Rep. Roy Urges Colleagues to Fully Fund Security Assistance to Israel

This week eight of my colleagues and I sent a letter to Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Ranking Member Kay Granger (TX-12) of the Committee on Appropriations in support of full U.S. security assistance to one of our closest friends and greatest allies, the State of Israel.

“This assistance is overwhelmingly supported by Congress and became law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act,” the letter explains. “Moreover, this funding is vital to Israel’s security, and placing added conditions would be detrimental to Israel’s ability to defend itself against all threats.”

As Israel continues to face dangerous threats such as those from Iran and its terrorist proxies, proposals to reduce or condition funding would undermine U.S national security interests and be detrimental to Israel’s ability to defend itself.

“We should stand unequivocally shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. It is my firm belief that a strong U.S. -Israel relationship is the cornerstone of U.S. national security in the Middle East. This funding is a vital step in ensuring Israel, our only stable and democratic ally in the Middle East, is able to deter any regional conflicts,” the letter concludes. “Americans at home and abroad are more safe and secure when Israel is strong.”

Full text of the letter is available at the link here and below:

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro

Chairwoman

Committee on Appropriations

Room H-307, The Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Kay Granger

Ranking Member

Committee on Appropriations

1036 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger,

As you begin your consideration of the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bills, I write to express my strong support for robust security assistance to the State of Israel without any added conditions. Our two nations share a strong, long-lasting partnership based on mutually shared values and freedom. As the United States faces growing threats from nations like China, Russia, and Iran, I believe that the annual assistance we provide Israel is imperative to our national security interests abroad.

I urge you to support full funding of the security assistance to Israel as authorized in the 2016 U.S. -Israel Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The expected Fiscal Year 2022 budget request of $3.8 billion in security assistance for Israel includes $3.3 billion in foreign military financing and $500 million for cooperative missile defense programs. This assistance is overwhelmingly supported by Congress and became law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Moreover, this funding is vital to Israel’s security, and placing added conditions would be detrimental to Israel’s ability to defend itself against all threats.

We should stand unequivocally shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. It is my firm belief that a strong U.S. -Israel relationship is the cornerstone of U.S. national security in the Middle East. This funding is a vital step in ensuring Israel, our only stable and democratic ally in the Middle East, is able to deter any regional conflicts. Americans at home and abroad are more safe and secure when Israel is strong.