Palmetto State News

U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) led nearly all of their Senate Republican colleagues in sending a letter to the Biden-Harris administration, protesting its partial arms embargo against Israel. The senators urged the White House to cease accommodating Iran, stop jeopardizing the lives of American servicemembers, and deliver necessary weapons systems to Israel.

Also co-leading the letter were Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Additional signatories included Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.). Mitt Romney (R-Utah). Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.). Rick Scott (R-Fla.). Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). John Thune (R-S.D.). Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). Todd Young (R-Ind.).

In part, the senators wrote:

“When Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly raised the weapons hold in June, your administration adamantly denied the accusation. You ignored Congressional inquiries, including a May 6, 2024, letter from Senator Marshall, a May 6, 2024, letter from Senator Ernst, a May 14, 2024, letter from Senator Risch and a June 20, 2024, letter from Senator Cotton. All the while, you were deliberately delaying the delivery of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Israel. These include 120 mm tank ammunition, 120 mm mortar ammunition, light tactical vehicles, air-to-air missiles F-15s F-35 engines joint direct attack munition kits; two thousand pound bombs rifles guided missile systems.”

The full text of the letter may be found here.

In the 118th Congress Senator Scott has been a leader in pushing for a tougher U.S. posture toward Iran and its proxies and unequivocally supporting our greatest ally in the Middle East Israel by:

In his capacity as Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Housing and Urban Affairs Committee which has jurisdiction over economic sanctions Senator Scott has led the charge in pushing back on the Biden administration’s disturbing pattern of sanctions non-enforcement and sanctions relief to Iran which have made funds more accessible for the Iranian regime and its terror proxies to attack U.S. servicemembers and our allies His efforts include: