House passes resolution affirming support for Israel in first vote since speaker election

The House passed a resolution affirming its support for Israel amid a war against the Hamas militant group, marking the first vote since the lower chamber ousted its speaker three weeks ago, over the objections of a handful of progressive Democrats.

Lawmakers voted 412-10 to pass the bipartisan resolution, seeking to denounce the violence and highlighting the United States’s dedication to defending a key ally. The four-page resolution was filed earlier this month, just days after Hamas launched an attack on Israel from Gaza, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war on Oct. 7. Six members voted present: Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).

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Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the lone Republican to vote against the bill, disagreeing with provisions that would “call for sanctions on a foreign country” and contain “an open-ended promise of military support that is so broad that it could be interpreted to commit US soldiers to the conflict,” among other things.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The resolution reaffirms U.S. loyalty to Israel “including through security assistance” and supports the country’s “right to self-defense,” according to the legislation. Part of that includes vowing to provide “emergency resupply” or other forms of support amid the warfare.

The resolution also calls on all surrounding countries to condemn the Hamas attack while condemning Iran for its “support for terrorist groups.”

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“President Biden has committed the United States fully to Israel’s self-defense,” said ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who also introduced the legislation. “Israel is responding to the Hamas terror organization’s unprecedented attack. The bipartisan resolution will demonstrate this is one issue in which the House of Representatives is united, and I expect it to pass the House with broad bipartisan support.”

The vote comes just hours after the House elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as its new speaker, reopening the lower chamber for the first time since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted on Oct. 3. Johnson secured the speaker’s gavel in a 220-209 vote on Wednesday with all present Republicans supporting his bid.