McCaul Urges President Biden to Take Urgent Action to Support Israel Amid Increasing Threats from Iran

Washington, D.C. - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul sent a letter urging President Biden to end bureaucratic delays andsurgedefense articles to Israel amid increasing threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies.

"We are seeing mounting, tangible evidence of the myriad ways that Russia, China, and Iran are enabling each other's aggression against the United States and our partners. This is a watershed moment that requires moral and strategic clarity. We need to double down on our partnerships and shore up our alliances, starting with a policy directive to ship the 2,000-pound bombs and to prioritize all pending Direct Commercial Sale and Foreign Military Sale cases to Israel, including the numerous cases that have been subjected to unprecedented bureaucratic delays."

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear President Biden,

I urge you to take immediate, public action to surge defense articles to Israel, including 2,000-pound bombs, and to eliminate bureaucratic and other delays that are currently slowing more than ten critical weapons cases purchased via Direct Commercial Sale to Israel. It is apparent that Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, are attempting to exploit perceived divisions between the United States and Israel, exacerbated by recent actions of senior Biden-Harris administration officials. It is imperative that you act now to deter our adversaries by showing that there is no daylight between the United States and Israel.

Iran and its proxies are brazenly and persistently attacking the United States and Israel. In recent weeks, a drone launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah targeted a residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hezbollah fired projectiles at Israel while Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the country. Yet instead of surging arms exports to Israel to deter further attacks, Secretary Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter threatening to withhold further support to Israel. It is unconscionable that this letter was sent less than two weeks after Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. Every U.S. ally in the world is watching with disgust and questioning our reliability.

Worse still, the Blinken-Austin letter was sent with no prior consultation with or notification to Congress, despite Congress' longstanding role in appropriating security assistance to Israel and approving arms sales. The administration has significantly delayed briefing Congress on these issues despite repeated requests. This is particularly egregious when just six months ago, Congress enacted a national security supplemental spending bill with significant aid to Israel, which your administration requested, and which placed no additional restrictions on assistance to our ally. Bipartisan congressional intent of staunch, ironclad support for Israel is clear, yet your administration is acting to the contrary.

In May, you halted a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over disagreements regarding Israeli military operations in Rafah - the city where the Israeli military recently eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and where numerous hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were executed by Hamas terrorists in August. Major military operations in Rafah have concluded, yet the shipment is still blocked. As misguided as this decision was at the time, it is now downright dangerous. Israel has endured months of attacks from Hezbollah, and a second ballistic missile attack from Iran. Robust action is needed to deter Iran and its proxies. It is past time for you to publicly lift the hold on these bombs, making clear that the United States will provide Israel all support needed to restore its security against these lethal adversaries.

We are seeing mounting, tangible evidence of the myriad ways that Russia, China, and Iran are enabling each other's aggression against the United States and our partners. This is a watershed moment that requires moral and strategic clarity. We need to double down on our partnerships and shore up our alliances, starting with a policy directive to ship the 2,000-pound bombs and to prioritize all pending Direct Commercial Sale and Foreign Military Sale cases to Israel, including the numerous cases that have been subjected to unprecedented bureaucratic delays. Lastly, I expect your administration to consult with Congress prior to any further withholding of assistance to our close ally Israel.

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