Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House, criticized President Biden and lauded former President Trump for their stances on U.S. military support for Israel during her address to its parliament on Sunday.
“There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel — aid that was duly passed by Congress, or to ease sanctions on Iran, effectively paying a $6 billion ransom to the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, or to hesitate while our friends fight for their lives,” said Stefanik, who also serves as the House GOP conference chairwoman.
This comes after President Biden acknowledged the U.S. had paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. He stated that the U.S. would not supply Israel with weapons for an offensive in Rafah, highlighting that Israel had used powerful American-made weapons in Gaza. Biden suggested the U.S. might further limit weapons shipments if Israel expanded its ground offensive into civilian areas in Rafah.
Despite this, Biden assured that the U.S. would continue to provide defensive military aid to Israel. The White House emphasized that Israel would receive the full amount pledged in a recent supplemental funding package, which includes about $14 billion for Israel’s defense. Additionally, the Biden administration notified Congress of its intention to transfer $1 billion in weapons to Israel.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded, stating, “There has been no better friend to Israel than President Biden.” Bates highlighted Biden’s visit to Israel during wartime after the October 7th terrorist attacks and his order for the U.S. military to defend Israel from foreign attacks, affirming that Biden’s support for Israel’s security is “ironclad.”
Stefanik, recalling a letter from George Washington to the Jews in Newport, Rhode Island, asserted that Americans are “firmly behind Israel and the Jewish people.”
She emphasized her long-standing support for Israeli independence and security, noting her collaboration with Trump on these issues. Stefanik, a close Trump ally, was among the first to endorse his 2024 presidential bid, and sources have suggested that Trump sees her as a potential running mate.
In congressional hearings late last year, Stefanik confronted the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania about antisemitism on their campuses, which was followed by the resignation of two of the presidents.
“We must not let the extremism in ‘elite’ corners conceal the deep, abiding love for Israel among the American people. Most Americans feel a strong connection to your people,” Stefanik told members of the Knesset.
