House Democrats urge Biden to pause military aid to Israel

A large coalition of House Democrats is calling on the Biden administration to withhold offensive military aid and weapons to Israel, saying they are worried about the “humanitarian catastrophe” for those in Gaza if the Jewish state launches a ground invasion into Rafah.

Over 50 House Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to cut off both current and future offense aid to Israel to prevent a Rafah invasion as part of its war against Hamas, a conflict that has driven a wedge within the Democratic conference over how much support to provide the ally and how to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA), the letter denounces the reports of Israel looking to launch a “full-scale offensive on Rafah” as “wholly unacceptable.”

“While the pace of supply trucks entering Gaza has picked up slightly since the unacceptable strike on World Central Kitchen workers, this limited improvement is not nearly sufficient to meet the strip’s catastrophic levels of need,” the members wrote. “Furthermore, any offensive would put remaining hostages being held in Rafah at grave risk.”

“It is of the utmost importance that both Hamas and Israel immediately come to the table with the international community for a mutually agreed ceasefire deal that can secure the safe return of hostages, full resumption of humanitarian aid, and the space for a negotiated, long-term peace in the region,” the members continued.

The group of members, which includes “Squad” Democrats such as Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), said an offensive in Rafah risks the start of an “escalatory spiral” that the United States cannot afford.

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), one of the signatories, said the letter served as an opportunity for members who voted in favor of an Israel aid package earlier this month to express concerns about the need for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

“I see this letter as a little bit of an extension of that feeling that we heard in caucus, that people wanted an outlet to be able to express this, didn’t feel like they could vote ‘no’ on the funding, but they also didn’t feel right not making a stronger statement about it,” Balint said to the Washington Examiner.

She said most of the signatories believe in a right to a “safe and secure Israel” but also believe what is happening in Gaza is “disastrous.”

“This is, I think, representative of the members of Congress who are hearing from their constituents that they want us to hold both things. And that’s difficult in politics,” Balint added.

The letter comes as the House voted to require the Education Department to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Seventy Democrats voted against the bill, with several citing concerns about the infringement of free speech and the exclusion of other antisemitism definitions.

Balint, who was one of the 70 “no” votes, said she thinks it is “not an easy vote to message on.”

“I know there were so many people that wanted to vote ‘no’ on that because they thought it was bulls***, but they don’t want to get beaten over the head with it back home,” Balint said.

Balint added that the members who joined Jayapal and Dean’s letter are not expecting any particular response from the Biden administration, but they are hoping for “deep listening.”

“I think that it’s important for us as members of Congress who hold the purse strings to say, ‘We want more of that. We want more of that,’” the Vermont Democrat said.

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“What we all want is a change,” she continued. “We want action, and some of that is going to happen behind the scenes and we’ll find out about it later.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to Jayapal for comment.