It is "absolutely essential" that the United States is united in its support of Israel and its right to defend itself, and that backing "needs to be bipartisan," Rep. Kevin Kiley said on Newsmax on Sunday.
"I have been very critical of this president's foreign policy … I have not been hesitant at all to criticize this president's foreign policy," the California Republican told Newsmax's "Sunday Agenda." "But frankly, I think right now we just need to focus on having as much support for Israel in the United States as we can and making sure that that support is bipartisan."
Kiley acknowledged that some members of Congress have made "vague characterizations" about Israel that he finds "absolutely appalling," but he also thinks a measure of bipartisan support can be reached.
"Even a few months ago, when you had a member on the other side make incredibly offensive and disparaging comments toward Israel, we passed a resolution in the House that had very broad bipartisan support," Kiley said. "I think there are only a handful of holdouts in support of Israel, so right now, at this moment where they face an attack on a scale that we have not seen in decades in that country, I want to build as much support in our country for standing by Israel."
Meanwhile, the situation at the United States' southern border is "absolutely unfathomable," said Kiley, noting that he and other members of the House Judiciary Committee have been focused on the matter since the beginning of the year.
He noted that the committee brought in Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to testify and held a field hearing in Yuma, Arizona, at the border, and the House passed the Border Security Act.
Still, the border is a "huge national security risk," he said.
"The one modicum of goodness you do see is that the Biden administration is starting to backtrack a little with its statement recently that there is an immediate need for more physical barriers," said Kiley. "We need to remain focused on border security. As you know, it is the biggest threat perhaps that our nation is facing right now."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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