Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson: “Security Assistance to Israel is an Urgent Priority That Must Not Be Delayed”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Leader McConnell and Speaker Johnson sent a letter to President Biden urging that congressionally appropriated security assistance to Israel should be expedited immediately:
Dear Mr. President:
Having recently worked on a bipartisan basis to pass an emergency national security supplemental appropriations bill that included urgent assistance to Israel, we were alarmed by media reports that your Administration had delayed the delivery of a variety of weapons shipments bound for Israel. This news flies in the face of assurances provided regarding the timely delivery of security assistance to Israel.
While we appreciate recent clarifications that assistance funded by the supplemental appropriations bill will not be impacted, we believe that security assistance to Israel is an urgent priority that must not be delayed. These recent press reports and pauses in critical weapons shipments call into question your pledge that your commitment to Israel’s security will remain ironclad. Despite regular engagement on security assistance to Israel, and repeated assurances from the most senior officials over the past several months, it was only after public press reports and subsequent engagement by our offices that we learned from your staff that “a review of a specific weapons shipment” was underway. The American public deserves to understand the nature, timing, and scope of these reviews.
Additionally, we have not been able to obtain pertinent information from the Department of State or from the Department of Defense regarding the ongoing review. Israel faces an existential and multi-front threat as recently demonstrated by the direct attack by Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists, and daylight between the United States and Israel at this dangerous time risks emboldening Israel’s enemies and undermining the trust that other allies and partners have in the United States.
We believe security assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and vulnerable partners in the Indo-Pacific should be expedited to the fullest extent possible. We expect your Administration will push departments, agencies, and industry to expedite contracting, production, and delivery of weapons and munitions critical to the defense of the United States and the free world in accordance with Congressional intent. We ask that you provide relevant responses by the end of the week on the timing of this “review,” if any other shipments will be similarly paused, what office is responsible for conducting the review(s), and most importantly when the review is anticipated to end to allow this vital assistance to move forward.
Sincerely,
Mitch McConnell
Senate Republican Leader
Mike Johnson
Speaker of the House
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