The war between Israel and Hamas is sowing divisions on Capitol Hill as House Republicans prepare to bring a bill to the floor condemning President Joe Biden’s temporary pause on weapons transfers to the Jewish state — a move that could threaten to fracture the Democratic caucus even further.
The Israel Security Assistance Support Act — introduced by Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA), Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), and others — seeks to curb Biden’s efforts to withhold military aid to Israel that was appropriated in recent spending and foreign aid legislation passed this year.
The resolution, set for a vote on Thursday, would condemn Biden’s actions and require his administration to expedite weapons, funds, and other forms of aid within 30 days. The bill has overwhelming GOP support, particularly after Biden threatened last week that he would stop providing artillery shells and other weapons to Israel if it invaded the city of Rafah.
Biden said he would veto the Israel resolution if it made it to his desk, putting House Democrats in a tough spot: If they vote in favor of the bill, they will be going against the leader of their party. But if House Democrats oppose, it could place their most vulnerable members in a risky position as the Israel-Hamas war has already alienated hard-left members from the rest of the caucus.
Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said during a press conference on Wednesday that though there are “different angles within our own caucus” on how to approach funding for Israel, most House Democrats will vote against the Israel resolution, calling it an “overly political bill.”
“We believe in supporting our friends and allies in Israel,” Aguilar said. “We also believe that the president sets foreign policy as well.”
“We appreciate the president’s leadership as he seeks to work with our colleagues in Israel to protect them from threats not just in Gaza but in others. And this bill, with all these, would seek to undo what the president has done,” Aguilar continued, adding the GOP-led legislation is “not thoughtful foreign policy.”
Even some of the most pro-Israel Democrats are opposed to the resolution, blasting it as politically motivated and accomplishing little in actual support for the Jewish state. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), one of the most vocal supporters of Israel within the Democratic conference, said the bill has “no material impact” on the war.
“This is a completely misleading and unnecessary bill,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told reporters on Wednesday. “Everything it calls for, the administration is already doing. And it is just yet another example of the Republicans using Israel and antisemitism for their own political purposes.”
“I will speak for myself as an American Jew — I am tired of the Republicans using Israel and antisemitism as a political pawn,” he added. “We are not political pawns. It is bad for Israel if the Congress is divided. It is bad for Israel, bad for Jews if there’s these gotcha political resolutions about antisemitism.”
Goldman said the White House did not lobby him to vote “no” on the bill. However, a Democratic aide told the Washington Examiner that there is a “growing amount of pressure” from the Biden White House to vote no on the measure.
“And they rarely put on pressure,” the aide continued, highlighting the significance of the White House’s interest.
Sources also told Axios that Biden officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, have made calls against the bill.
At least two House Democrats, Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Greg Landsman (D-OH), have already released statements that they plan on voting in favor of the Israel resolution on Wednesday.
Despite a slight break in the conference, from which Democrats are whipping “no” votes, Aguilar said he is not “distracted or diverted” from a coalition of House Democrats who may vote in favor of the bill.
“There have been times in the past where a small group of members disagree with the majority of the Democratic caucus,” Aguilar said. “That’s part of the rich mosaic of guiding this caucus. We come from every corner of our country and people will have different viewpoints along the way.”
Meanwhile, Republicans have balked at Democratic accusations that the party is seeking to politicize the issue ahead of the November elections, arguing Biden did that himself when he paused weapons transfers to the Jewish state. Many GOP lawmakers have even said the president shifted his opinion to appease progressive Democrats who oppose the shipments.
“They’ve been saying that they’re committing war crimes and all these things that are not true. And then he reverses it and then threatens them again. What would cause someone to do that? A large population of Muslim Americans in Michigan — so that is the height of politicizing things,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) said, referring to voters in the swing state who voted “uncommitted” instead of for Biden in the presidential primaries in protest of his handling of the Israel war.
“So I am not going to bother being concerned about my Democratic colleagues … saying that we’re trying to politicize this,” Van Orden told the Washington Examiner. “The reason that we’re doing these repeatedly is to keep it in the public eye.”
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Even if the bill passes the House on Wednesday, it will likely be dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate before Biden even gets a chance to veto it. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) poured cold water on the measure on Tuesday, reminding reporters of its fate beyond the lower chamber.
“Look, the House hasn’t voted yet. The president has already said he’s vetoing it. So, it’s not going anywhere,” Schumer said.
