Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Monday that Congress' response to the devastating weekend attack on Israel by Hamas could be hobbled by the lack of a House speaker.
"We need a functioning government here in the United States, and removing a speaker midterm without cause was foolish," Lawler said on Newsmax's "National Report." "It was eight Republicans — 4% of the conference — teaming up with 208 Democrats to remove a duly elected Republican speaker.
"The reality is that events happen at a moment's notice, and I think what we're seeing in the Middle East, obviously, is a very dangerous situation. Israel has declared war for the first time in 50 years, and certainly this is something that is deeply troubling.
"You have Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism, backing Hamas. This can devolve very, very quickly, and to not have a speaker creates all sorts of constitutional crises, including what, realistically, the speaker pro tempore is able to do."
Lawler continued: "So, if the administration, for instance, is seeking additional funds to support the Iron Dome, can we actually do that without a speaker? And so there are real challenges here. Kevin McCarthy has had probably the strongest relationship of any speaker with the state of Israel, and I just think he was the right person to lead our conference, lead this nation, as speaker.
"His removal was unjustified and, frankly, very petty and personal on the part of the eight individuals who teamed up with 208 Democrats to do it, including AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.], [Rep.] Ilhan Omar [D-Minn.] [Rep.] Rashida Tlaib [D-Mich.], [Rep.] Eric Swalwell [D-Calif.] and [Rep.] Adam Schiff [D-Calif.] to remove a Republican speaker. It makes no sense.
"So, I would like to see Speaker McCarthy reinstated so that we can actually get back to the work of the American people and focus on the issues from the border to spending to, obviously, the conflict in Israel right now."
On Monday, Israel's military combed the country's southern territory for Hamas combatants and guarded breaches of its border fence with tanks as it unleashed blistering air strikes on the Gaza Strip and prepared to decimate the militant group's "military and governing capabilities."
Hamas launched its daybreak attack from Gaza on Saturday, catching Israel's renowned military and intelligence services off guard and killing nearly 1,200. For the first time in decades, there was heavy fighting in the streets, though the military said on Monday the fighting had largely quieted for now. Israel formally declared war on Sunday, as Palestinian militants continued to fire volleys of rockets.
Lawler, who represents one of the most heavily Jewish districts in the nation, said he's working to help bring his constituents home.
"We have hundreds of constituents that are over there that I'm aware of," he said. "Obviously, I'm not going to get too specific on it for their own safety, but it is certainly a distressing time for many constituents in my district, in particular. I have one of the largest Jewish constituencies in the country, so certainly people are very concerned.
"We're working with the State Department to make sure that everybody is registered with the Embassy over in Israel and that we're doing everything we can to increase the number of commercial flights and potentially military flights, if necessary, to get as many of these folks home as quickly as possible."
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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