From Congressional gridlock to Iranian allies working for the U.S.
government, there's a lot to unpack this week, so we're going to
dive right in.

**Congressional Chaos**

Well, it's that time again. Congress is once again mired in gridlock,
unable to advance the necessary legislation to fund the government. CUFI
takes no position on budget negotiations, but the outcome could impact
issues on which we focus, so we wanted to provide a quick refresher on
what all of this means.

First, if there is a government shutdown, all non-essential government
employees are sent home without pay. Second, understandably, during a
shutdown Congress focuses on nothing besides funding the government, and
as such, all other bills take a back seat. Finally, there is discussion
of a Continuing Resolution (CR) which would fund the government for some
short period of time, so that negotiations can continue.

Here's where things get even trickier. On the House side of the Capitol,
there are those who would only be open to supporting such a measure if
it involves across-the-board budget cuts. One proposal, an 8%
across-the-board cut, would result in a $264 million decrease in U.S.
support for Israel. On the Senate side, there is bipartisan appetite for
what's called a "clean CR." Basically, this bill would continue
funding the government at the current levels until the next budget can
be agreed upon.

Ultimately, we will not get involved in the budget chaos, but CUFI
remains opposed to a decrease in American support for Israel in any
form.  

**Iranian Penetration of American Policy**

** **

On Tuesday morning, news broke detailing an exceptionally impactful
Iranian influence operation that touches some of the highest levels of
the U.S. government. In a nutshell, in 2014, Iran embarked on an effort,
dubbed the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), to secure the support of 6-10
opinion shapers and academics for Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Iran's plan worked. Several of those associated with the IEI operation
were (and are) directly involved in U.S. policy towards Iran including,
Ariane Tabatabai, the current chief of staff for the Assistant Secretary
of Defense for Special Operations, and Robert Malley, the former Biden
administration envoy for Iran (perhaps quite literally), who was
integrally involved in the Iran nuclear negotiations during the Obama
administration.

Earlier this year, Malley's security clearance was revoked, and,
according to reports, it was revealed that he is being investigated by
the FBI for the way he handled classified information in the context of
Iran negotiations. As of this writing, the Biden administration has not
reacted to the startling revelations, but we expect more news to come as
congressional leaders demand answers on who exactly is driving American
policy on Iran. We will keep our readers apprised of this developing
story.

**Good News, Bad News**

In other news, Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro
Mayorkas and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced this morning
that  Israel has been admitted into the U.S. visa waiver program.

Israel has long sought to be a part of the waiver program but, to this
point, the State Department would not certify that Israel met all the
legal requirements to participate in the program. That changed in recent
days with Blinken formally signing the letter that certifies Israel has
met all the program's requirements.

We'd love to end this week's Action Update here with this bit of
good news, but unfortunately, we cannot.

While we welcome the State Department's actions concerning the visa
waiver program, we are deeply disturbed by the State Department's
announcement that the U.S. is poised to send an additional $73 million
to UNRWA - the UN agency ostensibly responsible for aiding the
Palestinians, but which, in reality, prolongs the Palestinian Israeli
conflict by enabling terrorism and teaching antisemitism.

During the Trump administration, your CUFI Action Fund successfully
secured the termination of all U.S. support for UNRWA until that entity
met certain basic conditions (like not allowing its facilities to be
used as terror bases, and not teaching antisemitism in schools). UNRWA
has not met these basic standards, and yet, the Biden administration
persists in funding this blood-soaked entity.

Also today, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee that covers the
Middle East and North Africa will hold a hearing on the Palestinian
Authority's (PA) pay-to-slay program. Ideally, the Biden
administration will tune in and recall that as money is fungible, aid to
UNRWA enables the Palestinian Authority to incentivize terrorism. Sadly,
they might tune in, but they won't likely acknowledge the simple
reality that every dollar sent to the PA, UNRWA and the like, enables
terrorism.

As always, we wish to express our deepest gratitude to you for standing
with Israel and taking the time to stay informed on these vital issues.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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