The Republicans in the US Senate have decided to put the pressure on Biden administration to keep the military aid train rolling to Israel.
Apparently, Biden hit the pause button because he didn’t like Israel’s military moves.
Enter Sen. Tom Cotton from Arkansas, who introducted legistlation to bypass Biden.
So now the White House is playing defense, naturally, trying to stop this bill.
And at the same time, the Democrats are also trying to sink it.
This political soap opera seems to get extra intense whenever it involves the Middle East.
Democrats on the Hill are also expressing alarm regarding Biden’s refusal to release the weapons aid to Israel, which was approved by Congress and signed into law three weeks ago as part of a munitions aid package that also includes Ukraine and Taiwan.https://t.co/nR4q43XT7u
— Lisa Makela (@lisamakela2) May 15, 2024
The Post Millennial reports:
On Tuesday, Republicans in the US Senate filed legislation to force the Biden administration to continue providing military aid to Israel, per congressional approval. Biden had paused the aid after taking issue with Israel’s military strategy.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) introduced a Senate version of legislation that is circulating in the GOP-controlled House that would bypass Biden’s pause in arms sales to Israel. According to the Washington Free Beacon, the White House has been lobbying against the bill while House Democrats are also working to scuttle the legislation.
Cotton’s Senate version is likely to face similar challenges in the upper chamber. The White House claimed it paused the shipments to force Israel into abandoning its planned incursion into Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip, where terrorist leadership is believed to be hiding, surrounded by some of the approximately 133 remaining hostages.
Cotton’s legislation would also cancel the salaries of any Biden official at the State Department or Pentagon who attempts to prevent arms shipments to Israel. Over 20 GOP senators have signed on to co-sponsor the bill, including Rick Scott (R-FL), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Cotton told the outlet in a statement, “Joe Biden has sanctioned Israelis and placed an arms embargo on Israel while giving sanctions relief to Iran with no arms embargo for Iran. This bill will ensure that our Israeli allies continue to receive the support that they need to defeat Hamas, while making clear that any official who supports this embargo will be doing so without a paycheck.”
Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the president’s ability to deploy a US security assistance consistent with US foreign policy and national security objectives.”
Congress passed aid to Israel just a few weeks ago. The President has a responsibility to move that aid expeditiously. pic.twitter.com/yrPiMZMeXf
— Congressman Mike Lawler (@RepMikeLawler) May 9, 2024
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