1 House Republican Joins 18 Democrats in Voting Against Bill Aimed at Strengthening US-Israel Ties

A lone Republican House member voted against a resolution designed to express support of America's relationship with Israel and encourage other nations to "normalize relations" with the Middle Eastern nation. The resolution passed Tuesday despite the "nay" votes of Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and 18 Democrats. The final tally was 401-19 in favor, with 15 House members declining to vote, according to the House clerk's website . Of those not voting, six were Republicans and nine were Democrats. Massie told Fox News it was his consistent opposition to foreign aid that led to his negative vote. "Ultimately it didn’t make sense for me to vote for a bill that praises the foreign aid that I’ve voted against for the past ten years," Massie told Fox. The stated purpose of the resolution was "[e]ncouraging the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords to urge other nations to normalize relations with Israel and ensure that existing agreements reap tangible security and economic benefits for the citizens of those countries and all peoples in the region." The U.S. formally recognized Israel as a nation 75 years ago, in 1948. The Abraham Accords involved peace deals between the Jewish state and four Muslim-majority nations: Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. According to Fox, the other "nay" votes came from Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota and 17 Democrats of the Congressional Progressive Caucus: Reps. Jamaal Bowman of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri, Andre Carson of Indiana, Mark DeSaulnier of California, Jesus Garcia of Illinois, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Nydia Velazquez of New York. The full text of the House resolution follows: 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 311

Encouraging the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords to urge other nations to normalize relations with Israel and ensure that existing agreements reap tangible security and economic benefits for the citizens of those countries and all peoples in the region.

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 20, 2023

Mrs. Wagner (for herself, Ms. Manning, Mr. McCaul, and Mr. Schneider) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

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RESOLUTION

Encouraging the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords to urge other nations to normalize relations with Israel and ensure that existing agreements reap tangible security and economic benefits for the citizens of those countries and all peoples in the region.

Whereas May 14, 2023, marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel; Whereas, on May 14, 1948, the United States officially recognized Israel as a State; Whereas Israel has been designated by the United States Government as a major non-NATO ally; Whereas, in 2014, Congress designated Israel as a ``major strategic partner''; Whereas the United States and Israel have a close and robust bilateral relationship marked by strong people-to-people ties and close cooperation on a wide range of issues including defense, diplomacy, energy, cybersecurity, agriculture, science, and space; Whereas the United States and Israel have signed three 10-year memoranda of understanding, in which the United States committed to provide $26,700,000,000 between fiscal year 1999 and fiscal year 2008, $30,000,000,000 between fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2018, and $38,000,000,000 between fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2028; Whereas Congress has appropriated amounts in accordance with such memoranda of understanding, reflecting the two countries' shared priorities in the region; Whereas, in late 2020 and early 2021, Israel reached agreements, known collectively as the Abraham Accords, to improve or normalize its relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan; and Whereas these agreements build upon the decades-long leadership of the United States and other governments in supporting efforts to broker peace treaties between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) encourages the United States and Israel to continue to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation across the full spectrum of economic, security, and civilian issues; (2) encourages the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords to urge other nations to normalize relations with Israel and ensure that existing agreements reap tangible security and economic benefits for the citizens of those countries and all peoples in the region; (3) expresses continued support for security assistance to Israel as outlined in the United States-Israel Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that Israel can defend itself by itself; and (4) supports Israel's robust involvement as an active member of the community of nations to benefit Israel and the United States as partners who share common values and a commitment to democracy.

CORRECTION, April 27, 2023: Betty McCollum represents Minnesota in Congress. An earlier version of this article named a different state.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .