After House Passes Bill To Prevent Biden From Withholding Weapons From Israel, Democratic Senators Shrug

Earlier this month, the House voted to pass a GOP bill to compel the delivery of defensive weapons to Israel as Republicans increase pressure on President Joe Biden over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

The bill would prevent Biden from withholding or reversing weapon transfers that have been approved by Congress from the U.S. to Israel and require any that have been withheld to be delivered to Israel within 15 days of the bill’s enactment.

The legislation is unlikely to be passed in the Democratic-led Senate, and the White House has said Biden would veto the bill if it were passed. The House vote was 224-187, with three Republicans voting against the measure and 16 Democrats voting for it.

The bill would cut off funds from the State Department, the Defense Department and the National Security Council, as well as other key executive-branch entities until any withheld weapons are sent to Israel.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration began the early stages of a process to implement a $1 billion arms deal for Israel. The move comes as the administration has paused the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs and 500-pound bombs to Israel, citing concerns about the weapons being used in the heavily populated areas of Rafah.

House Democratic leaders were encouraging their party to vote no on the GOP bill, claiming it would “constitute an unprecedented limitation on President Biden’s executive authority and administrative discretion to implement U.S. foreign policy,” according to a notice sent to offices.

The legislation also includes rhetoric condemning the Biden administration’s “decision to pause certain arms transfers to Israel” and calling for “all previously approved arms transfers to Israel to proceed quickly.”