House Can Do ‘Nothing’ To Send New Aid to Israel, McCarthy Says

Staffers in Congress are scrambling to pull together aid packages for Israel but running up against an insurmountable wall: Until the GOP caucus can get its act together and elect a speaker, nothing formal can be done.Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday, Congressman Kevin McCarthy said, “Unfortunately, the House can do nothing without a speaker.” The man who succeeded him in an interim capacity as speaker pro tempore, Congressman Patrick McHenry, is only allowed to “preside” over debate and oversee the election of a new speaker. Until then, the House can do nothing. The gridlock comes as Hamas’s war on Israel has inspired bipartisan groups in both the House and the Senate to begin working on aid packages and resolutions that will affirm America’s support for Israel. The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Mike McCaul, says the latter should be “one of the first, if not the first items considered on the floor once we elect a new speaker.”A Foreign Affairs Committee source tells the Sun that the exact framework and contents of any aid package “will be determined later,” as Congress and the White House receive more information about what Israel may need. Mr. McCarthy did say that replenishment for the Iron Dome will certainly be included in the final package. When asked by the Sun if he would support sending American special forces into Gaza to rescue the Americans reportedly being held hostage, Mr. McCarthy said he would follow the advice of American and Israeli military leaders.“I would leave it to the military experts to come back and assess what they currently need to get the job done, and I would be there to support it,” the former speaker tells the Sun. The Sun also asked Mr. McCarthy what an aid package to Israel may look like, and he made it clear that providing the Jewish state with overwhelming military capabilities would be his top priority, though he did not offer specifics. “We want to make sure that we kill Hamas — destroy Hamas,” he says. “The technology America has is superior to all. Israel is a tremendous fighting force. Israel has never asked an American soldier to fight for them. They’ve done it on their own.”Mr. McCarthy also made it clear that while the dysfunction in the House has impacted America’s ability to provide aid to Israel, he also feels the president is not doing nearly enough. “This will not be Afghanistan … we will not leave Americans on the ground,” he said. “This administration needs to learn.”The White House, which at midday on Monday announced the president was not going to speak publicly about this issue for the rest of the day, has released some munitions to Israel that are set to arrive in the coming days. The Department of Defense announced on Sunday that it would reposition a Navy striker carrier group and jet fighter groups near Israel’s borders. On the Senate side of the Capitol, members of the Foreign Relations Committee have made it clear they plan to work in a bipartisan way — and quickly — to draft an aid package in cooperation with the Senate Appropriations Committee. The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Cardin, said in a statement that the legislation will hopefully move quickly through Congress. “I intend to move forward legislation at the first opportunity that will focus on providing Israel what it needs to defend itself,” Mr. Cardin said. “That includes replenishment of missile defense for Iron Dome that ensures such interceptors are always available. I also urge consideration for supplemental funding for Israel’s defense as it navigates the immediate aftermath of this terrorist attack.”

House Can Do ‘Nothing’ To Send New Aid to Israel, McCarthy Says

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