(NewsInsights.org) – Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, recently introduced legislation to force the president to ship military aid to Israel following Joe Biden’s pause of a shipment of munitions. On Monday, May 13, the White House publicly pushed back.
On May 8, Biden told reporters he had paused a shipment of 3500 bombs to Israel based on his concern that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might proceed with an invasion of Gaza’s densely populated Rafah using the munitions. The shipment included 1800 2000-pound bombs, a weapon rarely used by US forces because of its incredible destructive power.
Calvert’s measure, the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, would freeze and withhold Defense Department (DOD), State Department, and General Government funds and Financial Services for the Executive branch until the DOD provides the House Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees with certifications and reports indicating the administration has delivered all scheduled aid to Israel.
On Monday, May 13, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a press conference, clarifying the president’s stance. Sullivan began by stating several key points, including that Hamas has placed the IDF in an unprecedented position by using civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings to shield military operations and tunnels. However, the tactic doesn’t diminish Israel’s responsibility to protect civilian lives.
Sullivan said the State Department doesn’t believe Israel’s actions constitute genocide, but the nation can and must safeguard civilians’ well-being more carefully. Therefore, the administration discouraged a direct assault on Rafah, potentially risking vast numbers of civilians on a gamble to make strategic gains. Biden stated he would not supply offensive weapons for such an offensive, should it occur.
Sullivan characterized Biden’s commitment to Israel as “ironclad,” explaining that the term didn’t preclude disagreements but ensured that parties worked through them “as only true friends can do.”
Later in the presser, Jean-Pierre fielded a question regarding Calvert’s proposed measure. After repeating how devoted Biden remained to Israel’s defense, she addressed the legislation. She said the administration opposed any effort “to constrain the president’s ability to deploy […] security assistance consistent with US foreign policy and national security objectives.”
The press secretary also echoed National Security Advisor Sullivan’s point that the administration intended to spend “every last cent” that Congress allotted “consistent with legal obligations” detailed in the National Security Supplement.
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