Biden’s Veto Threat on Pro-Israel Legislation Comes As House Rules Committee Considers Bill

On Tuesday, the White House released a statement noting that President Joe Biden would veto the Israel Security Assistance Support Act. Last week, reports came in that the Biden administration was withholding ammunition to Israel and the president himself shared with CNN’s Erin Burnett that he would halt such aid if Israel went forward with its operation in Rafah. The statement comes after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke out against the bill during Monday’s briefing.

As Axios put it in highlighting Democratic infighting, the bill “would have a real impact: Forcing the administration to stop withholding weapons shipments and choking off funding for the Pentagon and State Department if they refuse to comply.”

Before indicating the president would veto the bill, the statement read (emphasis added):

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 8369, the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, which seeks to limit the President’s discretion to ensure that the delivery of certain defense articles and services aligns with U.S. foreign policy objectives. The bill would undermine the President’s ability to execute an effective foreign policy.  This bill could raise serious concerns about infringement on the President’s authorities under Article II of the Constitution, including his duties as Commander-in-Chief and Chief Executive and his power to conduct foreign relations. We strongly oppose attempts to constrain the President’s ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.