Timeline for House Republican bills on Israel, Ukraine unclear as urgency grows ahead of Passover

House Republican leadership didn't provide a timeline for this week's legislative agenda, but their messaging was clear: the "world is on fire" - and it's President Biden's fault.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) opened the House Republican leadership's Tuesday morning press conference outlining the party's points of contention with Biden's handling of Russia, Iran, China and Afghanistan. 

"Under Joe Biden, the world is less safe. Since stepping into the Oval Office, Joe Biden's weak foreign policy has been defined by a steady stream of disastrous decisions and a world in chaos as a result," Stefanik said. "His desperate policy of appeasement has left our nation and our allies vulnerable to attack."

Stefanik said America's enemies do not fear recourse because of Joe Biden, and the US needs to return to former President Donald Trump's "peace through strength" policies, which House Republicans proudly support. 

"The world is on fire," House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) said. "And history will judge us by our actions. Are we Chamberlain, or are we Churchill?"

"The world is on fire"

Biden's global chaos started with Afghanistan, McCaul said, which projected weakness and invited aggression from Russia and China. 

"And now, the Ayatollah has raised his ugly head with his proxies - his tentacles - and for the first time in history, an unprecedented Iranian strike from Iran and Iraq on Israel soil. How did we get here? By projecting, weakness not strength." McCaul said. 

McCaul added, "We need to go back to the maximum pressure campaign. We need to re-designate the Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization. For God's sake, I don't understand this accommodation and appeasement to the Ayatollah in the hopes of some Iran deal."

McCaul said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has a plan to address Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan with a fourth legislative package involving a loan program for direct government payments. 

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) echoed his colleagues, saying Iran's attack against Israel was a result of Biden's "disturbing pattern of appeasement on the world stage."

"In February 2021, Joe Biden reversed a Trump-era move that imposed permanent sanctions on Iran's drone and missile programs. In September of 2023, Biden waived sanctions to give Iran another $6 billion ransom payment. In November of 2023, Joe Biden handed another $10 billion to Iran despite the repeated attacks against American servicemen overseas," Emmer said.

"And just this month, Joe Biden actually demanded that Israel back down in its fight against the Iranian-backed Hamas. It's no wonder Iran did not take Joe Biden's warning of 'don't' very seriously."

Emmer said the question remains if House Democrats will let the administration's "failed foreign policy slow walk us into World War Three."

"With the world on fire, this is an incredibly difficult time for our allies around the world," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said. We don't choose moments like this, but history will judge us based on how we respond to them."

That's why this week the House will deal with a number of pieces of legislation to stand firmly with Israel to let them know that we have their back and their right to self-defense, Scalise said. 

"However they choose to defend themselves from these unwarranted attacks from Iran, that's their choice. That's their decision. But we support that decision and we're going to pass legislation to make that clear," Scalise added. "The President of the United States shouldn't be telling our ally that they shouldn't respond.

This is a time when your allies need to be standing together against evil in the world. There are dark forces out there, and they're trying to do us harm, and our friend harm and this is the time when you stand with them. That's what the legislation this week we're bringing to the floor is focused on."

When Johnson took to the podium, he said the "Biden border catastrophe" remains the number one priority for House Republicans. Johnson spent the next six minutes talking about southern border policy before taking one question and making no comment on Israel, Iran, or the upcoming bills.