Latest news with #MarioDiazBalart
Fox News
4 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Key Republican calls for emergency funding to Israel amid worsening Iran conflict
A key House Republican says Congress should consider sending emergency U.S. aid to Israel amid its worsening conflict with Iran. "Yeah, absolutely," Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said when asked about a supplemental funding package in the event the crisis became a prolonged conflict. "There's very, very, very strong bipartisan support, in particular Republican support, for Israel, and I think again, what we are seeing is Israel doing what they need to do to protect themselves from literally being wiped off the face of the planet." He also commended President Donald Trump as having handled the volatile situation "brilliantly so far." The Florida Republican chairs the House Appropriations Committee panel responsible for overseeing foreign aid and State Department funding. The National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs subcommittee was key to Congress crafting emergency foreign aid packages to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine last year — all of which passed Congress with varying degrees of bipartisan support. Diaz-Balart said he had not spoken with House leaders about the issue, noting most lawmakers were away in their home districts tending to their constituencies this week. He added, "I've actually had informal conversations with members." He declined to say how those members felt about supplemental Israel funding, however, telling Fox News Digital, "I can't speak for others, but I will tell you that there is a very strong appetite from me to make sure that Israel has all the help that it needs in order to finish the job that it's doing." Meanwhile, he and his fellow subcommittee members have also been crafting their appropriations bill for the next fiscal year coming on Oct. 1. "We're going to do what we've been consistently doing, is just, we're going to be helping Israel. And if there is a need to do more, obviously you're going to see strong support, whether it's in the appropriation… bills, or if we need a supplemental, I think you would see strong bipartisan support," he said. Last year, the House authorized just over $26 billion in emergency U.S. funding for Israel, humanitarian aid in the region, and shore up American military operations. The bill passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 366 to 58 vote — an increasingly rare occurrence for major legislation in the current political climate. Twenty-one House Republicans and 37 Democrats voted against the measure at the time. But since then, Democrats have continued to grow increasingly critical of Israel's war in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative government. At the same time, there's been a growing skepticism of foreign aid among the House GOP — particularly with the national debt climbing toward $37 trillion. Diaz-Balart, however, was still optimistic that a hypothetical aid package could pass if brought up in Congress, when asked about both of those factors. Israeli officials said Iran was dangerously close to having a nuclear weapon when its military launched an attack on Tehran that killed the Islamic regime's top military figures and hit nuclear sites in and around the capital. Since then, both sides have exchanged rocket fire, with fatalities reported on both sides. Fox News Digital reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., for comment on the possibility of supplemental funding to Israel.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Republican US lawmaker concerned about Venezuelan activist's detention by ICE
WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - A congressman from President Donald Trump's Republican Party has raised concerns with the Trump administration about the U.S. detention of Venezuelan activist Gregory Sanabria Tarazona, who had been seeking asylum in the United States. The activist previously participated in demonstrations against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and had fled Venezuela after "being arbitrarily detained and tortured by Maduro's government," according to Amnesty International. He had applied for asylum in the U.S. and was scheduled to appear at his preliminary asylum hearing on July 1, the Washington Post reported. The activist was taken into custody on Thursday when he was checking in with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston, Republican U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "I sent a letter to DHS raising serious concerns about its recent detainment of Gregory Sanabria, a brave political prisoner who spent more than three years imprisoned - including in Maduro's infamous torture center, El Helicoide," the lawmaker said on social media. "Sanabria must not be returned to his oppressors," the lawmaker said, referring to a potential deportation of the activist. Amnesty International separately demanded that the activist be granted international protection and that his right to seek asylum be upheld. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part, had no immediate comment. A senior Homeland Security Department official told the Miami Herald that the activist would remain in ICE custody pending a decision by an immigration judge. "All of his claims will be heard by the judge," the official was quoted as saying. Maduro's government has denied accusations of torture. ICE officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on Trump's promise of record-level deportations. The White House has demanded the agency sharply increase arrests of migrants who are in the U.S. illegally, sources have told Reuters. Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles earlier this month when protesters took to the streets after ICE arrested migrants at Home Depot stores, a garment factory and a warehouse. The Trump administration has also attempted to deport pro-Palestinian protesters opposing U.S. ally Israel's military assault on Gaza. Rights advocates have raised concerns about the steps by the government.
