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Hogan calls on Congress to reconvene to pass an Israel aid package

At a JINSA event, Hogan said the U.S. should stand by Israel if it opts to go after Iran’s nuclear facilities

Wade Vandervort/AFP

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks during the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 18, 2022.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is locked in a competitive Senate race, called on Congress to reconvene over the October recess to pass an Israel aid package as it faces the possibility of war with Iran. 

Hogan, the Republican nominee to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), said in an address at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America on Wednesday that Congress should cut short its October recess to pass legislation supporting the Jewish state in its military campaign against Iran and its proxies. 

“We must firmly stand with our closest ally. I commend the Biden administration for helping to intercept Iran’s missiles, and I call on Congress to end its recess and to act swiftly to provide Israel with security assistance. This is a dangerous time for the United States and our allies, more than at any point in my lifetime. We desperately need leaders who are willing to stand up and defend American leadership in the world because the best way to secure peace is through a strong America that supports its allies,” Hogan said. 

Several pro-Israel lawmakers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), have urged Hill leaders to call Congress back into session to pass an aid package supporting Israel and Hurricane Helene victims. House and Senate leadership have said they’re not currently considering doing so.

Hogan told attendees that the U.S. needed to stand with Israel if and when it opted to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. 

“I think it is Israel’s intent to make sure that they don’t get that capability, that they don’t get to use that capability, and I think they have the ability to stop that and take it out,” Hogan said of the Iranian regime, adding of Israel: “We’re going to stand by them 100%.”

“The United States can’t afford to have Iran with nuclear capabilities,” he continued. 

Speaking to Jewish Insider on the sidelines of the event, Hogan said that while he didn’t have exact details of what would be in the Israel aid package, he felt that the U.S. needs “to step up with whatever we think we need to protect our interests in the area and to protect our most important ally.”

“In the Senate, I will never hesitate to stand up to the isolationists in both parties,” the former governor said during his address. “I’ll work every single day to make our alliances stronger, regardless of the political consequences. Most of all, we must stand strongly with our greatest ally, Israel, at this dangerous moment in the Middle East.”

Hogan used some of his speech to take aim at Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, his Democratic opponent, for her shifting positions on Israel aid. 

“I recognize that there are politicians on both sides of the aisle who will say and do anything to appease the loudest and angriest voices in their party, but I think you know that I am not one of them. Too many politicians are more interested in campaign slogans than in real solutions, and too many lack the courage to stand up and do what is right at this critical moment,” Hogan said on Wednesday.

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