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Republicans want to force Biden to send weapons to Israel with legislation

Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation aimed at stopping President Biden from withholding weapons shipments to Israel.

Why it matters: The administration's move to block the arms sales has drawn backlash from pro-Israel lawmakers in both parties.


  • Most recently, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said in a statement on Thursday he is "deeply concerned" about the decision "as well as the President's comments about withholding security assistance to Israel."

What's happening: The administration has paused transfers of ammunition, 500-pound bombs and 2000-pound bombs – a way of signaling U.S. concerns about a potential invasion of Rafah, per Axios' Barak Ravid.

  • Biden said in a CNN interview on Wednesday that the U.S. will stop supplying offensive weaponry that could be used for an assault on Rafah if Israel makes the decision to invade.
  • "If they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically ... to deal with the cities," he said.

Driving the news: Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) introduced the Immediate Support for Israel Act on Thursday, which would require transfers of some weapons to Israel to occur within 30 days of procurement.

  • "Israel is currently engaged in a war with a terrorist organization that is still holding over 100 civilian hostages. There is simply no excuse for this delay," Van Duyne said in a statement.
  • The bill would only apply to weapons approved in the $95 billion foreign aid package that Congress passed last month, however. The shipments Biden has paused were authorized and appropriated by earlier legislation.

Zoom in: Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) is taking things a step further, telling Fox News he is drafting articles of impeachment against Biden for withholding the aid.

  • Several GOP lawmakers have floated impeachment as the ideal legislative route, with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) saying the House "has no choice but to impeach Biden."
  • It's a long-shot, however, especially given that the House's more than year-long impeachment inquiry into the Biden family's finances has fallen flat.
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