Republicans Split Over The Hunger Crisis In Gaza As Trump Says He'll Push For Aid

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's telephone for further assistance to Gaza arsenic children location starve has put him astatine likelihood pinch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and divided nan Republican Party connected Capitol Hill.

One of Trump's apical friends successful Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has been a large proponent of nan “America First” agenda, has gone truthful acold arsenic to telephone nan business successful Gaza a “genocide.” And she publically slammed 1 of her GOP colleagues, Rep. Randy Fine, of Florida, for saying Gazans should “starve away” until nan hostages held by Hamas are released.

Greene, who led a 2023 solution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., complete tweets criticizing nan Israeli authorities and supporting Palestinians, represents a mini but increasing faction of legislature Republicans who are expressing outrage astatine nan starvation successful Gaza.

Asked by NBC News connected Tuesday astir Trump’s rhetoric connected Gaza and calls for nutrient centers, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, “I deliberation that I stock nan president’s view.”

“When you spot group hurting successful a request for illustration that, is to want to thief meet that request and alleviate that pain,” Thune said astatine his play property conference. “I deliberation each of america want to see, obviously, a serene solution location that gets nan hostages freed and ends nan reign and norm of Hamas successful nan region. But successful nan meantime, do everything we tin to easiness nan symptom and nan hunger that’s afflicting truthful galore of nan group successful that region.”

But different Republicans said they disagreed pinch Greene and suggested that further aid, if it is fixed astatine all, should beryllium conditioned connected nan merchandise of hostages. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, said “no,” he does not judge location is simply a genocide successful Gaza and “no,” Congress shouldn’t beryllium doing much to thief supply relief. Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, said it’s “between nan different governments” to lick and doesn’t deliberation Congress should supply further aid.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, of Alabama, said, “If they would fto nan hostages go, they’d get a batch much food.”

Regardless of whether they support assistance for Gaza, galore Republicans said that Hamas, not Israel, is to blasted for nan humanitarian situation there.

Rep. Lance Gooden, of Texas, called for “rejecting nan sidesplitting and starvation of children successful Gaza," successful a station connected Twitter, adding: “We must let assistance to participate Gaza. Ending this hunger situation will not only spare nan lives of children but will portion Hamas of its expertise to usage guiltless children arsenic pawns successful their depraved acts of barbarism."

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, sounded cool to nan thought of mounting up nutrient centers, arsenic Trump has suggested, and said group are suffering location because of Hamas.

“You sewage to look astatine what, really this is each going to play out. We don’t want American soldiers successful that warfare zone,” he said. “So nan thought that we’d person American soldiers astatine risk, I’m not for that.”

Moreno said that what's happening successful Gaza is “sick” and “disturbing,” but erstwhile asked if he agreed pinch Greene that it’s a genocide, he said: “I deliberation she should spell location and beryllium educated.”

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that it was level retired “wrong” to telephone it genocide, but that group are entitled to their opinion.

“You know, if it wasn’t for nan First Amendment, really would we cognize who nan fools are?” he said. “What I would respond is that they’re wrong. They’re conscionable group that dislike Israel. And 1 of nan astounding things to maine arsenic a consequence of this war, I spot it not conscionable successful nan United States, but I spot it worldwide, is really overmuch antisemitism location is successful nan world.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., however, didn’t outright disregard Greene’s remarks.

“I’ve not been to Gaza, truthful until you get there, I conjecture you don’t cognize precisely what’s going on, but you don’t want group astatine war. You don’t want group starving,” he said. “At nan aforesaid time, I’ve been complete to Kfar Aza. I’ve been successful Israel, Kfar Aza, which is half a mile from Gaza. I watched what happened to group because of what Hamas did. It’s despicable. Hamas could extremity this today."

Gaza was a awesome taxable Tuesday connected Capitol Hill, wherever Senate Republicans were moving to corroborate much of Trump's nominees, while House members were astatine location successful their districts. Several Republican senators declined to reply immoderate questions astir Gaza connected Tuesday, including Sens. Jim Risch of Idaho, Todd Young of Indiana and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

Meanwhile, Democrats are mostly unified successful expressing siren complete nan increasing situation successful Gaza. Forty of them sent a missive to nan Trump management Tuesday calling for a wide-scale description of humanitarian aid.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, of Nevada, who helped spearhead nan letter, said that they want nan hostages to beryllium released but that nan U.S. still needs to reside nan suffering successful Gaza successful nan meantime.

“Well, what we’re asking for is for each of it. We request nan hostages released. We request Hamas to turn up, beryllium responsible, merchandise those hostages. And astatine nan aforesaid time, we person to beryllium judge that we reside nan suffering successful Gaza, that location are guiltless people, again, being tortured by Hamas and utilized by Hamas,” she said.

Sen. Angus King, I-Vt., who caucuses pinch Democrats, said Monday that he is "through voting for support for Israel arsenic agelong arsenic location are starving children successful Gaza that person been caused by Israel’s action aliases inaction pinch respect to humanitarian relief."

King added that he wants to spot Trump's proposal, "but nan existent onus of this is connected Israel.”

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said that if Republicans are forcing senators to enactment successful Washington complete nan August recess to corroborate much nominees, they should beryllium holding hearings connected nan situation successful Gaza.

“If you’re going to walk August here, I’d alternatively beryllium talking astir inflation. I’d alternatively beryllium talking astir america ending nan suffering successful Gaza,” he said.

And Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., called existent alleviation efforts insufficient, saying “the conception that you’re going to person conscionable a handful, mini fistful of sites distributing nutrient capable for this organization is simply a complete and benignant of sadistic fantasy.”

He besides criticized nan Israeli government, saying, “It’s very disappointing that nan Netanyahu government, not nan Israeli people, but nan Netanyahu authorities has choked disconnected humanitarian assistance since virtually nan very beginning, but astir brutally recently.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has been an outspoken protagonist of Israel, said connected X that "the suffering successful Gaza is crushing and real." But he told NBC News that he places nan blasted squarely connected Hamas for nan situation successful Gaza.

“People that publication your publication blasted Israel, but I blasted Hamas and Iran,” he said.