House Republicans are taking aim at President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war this week, after the administration stopped sending some bombs to Israel and warned that the US would cut off more offensive weapons to Jerusalem if his forces launched an invasion of Rafah.
Republicans in both chambers sharply criticized the administration’s latest moves, accusing the president of abandoning the United States’ closest ally in the midst of its war against Hamas while facing pressure from progressive lawmakers and voters.
House Republican lawmakers, however, are prepared to put those frustrations into action this week, voting on a bill that condemns the Biden administration’s decision to suspend arms transfers to Israel and calls for the “rapid delivery” of offensive weapons. to Jerusalem.
“It is not President Biden’s job to dictate to Israel how they must act to defend their right to exist and deter violence against their people,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) wrote in his “Floor Lookout” on Sunday night. “House Republicans unequivocally support Israel in its war against terrorists and those who threaten its freedom.”
Also this week, the House is expected to vote on a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years as lawmakers await Friday’s deadline. Additionally, the lower house will consider a series of law enforcement-related bills to honor National Police Week.
On the other side of the Capitol, senators are scheduled to vote on a series of nominations.
Republican Party goes on the offensive over gun ownership in Israel
House Republicans aim to strike this week after the Biden administration took two controversial steps regarding Israel’s war against Hamas, an effort that will put a spotlight on the president’s handling of the Middle East conflict.
Biden has already stopped sending some bombs to Israel and is now threatening to cut off more offensive weapons to Jerusalem if the country’s forces launch an invasion in Rafah – two stances that are drawing fierce cries from Republicans.
In response, the House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill – dubbed Israel Security Assistance Support Act – which calls for the “rapid delivery” of defense items and services to Israel, condemns the Biden administration’s decision to suspend shipments to Israel and reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense.
It also calls for funds for the Secretaries of Defense, State and the National Security Council to be withheld until defense items are delivered to Israel.
“Unlike the administration, House appropriators will not waver in our staunch support for Israel,” a group of top GOP appropriators — including Rep. Ken Calvert (Calif.), the bill’s sponsor — wrote in a statement. declaration on the weekend. “Any actions to withhold resources impede our national and global security and send a dangerous signal that the United States cannot be counted on as a partner. We demand that the Administration fulfill our commitment to our great ally in the Middle East, especially in this time of grave need.”
House Republicans aimed their fire directly at Biden in the wake of the administration’s actions regarding the Israel-Hamas war. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested last week that the president was having a “senior moment” when he announced during an interview with CNN that the U.S. would stop sending offensive weapons to Israel if its forces invaded. Rafah, and Rep. Cory Mills (R-Florida) filed an article of impeachment against Biden last week after he issued his warning.
This week’s vote on the Israel-related bill has the potential to divide Democrats, a familiar dynamic in the House as lawmakers have voted on a series of conflict-related measures since Oct. 7.
Some Democrats, especially progressives, praised Biden’s threat to cut arms shipments to Israel, describing it as the right move amid a rising number of humanitarian deaths in the Gaza Strip. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) at a post on X called Biden’s announcement “responsible” and said the stance “makes the world safer and our values clear.” She is almost certain that she will oppose the project.
A group of 26 House Democrats, however, wrote a letter to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan last week, saying they were “deeply concerned” about the message the administration was sending to Hamas and other officials. Iranian-backed terrorists by containing some weapons shipments, a sign that some Democrats may support the GOP-led resolution.
“With democracy under attack around the world, we cannot undermine our ally Israel, especially in its time of greatest need. America’s commitments must always be rigid,” the letter says.
Chamber will consider FAA reauthorization
The House will vote this week on a bill to reauthorize the FAA for five years, the last must-do priority on Congress’s legislative to-do list until the fall. Lawmakers are meeting the Friday deadline.
The House’s consideration of the measure comes after the Senate last week approved the reauthorization bill in an overwhelming 88-4 vote, marking the end of a long road to extending the agency’s authority.
Senators from both parties requested votes on amendments on some unrelated priorities, as the FAA bill is the last must-pass measure that will pass Congress until the fall. The leadership, however, did not organize these votes out of concern that the changes could derail the path to legislation.
There was also a battle over language in the bill that adds five additional spaces, or 10 round-trip flights, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which was strongly opposed by senators from Maryland and Virginia. These senators wanted to vote on an amendment that would remove the provision from the project, which was not approved. The four senators ended up voting against the project.
Those same frustrations are likely to surface this week in the House, where lawmakers representing districts near Washington, D.C., have also raised concerns about DCA’s additional flights.
The House voted against an amendment that would have added seven daily round-trip flights at DCA, but the reauthorization compromise bill released last month included the additional flights.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) criticized the Senate — including Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), the top Republican on the Commerce Committee — for not holding a vote on an amendment to remove additional DCA flights from the reauthorization bill .
“Ted Cruz was so eager to increase traffic on America’s busiest runway, despite a recent near miss in DCA and FAA warnings about delays and cancellations, that he blocked an amendment to require Department of Transportation safety approval. This is just horrible,” he wrote on X.
Both chambers last week passed a short-term reauthorization bill that extended the deadline from Friday, May 10, to Friday, May 17, giving the House time to pass the legislation in the chamber and allowing that legislators avoid a lapse of authority.
Chamber honors National Police Week
The House is scheduled to vote this week on a series of bills to honor National Police Week, which began on Sunday.
House Republican Party leadership prepared votes on legislation it would require undocumented immigrants who assault law enforcement officers to be quickly arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before being removed from the U.S.; The account this would require the attorney general to report on the impact the situation at the border is having on all levels of law enforcement; and another measure this would require the attorney general to write a report on violent attacks against law enforcement officers.
This week’s schedule also features resolution that would doom calls to defund the police, a thinly veiled jab at the rallying cry embraced by some progressive lawmakers. I would also express condolences and appreciation for law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) Tuesday night will hold a prayer vigil on the House steps in honor of police officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Families of fallen officers and coalition leaders are scheduled to attend. The Speaker of the House will also hold a flag-laying ceremony at the Capitol.
House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) announced Sunday night that he lit his Capitol office blue to honor National Police Week.
“We’re kicking off National Police Week by lighting my Capitol office blue in honor of our country’s brave police officers. The @HouseGOP will ALWAYS support blue,” he wrote on X.
Senate will hold nomination votes
The Senate this week is scheduled to hold a series of votes on nominations.
On Tuesday, the chamber is expected to vote on a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Courtney Diesel O’Donnell to be permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which comes with the ambassadorship.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) also filed to clot Sanket Jayshukh Bulsara to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, and Seth Robert Aframe to be Circuit Judge of the United States for the First Circuit.
This week, senators are also expected to maintain pressure on leadership to hold votes on more bipartisan bills in the coming months.
Some members pushed for guarantees for more bipartisan bills last week as the chamber was considering legislation to reauthorize the FAA, raising questions about a potential oversight by the agency.
That talk could resurface this week when the senators return to Washington.
“This is one of the last major legislative vehicles that will move this spring, so there’s a lot of discussion about different people’s priorities,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), pointing specifically to bills to help online safety of children. .
“I think there are a lot of different paths for this to happen,” he added. “There are a lot of discussions going on about how to ensure we find some time soon to have a debate about children and social media.”
Al Weaver contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
