WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.— Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) slammed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) call for new elections in Israel, calling the plea “highly inappropriate” and “wrong.”
The remarks — made during a last-minute press conference at the House GOP retreat in West Virginia on Thursday — came shortly after Schumer delivered remarks on the Senate floor that implored Israel to hold new elections and sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as having “lost his way.”
“We want to speak very clearly and concisely to say that this is not only highly inappropriate, it’s just plain wrong for an American leader to play such a divisive role in Israeli politics while our closest ally in the region is in an existential battle for its very survival,” Johnson said at a press conference alongside other House GOP leaders.
“We need to be standing with Israel. We need to give our friends and allies our full support. We have to stand with and support them right now. But what you’re seeing from the White House and clearly from the Senate Democrats, is really exactly the opposite,” he added.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) accused Schumer of “calling for the U.S. to meddle in Israel’s election,” labeling it “unprecedented and very dangerous.”
“If he wanted to focus on elections overseas, maybe he should’ve called for an election in Gaza instead,” he added.
Republicans are set to hear from Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog at their retreat in West Virginia, GOP leaders noted.
Schumer shook Washington on Thursday when — in a floor speech his office dubbed a “major address” — he called on the Israel government to hold a new election “to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.” It was part of his push for a two-state solution in the region.
He took aim at Netanyahu, the polarizing prime minister of Israel, arguing that his government is no longer the best fit to leave the U.S. ally in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel last year.
“I have known Prime Minister Netanyahu for a very long time. While we have vehemently disagreed on many occasions, I will always respect his extraordinary bravery for Israel on the battlefield as a younger man. I believe in his heart his highest priority is the security of Israel. However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said.
“As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7. The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” he added.
The remarks from Schumer — the highest-ranking Jewish elected-official in U.S. history — come amid increased pressure from progressives in the Democratic Party, who have been critical of Netanyahu’s leadership and the humanitarian deaths in Gaza amid the war in the Middle East.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) called on Schumer to apologize to people in Israel.
“Sen. Schumer owes an apology to the people of Israel who elected their leadership,” he said.
Schumer’s call for new elections will likely reignite the push in Congress to send additional aid to Israel, which stalled in recent months amid disagreements between the parties over foreign assistance.
The House approved a $14.3 billion Israel aid package in November, which included an equal amount in cuts to IRS funding — a provision that Democrats opposed. They criticized the decision by Republicans to include offsets in an emergency funding package, and stood by their call for foreign aid to be packaged together. Schumer said the Senate would not take up the legislation.
The House took another crack at sending aid to Israel in early February, putting a standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid bill on the floor that failed to garner the two-thirds support needed for passage. Democrats largely opposed the legislation to give the Senate more time to work out a foreign aid package that included aid for Israel, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific allies in addition to border security provisions.
Days later, after months of negotiations, the Senate passed a $95 billion package — with roughly $14.1 billion for Israel and funds for Ukraine — which Johnson has refused to bring to the floor for a vote, citing exclusion of border security provisions.
“The House Republican leadership continues to show that we passed a bill to give Israel the aid that they need, and Sen. Schumer won’t bring that bill to the Senate floor,” Scalise said. “We’re gonna continue to stand with Israel and their right to defend themselves against terrorists like Hamas.”
“Ambassador Herzog will today give an update on the war effort to destroy Hamas, highlight the fact that hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, and making the case for much-needed military aid supported by Republicans that’s currently being held up by Chuck Schumer and Democrats in the Senate,” House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said.
Updated at 1 p.m.