Rep. Kelly co-sponsors House resolution condemning Biden administration for leaving Americans stranded in Israel
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last week, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), together with Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and Byron Donalds (R-FL) introduced a resolution condemning the Biden Administration for failing to fulfill the United States Government’s duty to American citizens left stranded in Israel.
On October 8, 2023, Israel declared war on Hamas, resulting in airlines canceling flights departing from Israel and leaving American citizens with extremely limited options to evacuate from the ongoing conflict. Until October 13, 2023, the Department of State refused to provide meaningful resources to help United States citizens evacuate from Israel despite widespread violence and danger.
You can read the full resolution here.
"First in Afghanistan and then in Ukraine, the Biden administration has once again displayed they did not have a proper plan to return Americans who were stuck in Israel once the war began," Rep. Kelly said. "Thanks to the sacrifice and bravery of Congressman Mills and his staff, over 100 Americans have escaped Israel and are returning home. I want to personally commend him and his team for their incredible work during such extraordinary times. We should never leave an American behind."
“While the Biden Administration is quick to use taxpayer dollars to provide free housing to illegal immigrants entering the United States, they show time and time again they do not care about the wellbeing of American citizens stranded abroad during times of violent conflict he helped create through bad foreign policy,” said Rep. Mills. “Since Joe Biden refused to do the job he was elected to do, I traveled to Israel and did it for him. As an elected official, I knew I could not sit idly by and watch the Biden Administration leave Americans behind like he did during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal where I had to step up the first time to rescue Americans. I’m honored to have been able to help evacuate over 100 Americans so far who were stranded in Israel during the ongoing war. While my mission of helping rescue Americans is far from over, I’m proud to lead the effort alongside Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) and Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19) to condemn the Biden Administration for their dereliction of duty to ensure the safety of American citizens abroad.”
"After going through this with both Afghanistan and Ukraine, it's unconscionable that the Biden Administration was delayed in executing a plan to safely get American citizens out of Israel as soon as possible,” Rep. Malliotakis said. “Other countries like Poland, Germany, Mexico, Australia, and Canada had commercial and military planes on the ground to conduct evacuations within hours, meanwhile, trapped American citizens were stonewalled by the U.S. State Department when looking for the simplest of answers. We’re extremely grateful for Congressman Mills’ bravery and appreciate his efforts to step up in the absence of this unresponsive Administration to get our people home.”
“Israel is one of our greatest allies and a pillar of stability and Democracy in a region notorious for chaos and servitude," Rep. Donalds said. "Hamas's abhorrent attack on the State of Israel and the Jewish people shook the world and deserves the complete and relentless condemnation of everyone who stands for freedom, humanity, and religious liberty. My colleague Mr. Mills illustrated admirable leadership in his efforts to bring Americans home, and I am proud to support this effort to stand alongside our Israeli brothers and sisters. We must all Stand With Israel and denounce Hamas.”