The White House wants Democrats in the House to vote against a Republican bill denouncing President Joe Biden for withholding weapons from Israel.
The White House is hoping to Democrat defections on the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, which is being voted Wednesday. The legislation, drafted by the House Republican leadership, calls on the Biden administration to allow previously approved arms transfers to proceed quickly and requires the administration to utilize all appropriated funds for Israel as Congress intended, Punchbowl News reported.
Biden announced last week he is blocking the transfer of 3,500 bombs to Israel after the country said it would invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The bill also puts House Democrats in a tricky spot, as they either must vote against Israel or Biden. Nearly every House Republican is expected to support the bill, according to Punchbowl News.
The White House would veto the bill, saying it would "undermine the president's ability to execute an effective foreign policy," according to the report.
The Biden administration also announced a new weapons package for Israel worth more than $1 billion, designed to give pro-Israel Democrats a reason to vote against the legislation.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, and various NSC officials are calling House Democrats, urging them to vote no, according to the report. The State Department has also been involved in persuading Democrats.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., a pro-Israel Democrat, will vote against the bill.
"There's major problems in this resolution," Moskowitz told Punchbowl News. "It goes beyond this conflict, there's all sorts of different precedent we would set for the future."
Despite the Biden administration's stance on the Rafah invasion, Sullivan said he does not believe Israel is committing genocide.
Sullivan said the U.S. wants to see Hamas defeated, that Palestinians caught in the middle of the war are in "hell," and a major military operation by Israel in Rafah would be a mistake.
"We do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide," Sullivan said. "We have been firmly on record rejecting that proposition."
Sullivan said there could be a cease-fire in Gaza if Hamas would release hostages. The world should be calling on Hamas to return to the negotiating table and accept a deal, Sullivan said.
The U.S. is working urgently for a cease-fire and hostage-release deal, Sullivan said. He said he could not predict when or if such a deal would be sealed.
The Israeli government is not lobbying House Democrats on the bill, sources told Punchbowl News. If approved, the resolution is expected to die in the Democrat-held Senate.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.