Washington, May 16 (EFE).- The United States House of Representatives approved a bill on Thursday that requires the White House to send to Israel the shipment of weapons that the Joe Biden administration halted last week.
The bill passed with 224 votes in favor and 187 against, with 16 Democratic members of Congress supporting the bill to overturn Biden’s decision despite party leadership urging a vote against it.
Biden has already announced that if the bill passes the legislative process, which also requires Senate approval, where Democrats hold the majority, he will use his veto power to stop it.
“We strongly oppose attempts to constrain the President’s ability to deploy US security assistance consistent with US foreign policy and national security objectives,” said a White House statement.
It is unlikely Biden will need to use this power, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he has no intention of putting the bill to a vote.
In a press conference before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated: “It is clear that Biden and (Senate Majority Leader Chuck) Schumer have turned their back on Israel.”
“We want the president to hear this loud and clear … This is a catastrophic decision with global implications. It is obviously being done with political calculation and we can’t let this stand,” Johnson said, accusing Biden of “defying the will of Congress.”
Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, introduced the bill after it was revealed last week that the White House had halted an arms shipment to Israel to prevent a military incursion into the Rafah enclave.
The withheld shipment consists of 3,500 bombs. Most are 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs with significant destructive power.
In an interview following the announcement, Biden admitted that civilians in Gaza had died as a result of the use of American weapons.
The measure was heavily criticized by the Republicans, who questioned Biden’s commitment to Israel, but also by factions within the Democratic Party aligned with the Israeli state.
In addition to forcing the US administration to immediately deliver the weapons to Israel, the bill approved by the White House also seeks to freeze the budgets of the Pentagon, the State Department, and the National Security Council until the shipment is delivered. EFE
at/dgp/mcd
