Senator Mike Crapo | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Senator Mike Crapo | Official U.S. Senate headshot
On May 15, 2024, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined forces with Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and fourteen other Senate colleagues to introduce the Israel Security Assistance Support Act. This legislation aims to compel the Biden Administration to supply critical weapons to Israel. The introduction of this bill follows President Biden's announcement that his administration would withhold certain weapons from Israel if it carried out a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza.
The proposed act would mandate the Biden Administration to finalize the delivery of weapons to Israel. It also stipulates the cancellation of salaries for any officials from the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State who attempt to withhold weapon deliveries to Israel.
Crapo stated, “If we cannot count on President Biden and his Administration to uphold support for Israel, Congress must act to support our ally in its efforts to eliminate Hamas.” He emphasized that unwavering support for Israel is crucial and there should be no hesitation in fulfilling the agreement to provide necessary weapons.
Cotton expressed his disappointment with President Biden's decision, saying, “President Biden’s decision to impose a de facto arms embargo on Israel is a betrayal of one of our most important allies as it fights an existential war for survival.” He further added that their bill aims to reverse this arms embargo and penalize officials who enforce it.
Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Rick Scott (R-Florida) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) are co-sponsors of the legislation. Representative Ken Calvert (R-California) has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The full text of the bill can be found here.
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