Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO), a freshman member of the House and a new member of the House Armed Services Committee, says he has big shoes to fill when it comes to supporting Israel.

Crank represents the congressional district previously represented by retired Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), a champion of the U.S.-Israel relationship, who led legislation including the Taylor Force Act and efforts to increase funding for collaborative defense programs. 

Crank told Jewish Insider in a sit-down in his Capitol Hill office last week that many in the Jewish community have told him “what kind of high regard they hold Doug in for his leadership on some of those things. And I hope I will continue that. Those are big shoes to fill, when it comes to the State of Israel and our support for it.”

Asked how the U.S. can best counter Iran and its proxies’ malign activities in the region, Crank said that the administration should work to drive a wedge between moderate Arab states that are willing to recognize Israel and bad actors such as Iran, as well as work to cut off all of Iran’s revenue streams.

“I’m a sort of radical on it. I was all for embargoes and I hope that the new president is very tough on both sanctions and everything else with Iran,” he continued. He said that cracking down on Iran’s oil sales will also help cut off further attacks on U.S. service members and Israel by Iran’s proxy in Yemen, the Houthis.

Crank said that he’s “not for negotiating” with Iran, and said he expects Trump will be “extra tough on them.” Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have indicated that the administration is open to talks with Iran about its nuclear program.

“The ultimate fix has to be that we’re defunding Iran and the regime there,” Crank continued, adding that he believes there’s a real possibility that, with consistent pressure from the Trump administration, the Iranian regime falls in the coming years.

He also said the U.S. should not try to negotiate on Israel’s behalf or pressure it to accept any agreements with Hamas that it is not comfortable with, nor should it place any limits or pressure on Israel to restrain its military response to the Oct. 7 attacks.

He said the U.S. has “no greater ally and friend than Israel,” noting the two countries share “strategic objectives” and a “common enemy.”

He expressed strong support for the Abraham Accords, saying the normalization agreements “had so much promise,” and that the Middle East appeared “very close to having probably a very lasting peace” at the end of Trump’s first term. Further expansion of the agreements would be “a game changer in the region,” he continued.

On normalization with Saudi Arabia, Crank said that the U.S. must first ensure that Israel is comfortable with any guarantees that the U.S. provides to Riydah, including a potential defense pact. 

“I’d be open to those kinds of guarantees if it were to cause a lasting peace or be an opportunity for lasting peace in the region, but I’d have to see the agreement,” Crank said.

He said that guarantees from the Palestinians that they will recognize Israel’s right to exist must be the precondition for talks on a potential two-state solution. 

“Until they do, there’s really nothing to negotiate,” Crank argued. “That’s imperative and we shouldn’t try to push Israel to negotiate until that recognition is made.”

Looking more broadly at the GOP’s agenda for the coming Congress, Crank said he wants to see supplemental defense funding included in the Republicans’ expected budget reconciliation bill this year, with an eye toward issues like improving the defense manufacturing base and the Pentagon’s acquisition process, modernizing systems, improving quality of life for U.S. troops, growing the Navy, investing in the space domain and enhancing U.S. missile defenses (as per President Donald Trump’s promises of an Iron Dome for the United States).

While he said the exact numbers are still under negotiation, he said the ultimate goal should be to spend 5% of GDP on defense, requiring a “pretty significant” increase in funding via reconciliation.