The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and a recent series of drone attacks targeting U.S. troops in Iraq are just two examples of the growing dangers Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) attributes to President Joe Biden’s foreign policy.
On Oct. 7, Hamas gunmen breached the Israel-Gaza barrier and proceeded to kill hundreds of people throughout southern Israel and take around 200 people back to Gaza as hostages. The attack has grown into a broader conflict, with Israeli forces conducting retaliatory air strikes on Gaza and making apparent preparations for a ground assault into the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, amid the conflict in Israel, U.S. troops stationed in western Iraq were targeted by two different drones, while a third drone targeted U.S. troops in northern Iraq. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported U.S. forces managed to destroy two of the drones and damaged a third, but some coalition personnel sustained “minor injuries” during one of the two drone attacks in western Iraq.
CENTCOM has not yet attributed the drone attacks in Iraq to any specific group. The U.S. has previously attributed drone attacks on troops in Iraq and Syria to Iran-backed Sunni Muslim factions that are active throughout eastern Syria and western Iraq.
“I can guarantee you those are Iranian-backed Militia units that are attacking our service members,” Mr. Steube told NTD News’ “Capitol Report” on Thursday. [0:27]
Mr. Steube served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2008, serving one year as an airborne infantry officer and three years in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps. His service included a deployment to Iraq between 2006 and 2007.
Mr. Steube, along with numerous other Republican lawmakers, have attributed the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict to efforts by the Biden administration that they argue have emboldened Iran.
Israeli and U.S. officials have yet to identify specific evidence of Iran’s alleged role in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, though Iranian officials did celebrate the attacks.
Several Republican lawmakers have suggested Iran could have been motivated to finance or facilitate the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks after President Joe Biden authorized the transfer of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets back to Iran as part of a prisoner exchange that went through in September. The Biden administration granted clemency to five Iranian nationals held in the United States on suspicions of violating U.S. sanctions and other criminal charges and began transferring the $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds in exchange for the release of five U.S. citizens held in Iran.
The Biden administration has said the $6 billion in unfrozen Iranian assets were still in the transfer process, and Iran had not used a single dollar of the funds at the time of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. The Biden administration has also insisted those funds could only be used for humanitarian purposes. Some Republican lawmakers have argued Iran could have diverted other funds to support the Hamas attacks with the expectation that they could replenish their coffers once the $6 billion funds transfer was completed. Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers are raising efforts to claw back the unfrozen Iranian funds following the Oct. 7 attacks.
“It’s not a coincidence that weeks after [the Biden administration] released $6 billion, that these attacks from Hamas were backed by the Iranians in Israel,” Mr. Steube insisted. “None of this is a coincidence. This is all because of the horrible foreign policy decisions of this President and his administration.”
The Florida Republican said the Biden administration should reimpose certain sanctions it has relaxed against Iran and refreeze the $6 billion in Iranian assets it agreed to transfer as part of last month’s prisoner swap.
“We should reinstitute those sanctions. They should refreeze that $6 billion so the Iranians don’t have $6 billion to use to fund terrorist activities in the Middle East and across the globe. We should reinstitute those sanctions, they should refreeze that $6 billion. So the Iranians don’t have $6 billion to use to fund terrorist activities in the Middle East and across the globe,” he said.
Mr. Steube, who has endorsed former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run, said the current unrest in the Middle East and other areas of the globe would not be happening with President Trump in office. Mr. Steube argued that the Trump administration exuded strength throughout his time in office, but said the Biden administration has tried to “appease terrorists.”
The House Speaker Contest
Republican lawmakers have signaled they would support new aid spending to support Israel and have proposed new legislation to claw back the $6 billion in unfrozen Iranian funds following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Still, the Republican-controlled House has limited legislative options with the current House speakership vacancy.
A majority of the House Republican Conference initially chose to nominate Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) for the speakership, but he withdrew his name amid pushback from other members in the party. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has advanced his own speakership bid but has twice failed to garner enough support during a House floor vote.
Mr. Steube said some top Republicans are now talking about keeping Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) on as a speaker pro tempore for an extended period of time and giving him expanded powers of the speaker without officially electing him to the speakership.
“I think that is woefully unconstitutional. I think it’d be a horrible idea to move forward with that. You would have a speaker acting with speaker powers who hasn’t been elected speaker. I anticipate to vote against this. I would imagine that the majority of my conference is going to vote against this,” Mr. Steube said. “So the only way that this limps across the finish line would be if Democrats are going to join with establishment Republicans to empower a speaker and give him powers that he should not have.”
Mr. Steube said Mr. Jordan has expressed some openness to allow Mr. McHenry’s temporary speakership to continue until January, to allow time for the House to pass key legislation. Despite having supported Mr. Jordan’s speakership bid, Mr. Steube remained opposed to expanding the powers of a speaker pro tempore.
“We need to come to an agreement on who’s going to stand in the place for the next year and a half and actually lead the conference conservatively and be elected speaker and not change the rules and empower a speaker that’s never been elected to that position,” he said.