White House pans GOP bill forcing it to release weapons being held from Israel over Rafah

The White House blasts Republican legislation aimed at forcing US President Joe Biden to release a shipment of high-payload bombs for Israel that he withheld earlier this month amid concerns that they would be used by the IDF in a major Rafah offensive that Washington opposes.

“We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the president’s ability to deploy a US security assistance consistent with US foreign policy and national security objectives,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tells reporters.

The bill would freeze the budgets of the secretary of state, the defense secretary and the National Security Council until the bombs are released to Israel.

While it will likely pass the Republican-controlled House, it is similarly certain to die in the Democrat-controlled Senate.