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In this week's edition, we discuss the most recent Congressional moves
concerning emergency aid to Israel and provide a brief update on the war
in Gaza and the wider conflict between Iranian extremism and the West.

**Wait, now Hurry Up **

For months, Congress has been unable to advance a clean Israel emergency
supplemental bill. Over the weekend, Speaker Johnson seems to have
concluded that enough was enough, and later today the Israel Security
Supplemental Appropriations Act will be brought to the House floor.

This legislation focuses on military assistance to Israel without
conditions and already enjoys bipartisan support. However, the House
Freedom Caucus (because they hate common sense) and the Progressive
Caucus (because they hate Israel) are opposing the bill.

The Speaker will bring this legislation to the floor quickly but doing
so means that for the bill to advance, it will require two-thirds of the
chamber's support. We are mobilized in support of this legislation -
and have been since the bill was announced on Saturday
.

On the Senate side, Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader
McConnell are trying to advance a much larger emergency supplemental
that combines Israel aid, Ukraine aid, humanitarian aid (including to
Palestinians), security funding for houses of worship (Nonprofit
Security Grant Program), and an American border security/immigration
policy agreement. Notably, the legislation would also make permanent the
suspension of U.S. aid to UNRWA.

While some of the policies mentioned above are backed by CUFI, politics
is the art of the possible, and House leadership has loudly indicated
that the bill in its current form is a nonstarter. Congressional leaders
have been trying to combine these issues and make compromises in such a
way as to satisfy both sides of the aisle for months - it hasn't
worked. Like the House bill, passage of the Senate package is by no
means guaranteed (if it even makes it to the Senate floor) as Majority
Leader Schumer would need 60 votes to end debate on the measure.

**Si vis Pacem, Para Bellum**

"If you want peace, prepare for war" is a 1,500-year-old Roman adage
that was true even before it was uttered, and remains so to this day.
Yet, all of the above discussed Congressional chaos indicates to
America's friends and foes that the American political leadership (as
opposed to the military) is not prepared for a fight (with anyone but
each other). 

One need not be a military scholar or geo-political expert to recognize
that if we want to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East, we must
ensure our allies deter the foes at their borders, and the United States
is able to deter the powers seeking to compete with us. That requires a
functioning United States Congress. It requires our elected officials to
ask first not what any piece of legislation does for their party, but
what it does for our country, and then vote accordingly.

Moreover, regardless of what Congress does or does not authorize or
appropriate, the President of the United States has unmatched power in
the realm of foreign policy. While it was too little too late, we
believe that President Biden's decision to strike back against
Iran-backed terrorist proxies in the region was an important step in
attempting to claw back deterrence. We remain pessimistic as the
administration's wider comments and actions indicate that they have
yet to learn that appeasement does not result in success.

Whether its pro-Hamas voters in Michigan, pro-Hamas leaders in Qatar, or
pro-Hamas mullahs in Tehran, no amount of slapping around Israel or its
leadership will satiate those who want to see Israel wiped from the map.
Until the Biden administration realizes this simple truth, they will
continue to make unforced errors and be perceived as weak by leaders
across Asia.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

SUPPORT CUFI ACTION FUND

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CUFI Action Fund, 2000 Duke Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314, United States
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CUFI Action Fund, 2000 Duke Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314, United States