Crapo, Cotton, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Repeal Biden Administration’s Arms Embargo on Israel

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and other 14 Senate colleagues to introduce the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, legislation that would force the Biden Administration to send critical weapons to Israel.  The bill comes after President Biden announced that his Administration would withhold certain weapons from Israel if it conducted a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza.

The Israel Security Assistant Support Act would force the Biden Administration to complete the delivery of weapons to Israel and cancel the salaries of any Biden Administration official at the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State who take any action to withhold the delivery of weapons to Israel.

“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,” said Crapo.  “It is critical our support for Israel remain unwavering and we do not waffle on our agreement to provide needed weapons.”

“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,” said Cotton.  “This bill will reverse Joe Biden’s arms embargo and withhold the salaries of officials who implement 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) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bill text may be found here.