Iron Dumb Dems draw GOP’s fury
Hit over Israel $lash
A day after House leadership moved to defund Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, Republican lawmakers Wednesday slammed Democrats for “[capitulating] to the antisemitic influence of their radical members.”
Spearheaded by far-left lawmakers, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens), the House moved to cut $1 billion for the system from a short-term governmentfunding bill.
Republicans in the House and Senate blasted the decision as a betrayal of Israel.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) tweeted, “While Dems capitulate to the antisemitic influence of their radical members, Republicans will always stand with Israel.”
The House Republicans’ official Twitter account said, “House Democrats choose radical Islamic terrorists over our ally Israel.”
Rep. Michael McCaul (Texas), ranking Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, “Just a few months ago, Israel was attacked by over 4,000 rockets launched by Hamas. The Iron Dome saved lives and helped limit civilian casualties during this terrifying escalation.”
The decision to remove the funding came the same day as President Biden’s promise to the UN that the US would strengthen relationships with its allies, particularly Israel.
“We must seek a future of greater peace and security for all the people of the Middle East,” Biden told the General Assembly. “The commitment of the United States to Israel’s security is without question.”
Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) pointed to the inconsistency between the president’s vow and the Democrats’ move: “Dems can’t even keep a promise for 24 hours.”
Even moderate Democrats have questioned the defunding.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee who has worked at the Pentagon and the CIA, tweeted, “Iron Dome is a purely *defensive* system — it protects civilians when hundreds of rockets are shot at population centers . . . Whatever your views on the IsraeliPal[estinian] conflict, using a system that just saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives as a political chit is problematic.”