House Republicans are criticizing President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict this week. They are unhappy about the administration pausing the delivery of certain bombs to Israel and warning that more offensive weapons will be cut off if Israel invades Rafah.
Republicans in both the House and Senate have strongly criticized the administration’s recent actions. They accuse the president of abandoning the U.S.’s closest ally during its war against Hamas under pressure from progressive lawmakers and voters.
House GOP lawmakers are ready to take action this week by voting on a bill that condemns the Biden administration’s decision to pause arms transfers to Israel and calls for the swift delivery of offensive weapons to Jerusalem.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said, “It is not President Biden’s role to tell Israel how to defend itself and prevent violence against its people. House Republicans firmly support Israel in its fight against terrorists and those threatening its freedom.”
This week, the House is set to vote on a bill to extend the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years and will also consider several law enforcement-related bills to honor National Police Week. Additionally, the House will consider a bill related to law enforcement in honor of National Police Week.
In the Senate, there are plans to vote on a number of nominations.
GOP criticizes Biden's decision on Israel weapons supply
House Republicans are taking an offensive stance this week following the Biden administration's contentious decisions concerning Israel’s conflict with Hamas, which will shed light on the president’s management of the situation in the Middle East.
Biden has halted the delivery of some bombs to Israel and is now threatening to stop additional offensive weapons to Jerusalem if it launches an invasion of Rafah. These actions have sparked strong opposition from Republicans.
To respond, the House is scheduled to vote on a bill called the Israel Security Assistance Support Act . This bill urges the speedy provision of defense articles and services to Israel, condemns the Biden administration’s decision to halt shipments to Israel, and reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense.
It also calls for the withholding of funds for the Secretaries of Defense, State, and the National Security Council until defense articles are delivered to Israel.
A group of top GOP appropriators, including Rep. Ken Calvert (Calif.), the bill’s sponsor, stated, “Unlike the Administration, House Appropriators will not waver in our unwavering support for Israel. Any actions to withhold resources hinder our national and global security and send a dangerous signal that the U.S. cannot be relied on as a partner. We demand the Administration fulfill our commitment to our great ally in the Middle East, especially during this critical time of need.” statement House Republicans have targeted Biden after the administration’s actions on the Israel-Hamas war.
stated that the president was having a hard time presented an article of impeachment against Biden after he issued his warning. The upcoming vote on the Israel-related bill could cause division among Democrats, which has been a common occurrence in the House since Oct. 7. Particularly progressive Democrats have praised Biden’s threat to stop sending weapons to Israel, seeing it as the right move given the increasing humanitarian deaths in the Gaza strip.
A group of 26 House Democrats, however,
delivered a letter post on X to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan last week expressing deep concerns about the message the administration was sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist proxies by withholding some weapons shipments.
“With democracy under assault around the world, we cannot undermine our ally Israel, especially in her greatest hour of need. America’s commitments must always be ironclad,” the letter reads. House to consider FAA reauthorization The House this week will vote on a bill to reauthorize the FAA for five years, the final must-pass priority on Congress’s legislative to-do list until the fall. Lawmakers are staring down a Friday deadline.
House consideration of the measure comes after the Senate last week
accepted the reauthorization bill
in an overwhelming 88-4 vote, marking the end of a long process to extend the agency’s authority.
Senators in both parties requested amendment votes on unrelated priorities, but leadership did not stage those votes out of concern that amendments could derail the legislation’s path forward. There was also a dispute over language in the bill that adds five additional slots, or 10 round-trip flights, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which was strongly opposed by senators from Maryland and Virginia. Similar concerns are likely to arise this week in the House, where lawmakers representing districts near Washington, D.C., have also raised concerns about the additional DCA flights.
The House in July
rejected an amendment
that would have added seven daily roundtrip flights at DCA, but the compromise reauthorization bill released last month included the additional flights.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) criticized the Senate, especially Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, for not voting on an amendment to remove the additional DCA flights from the reauthorization bill. “Ted Cruz was very eager to increase traffic on the busiest runway in America, despite a recent near miss at DCA and FAA warnings about delays and cancellations, that he blocked an amendment to require safety approval from the Department of Transportation. This is just terrible,” he Both chambers recently approved a short-term reauthorization bill that extended the deadline from Friday, May 10, to Friday, May 17, giving the House time to move the legislation through the chamber and allowing lawmakers to avoid a lapse in authority.
House pays tribute to National Police Week
The House this week is scheduled to vote on a number of bills to honor National Police Week, which started on Sunday. wrote on X.
House GOP leadership has set up votes on
that would demand that undocumented immigrants who assault law enforcement officers be swiftly arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before being removed from the U.S.; a
that would require the attorney general to provide a report on the impact the situation at the border is having on all levels of law enforcement; and another
that would compel the attorney general to prepare a report on violent attacks against law enforcement officers. legislation This week’s schedule also includes a bill that would condemn calls to defund the police, a veiled criticism of the rallying cry embraced by some progressive lawmakers. It would also express condolences and appreciation for law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty. measure Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) Tuesday evening will host a prayer vigil on the House steps honoring law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. Families of fallen officers and coalition leaders are scheduled to attend. The Speaker will also host a flag laying ceremony at the Capitol.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) announced Sunday night that he illuminated his office in the Capitol blue to honor National Police Week. resolution “We’re starting off National Police Week by lighting my Capitol office blue in honor of our nation’s brave law enforcement officers. The @HouseGOP will ALWAYS support the blue,” he
Senate to conduct confirmation votes
The Senate this week is scheduled to go through a number of nomination votes.
On Tuesday, the chamber is scheduled to vote on a motion to invoke cloture on Courtney Diesel O’Donnell’s nomination to be United States permanent representative to the United National Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, which comes with the rank of ambassador. wrote on X.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also filed cloture on Sanket Jayshukh Bulsara to be United States district judge for the Eastern District of New York, and Seth Robert Aframe to be United States circuit judge for the First Circuit.
Senators this week are also expected to keep up the pressure on leadership to stage votes on more bipartisan bills in the coming months.
Some members urged for guarantees for more bipartisan laws last week, while the chamber was considering a bill to renew the FAA, which raised questions about a potential delay for the agency.
That discussion could come up again this week as senators return to Washington.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said, “This is one of the final major legislative vehicles that will move this spring so there is a lot of talk about different people’s priorities,” specifically referring to bills to enhance the online safety of children.
“I believe there are various ways for that to occur,” he continued. “There are many deliberations about how to ensure we set aside time soon to have a discussion on children and social media.”
Al Weaver contributed
House Republicans are criticizing President Biden’s management of the Israel-Hamas conflict this week, after the administration stopped the delivery of some bombs to Israel and cautioned that the U.S. will stop providing more offensive weapons to Jerusalem if its forces launch an incursion into Rafah. Republicans in both chambers have strongly condemned the administration’s…
“I think there’s a lot of different avenues for that to happen,” he added. “There’s a lot of discussions happening about how we make sure we carve out some time soon to have a debate on children and social media.”
Al Weaver contributed.
