GOP leaders press Biden administration to get tougher on Iran after missile attack

Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are calling on President Biden to get tougher on Iran in the wake of Tuesday’s missile attack on Israel, urging the administration to adopt a series of specific measures designed to cripple the military powers of Tehran and its proxies. 

In a series of speeches, statements and social media posts, the top Republicans in both chambers pressed the president to adopt a combination of new penalties on Iran — both financial and military — while escalating the military aid Washington provides to Israel. The GOP leaders suggested the absence of those measures had emboldened Tehran to launch Tuesday’s attack.

“The Biden Administration has repeatedly threatened Iran with ‘severe consequences’ for its campaign of terror against Israel and the United States, but failed to impose them,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement. “It has pledged ‘ironclad’ support for Israel, only to delay and withhold the security assistance that would give this pledge any weight." 

“It is not enough to issue statements.”

Behind Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House GOP leaders offered a similar assessment, urging the Biden administration to exert “maximum pressure” on Tehran, to include the strict enforcement of existing sanctions, which Republicans accuse Biden of failing to do. 

“It’s hypocritical for the administration to express support for Israel’s defense while continuing to appease the Iranian regime with billions — or hundreds of billions of dollars, actually — in sanctions relief,” Johnson said Tuesday during an economic speech at the New York Stock Exchange.

“We need a maximum pressure campaign on Iran and its terror proxies,” he continued. “President Biden needs to make clear that there will be decisive economic and potential military ramifications for these actions.”

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was more specific, calling on the administration to send more powerful weapons to Israel and adopt his legislation, the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act, which applies new financial and travel restrictions on anyone associated with Iran’s missile programs. 

“We need to expedite arms transfers to Israel that this administration has delayed for months, including 2,000-pound bombs, to ensure Israel has all the tools to deter these threats,” McCaul said. “The administration also needs to utilize all the sanctions authorities we have … to cut off resources to Iran and its proxies.”

Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel on Tuesday, the latest development in the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Iran said the effort — which included at least 180 missiles — was in response to the Israeli attack that killed the leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian military. Last week, an Israeli attack killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Israel “was able to intercept the majority of the incoming missiles” on Tuesday, adding “that there was minimal damage on the ground.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the missile attack was “a significant escalation” and said the Biden administration is “going to look at what the appropriate next steps are to secure first and foremost American interests, and then to promote stability to the maximum extent possible as we go forward.”

The attack, which prompted wall-to-wall news coverage Tuesday, spurred bipartisan statements in support of Israel, with top lawmakers underscoring Tel Aviv’s right to defend itself and amplifying Washington’s strong alliance with its closest Middle East ally.

“Iran, a sworn enemy of the United States, has once again launched a ballistic missile attack against Israeli citizens. The United States stands with Israel, our Democratic ally in the region, and her right to defend herself. America’s commitment to the safety and security of Israel is ironclad and unbreakable, as President Joe Biden and our military has once again demonstrated,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

Some lawmakers, meanwhile, are floating the idea that Congress should return to Washington from its October recess to pass supplemental funding for Israel in the wake of Iran’s attack, and for states reeling from the damage left by Hurricane Helene, which tore through the Southeast.

“In addition to the administration taking immediate action against Iran and its proxies, Congress should consider returning to Washington to pass a supplemental package to provide Israel with adequate funding for Iron Dome and David’s Sling, ensuring they have the tools they need to defend themselves and to provide necessary disaster relief to North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) wrote on the social media platform X shortly after the missile attack.

Such a move, to be sure, is unlikely, since lawmakers are scattered across the country campaigning ahead of November's elections. A senior House GOP aide also reiterated to The Hill that the stopgap funding legislation Congress passed last month to avert a government shutdown made available $2 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief fund, which is enough to address the immediate impact of the storm.

Still, both the Israel and disaster relief issues are sure to resonate with large blocs of voters around the country, and with that in mind, members in both chambers are calling for a return to Washington to send a message of support to those constituents.

“It is imperative that Congress reconvene to pass a supplemental aid package for the damage done to the Southeast by Hurricane Helene and also to provide missile defense assistance to Israel, which is under attack from the Iranian regime,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote in a statement. 

“We need to help our people at home and stand with our allies abroad.”