Congressional leaders, Israeli officials, NSC’s Trager to address AIPAC summit
Attendees will take to the Hill to advocate for legislation on Iran sanctions and U.S.-Israel cooperation
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Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) calls on reporters following the weekly Senate Republican caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Senators spoke about the Laken Riley Act which was named after a nursing student who was murdered in February 2024 by Jose Ibarra, a migrant from Venezuela who crossed the border in September 2022, that could give state attorney generals far-reaching veto power over federal immigration policy.
Top U.S. and Israeli leaders are set to address an AIPAC congressional summit in Washington this week, during which activists will also lobby lawmakers on a series of priority bills for the pro-Israel group.
All four top congressional leaders — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) — are set to address the summit.
Eric Trager, the senior director for the Middle East and North Africa on the White House’s National Security Council, will be speaking on behalf of the administration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the meeting via video, with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid — who will be visiting Washington this week — speaking to the group in person.
The AIPAC members in attendance also have meetings scheduled with hundreds of House and Senate offices to advocate for the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act — legislation to add sanctions on additional parties involved in the Iranian oil trade — and for the U.S.-Israel Defense Partnership Act, which creates new cooperative defense programs and pushes for millions in new funding for such programming.
Both bills are bicameral and bipartisan: The Iran sanctions legislation is being backed by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), and the military cooperation bill is backed by Sullivan and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Reps. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Donald Norcross (D-NJ).
The AIPAC activists will also advocate for the annual $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding and missile defense support for Israel.