The US President could soon see his power to obstruct arms sales and military aid to the state of Israel diminish if a new Republican Senate bill is enacted.
Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jim Risch (R-ID) joined other senators to introduce the Maintaining Our Ironclad Commitment to Israel’s Security Act.
If passed, the bill would expand congressional oversight over the President’s handling of US-Israel military financing.
If sufficient votes warrants it, Congress could even temporarily suspend the President’s ability to delay, deny, or prevent Israel from receiving US military aid.
The legislative initiative was motivated by President Joe Biden delaying the delivery of certain weapons antecedently sold to Israel.
Senator Rubio expressed as much in a statement released by the Foreign Relations Committee.
“While the Biden Administration has weakened our support of Israel…it is crucial we are able to conduct proper oversight over the administration’s actions that further erode Israel’s ability to defend itself,” said Rubio.
The bill is unlikely to survive through a Democrat-controlled Senate.
If approved, however, the bill would require the President notify Congress fifteen days prior to taking any actions to delay or halt arms transfers to Israel.
Congress would then have an opportunity to pass a Joint Resolution rejecting the President’s actions.
Once passed, the President would be unable to delay or deny Israel delivery of previously agreed arms for a period of 10 or 180 days if the resolution is vetoed or approved, respectively.
Conservatives have long decried President Biden’s relationship with Israel, which they accuse of being lukewarm, at best, and confrontational, at worst.
Biden was most recently criticized for canceling a meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the latter publicly criticized him.
