed a bill designed to force President Biden to lift a pause on a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
The legislation is considered symbolic since President Biden has threatened a veto, and it’s not expected to be brought up for a vote in the Senate. It’s seen as an effort by Republicans to show that the GOP is the staunchly pro-Israel party.
The bill passed in a vote of 224-187, with 16 Democrats and nearly every Republican in the House voting yes. Only three Republicans were opposed: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Warren Davidson (R-OH).
The bill would prohibit any arms shipments to Israel from being paused, limited, or canceled and require the “prompt” delivery of weapons to Israel. The legislation is also designed to withhold funding to the Pentagon, the State Department, and the National Security Council, so salaries won’t be paid to any US official involved in limiting military aid to Israel until obligations under the bill are fulfilled.
Republicans are fuming over the pause on the 2,000-pound bomb shipment despite the fact that President Biden has also pledged he will maintain long-term military support for Israel and moved forward with a new $1 billion arms package this week. His administration has also promised that Israel will get every penny of the $17 billion in new military aid that was recently authorized by Congress.
“This is a moment of moral clarity. You either stand with Israel and their right to self-defense against terrorists who wish our ally and America harm — or accept sending a dangerous message of weakness to our enemies,” Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said after the vote. “We can’t equivocate in our support or waver in our promise of ‘Never Again.’”
The House Democrats who joined the Republicans in supporting the bill, which condemned President Biden, are Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Angie Craig (D-MN), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Don Davis (D-NC), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Jared Golden (D-ME), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Mary Peltola (D-AK), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) David Scott (D-SC), Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY).