October 16, 2023

Dear John:

Like you, I have been closely watching the horrifying events unfolding in Israel. We have seen disgusting images and heard heartbreaking stories of Hamas' actions: families being burned alive in their own homes, women taken hostage and paraded through the streets, and babies, the most innocent lives of all, being violently slaughtered. We also know that American citizens have been murdered and taken hostage. The more we learn, the more we learn how terrible the truth is.

Make no mistake, Hamas is an Iran-backed terrorist organization. Israel has offered Palestinians a way out to evacuate the region, but Hamas is telling them to ignore this guidance. Hamas is willing to let innocent people die for the sake of their hate-filled mission. Israel has every right to defend itself against these terrorist attacks, and the United States stands by their side as they do.

As I mentioned, Hamas is an Iran-backed terrorist organization. The Biden Administration recently considered releasing $6 billion in funding to Iran, intended for humanitarian purposes.  Iran's supreme leader has said "This cancer [Israel] will definitely be eradicated, God willing, at the hands of the Palestinian people and the resistance forces throughout the region." There is no reason to believe Iran is a good-faith actor. I have joined my colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to freeze all proposed funding for Iran, fully enforce sanctions on Iranian oil exports to China, and prevent Iran from accessing any further Special Drawing Rights (SDR) from the International Monetary Fund.

I continue to pray for and grieve with the families who have lost their loved ones. I condemn the actions of Hamas. I stand with Israel and the Jewish people.