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Senator Says Biden Stopped Fast Tracking U.S. Arms to Israel following Anti-Israel Pressure
(Washington Free Beacon) Adam Kredo - The Biden administration stopped fast tracking weapons to Israel in January after pressure from Democratic lawmakers who oppose American support for Israel's war to eradicate Hamas, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday. Federal law allows the president to forgo formal congressional notifications on arms sales "when emergencies exist," and the Biden administration invoked this power last year as it worked to quickly provide Israel with the arms it needed to combat Hamas. However, the administration "stopped acknowledging the emergency in Israel after receiving a letter from nearly twenty congressional Democrats in January, urging [it] to end expedited weapons sales to Israel," Cotton said. He said the administration has not sent an assortment of promised weapons, prolonging Israel's war and endangering its soldiers at a time when both Hamas and Hizbullah continue to rearm, regroup, and coordinate attacks on Israeli civilians. "Your administration has...[been] withholding...formal notification to Congress of approved weapons sales, including F-15s, tactical vehicles, 120-mm mortars, 120-mm tank rounds, joint direct attack munitions, and small diameter bombs. Your administration can then claim that the weapons are 'in process' while never delivering them." "Any delays to military support to Israel blatantly disregard Congress's bipartisan mandate to supply Israel with all it needs to defeat the Hamas terrorists and other Iranian-backed groups. Our ally is under sustained threat, and we must use all available resources to expedite military aid." He said that if Congress must intervene to fast track any outstanding weapons, it will do so.