A bipartisan delegation from the House Foreign Affairs Committee traveled to Israel over the weekend to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.

The group included Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Tex.; Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.; John James, R-Mich.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; Michael Lawler, R-N.Y.; Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.; and Max Miller, R-Ohio.

What You Need To Know

  • A group of seven lawmakers traveled to Israel over the weekend to meet with top Israeli officials

  • The trip comes as an aid package for Israel remains stalled in Congress

  • The White House remains resolute that the U.S. stands in solidarity with Israel, but has encouraged pauses in fighting for humanitarian reasons

Lawmakers met with Israeli officials at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, where they received a private screening of graphic videos of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Rep. Max Miller, one of two Jewish Republicans in the House said what he saw was eye-opening and sobering.

“What [Hamas] have done, I have never seen before in my life. And I've seen a lot of things,” Miller said. “And that being said, I believe that Israel needs the latitude that they need and the rules of engagement to win this war in Gaza. And I believe they're doing that right now in a respectful and responsible way caring about civilians, as they are going through cleaning out Hamas terrorists.”

Earlier this month, Miller voted for a standalone aid package of $14.3 billion for Israel. However, he said he did not support the bill’s provision of tying in equivalent funding cuts to the IRS — a priority for some other Republicans—if it delays the bill’s passage.

President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the standalone Israel aid bill because it does not included funding for Ukraine and the U.S.-Mexico border, as he had requested.

“I think it's reckless and irresponsible to tie IRS cuts to any supplemental within our government, especially if it costs our government more money than just giving a foreign country a supplemental. I think this was a big mistake,” Miller said. “I think [Speaker Johnson] needs to turn and do an about face and put a new supplemental on the floor because if not, we are probably going to get jammed by the Senate and a very large supplemental with Ukraine, Taiwan, the border and Israel.”

Some Democratic lawmakers have said they also want the aid package to include humanitarian aid for Palestinians, as well as a plan moving forward.

“I do think that people want a resolution to the conflict,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. “I see signs of Arab nations… Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, all these countries, and even the Israeli government, they're talking about the future of Gaza. What will that look like? I support a two-state solution so that there's a Palestinian homeland and security for Israel.”

The aid funding discussion comes as some progressive Democrats have grown louder in their calls for a ceasefire. Biden has rejected those demands, but his administration helped to pressure Israel to pause fighting each day for humanitarian aid to come in.

Deep ideological divisions are not just delaying aid for Israel and Ukraine, but also a budget to fund the government for a full year. Aid funding may remain on the back burner this week as lawmakers scramble to avert a government shutdown deadline this Friday.