WASHINGTON — Today, Representatives Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) introduced the bipartisan Keeping Israel Safe from Iranian Proxies Act, which will help protect the Jewish State of Israel from anti-Israel, Iran-backed entities such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Specifically, the legislation requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress detailing military capabilities of Iran-backed entities, and the impact that America’s suspension of economic sanctions on Iran may have on those capabilities. Jackson and Murphy’s legislation also prohibits Department of Defense funding from going directly or indirectly to these Iran-backed entities.

Jackson told Adam Kredo of The Washington Free Beacon: “The U.S. cannot afford to ignore the threat posed by Iran-backed proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. These terrorists are an existential threat to one of our greatest allies, Israel, and to democracies around the world. Assessing their military capabilities, and how easing U.S. sanctions on Iran strengthens those capabilities, will be an important tool to help combat their plans to annihilate the Jewish State and western values. I am proud to join Congresswoman Murphy in this important, bipartisan effort to protect our friends in Israel from the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and their proxies in the Middle East.”

Rep. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07) said: “Iran is a threat to the United States, to our ally Israel, and to global security and stability because the regime provides material support to terrorist organizations and is seeking nuclear weapons. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan bill to ensure that U.S. policymakers are regularly assessing the military capabilities of these Iranian-backed groups so we have the information needed to effectively combat them.”  

Jackson is a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees.

Additional background from The Washington Free Beacon can be found here. Full bill text is linked here.

Jackson and Murphy’s bill is supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC is America’s leading, bipartisan pro-Israel organization.

Original cosponsors include Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Rodney Davis (IL-13), John Moolenaar (MI-04), Carol Miller (WV-03), Bill Johnson (OH-06), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Ted Budd (NC-13), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Randy Weber (TX-14), Scott Franklin (FL-15), Rick Allen (GA-12), Tracey Mann (KS-01), Jerry Carl (AL-01), Peter Meijer (MI-03), John Rutherford (FL-04), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), and Pat Fallon (TX-04).

###