A group of congressional Democrats is urging the State Department to restart chartered evacuation flights and take additional steps to help U.S. citizens who wish to leave Israel amid the ongoing war with Iran.

The lawmakers described the State Department’s current partnership with El Al, which launched on March 13 with a limited number of special evacuation flights for U.S. citizens, as insufficient. The Israeli airline has currently suspended registration for the flights, and government-imposed security restrictions are limiting passenger capacity on each flight and reducing airport operations.

“We were shocked to learn this week that as the military conflict in Iran escalates and continues to threaten the safety of U.S. citizens in the Middle East, the State Department has abruptly and effectively ended emergency evacuations for Americans out of Israel,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday. “As Israel continues to face threats from hostilities with Iran, the State Department cannot abandon American citizens abroad. Failing to assist Americans in their time of need is totally unacceptable.”

The letter, led by Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY), was co-signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Don Davis (D-NC), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Greg Landsman (D-OH), George Latimer (D-NY), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), John Mannion (D-NY), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Joe Morelle (D-NY) and Johnny Olszewski (D-MD).

According to the letter, the State Department is urging Americans to rely on commercial transportation or the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, and El Al lacks the capacity to carry all U.S. citizens who wish to depart, leaving Americans “without real options.” The information provided by the State Department, the letter reads, is “causing frustration, anxiety, and fear.”

“In the midst of a conflict, U.S. citizens should not have to wait weeks to be able to board a commercial flight or cross the Israeli border into another country to find their way home. It is unacceptable for the State Department to leave them on their own,” the letter continues.

In a press release Thursday, the State Department heralded its partnership with El Al, which it said has “already allowed more than 2,000 American citizens to return to the United States from Israel.” 

The airline “will continue to reserve a percentage of seats on all regular U.S.-bound flights for Americans wishing to depart Israel” and has 28 flights scheduled over the next week “to the extent permitted by the Israeli authorities,” the State Department said. The release did not acknowledge that the registration form for the evacuation flights is currently closed.

Democrats have accused the administration of failing to adequately prepare to evacuate U.S. civilians, or government personnel, from the Middle East before launching the war in Iran.

The lawmakers called on the State Department to restart charter flights from Israel and elsewhere in the region; reopen the State Department’s crisis intake form, which helps citizens receive emergency information; activate a crisis task force to assist Americans attempting to leave Israel; and provide clearer information on commercial air travel options.

Thousands of Americans, currently in Israel, are unable to access flights home and are not being offered alternative travel options or any additional assistance by the State Department,” their letter reads. “Additionally, the Department’s inconsistent guidance and lack of responsiveness have added to uncertainty and fear, making the situation even more dire for impacted families.”

In its press release, the State Department defended its evacuation efforts: “After the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the Department offered charter flight options to thousands of Americans wishing to leave Israel to Athens and destinations in the United States, as well as ground transportation options to Egypt — with supply exceeding demand on nearly every chartered flight and bus.”

Some congressional Democrats who previously criticized Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, for his extremist history are now elevating his conspiratorial resignation statement in which he blamed Israel for bringing the U.S. into the war with Iran, as well as a series of other Middle East conflicts.

Meanwhile, Republicans who supported Kent during his nomination process are now criticizing the former administration official.

Kent said in his resignation letter that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said during Kent’s confirmation process that Kent had a “consistent pattern of questionable judgment and false statements” and willful ignorance to evidence that conflicted with his preexisting political biases and that he had “aligned himself with political violence, promoted falsehoods that undermine our democracy and tried to twist intelligence to serve a political agenda.”

On Tuesday, however, Warner echoed Kent’s comments that Iran posed no imminent threat to the U.S.

“On this point, he is right: there was no credible evidence of an imminent threat from Iran that would justify rushing the United States into another war of choice in the Middle East,” Warner said. “Ignoring the facts to pursue a predetermined war puts American lives at risk and undermines our national security. The United States cannot be led into conflict on the basis of politics, impulse, or a president’s desire for confrontation. We have seen where this road leads before.”

At the same time, Warner also maintained that Kent’s record is “deeply troubling” and that he should not have been confirmed.

Every Senate Democrat opposed Kent’s confirmation last year.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) went further, explicitly endorsing Kent’s view that the war began as a result of pressure from Israel and pro-Israel advocacy groups.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), from Kent’s home state where he previously ran for Congress, called Kent a “radical, unqualified conspiracy theorist” during his confirmation proceedings, and said that “just about everything we know about Joe Kent is disqualifying for this role and alarming.”

On Tuesday, Murray said, “A top national security official resigns and confirms that Iran posed no imminent threat. Good riddance to Joe Kent, a disgraceful white supremacist, but that’s a major public admission that there was NO justification for this war.”

Two Jewish Democrats who spoke to Jewish Insider agreed with Kent that there was no imminent threat to the United States from Iran that would have allowed the administration to take unilateral action were accurate, but dismissed his contention that Israel, rather than President Donald Trump himself, bears the blame for the war.

“[Kent] should know, and he does know, that there was no imminent threat by any definition of imminent. It’s a war of choice, and I expect there’ll be other resignations,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told JI.

But, he continued, “I don’t buy the narrative that Israel tricked or persuaded America to go to war. I think Trump acted on a whim. It’s a war of impulse, even more than a war of choice.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) told JI, “Donald Trump and his Cabinet entered into this war, and they call it a war. … Men and women have died. Some are injured. They entered this without doing their full research, without coming to Congress, and they still have shown us no reason, no reason at all for going there.”

But Rosen emphasized that the blame for the war lies with Trump, not Israel, as Kent suggested. “This is Trump’s war. It’s 100% on him. He did not come as he was supposed to. If he’s going to enter into a war, Congress, only Congress can declare war. There has been no proof of imminent threat to the United States, and they still refuse to come and talk to us. … They certainly have not shown us any justification, at least as far as I’m concerned.”

Some other Democrats have taken a harder line toward Kent.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) called Kent’s effort to blame Israel for the war “as predictable as it is unserious,” as well as antisemitic.

“Scapegoating Israel isn’t just a tired antisemitic trope — it’s anti-American,” Gottheimer said. “This is a guy with ties to white supremacists and has ‘PANZER’ tattooed on his arm, referring to a Nazi tank infamously used in crimes against Jews. Kent’s reduction of Iran to ‘Israel’s fault’ isn’t leadership, it’s bigoted deflection.”

Amos Hochstein, a top official in the Biden administration, said on X, “Whether you support the war or oppose it, Joe Kent is a well known neo nazi racist. No one should be taking anything he says seriously — even if you happen to agree with some elements.”

Democratic Majority for Israel said in a statement that Kent’s letter was “deeply antisemitic” and reflects that he “traffics in conspiracy theories and was unfit for any government position.” The group said it shows that he was “unfit for any government position.”

Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of J Street, which has vigorously opposed the war, said that only Trump is responsible for it.

“Don’t try pinning the blame solely on Israel and a powerful lobby. That only echoes the worst of antisemitic tropes — of course, far too common on the hard-right of the political map,” Ben Ami continued.

Republicans, meanwhile, mostly condemned Kent on Tuesday, after backing his confirmation last year.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), who sits on both the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, told JI that the information he has seen affirmed that the administration made the right decision in attacking Iran.

“[Trump] had the opportunity to address a growing threat and it was growing at a significant pace. The Iranians were not only increasing their offensive capabilities, but they were rebuilding their defensive capabilities. He saw that. We’ve seen that in the intel reports,” Rounds said.

“If Mr. Kent had a problem with the issue of ‘imminent,’ I think I would disagree. I think it was an imminent threat, and I’d rather take them out when we have fewer of our young men and women at risk,” Rounds continued

“Joe Kent and his family have sacrificed greatly for our nation, and I thank him for his service,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, which oversaw Kent’s confirmation process. “But I disagree with his misguided assessment. Iran’s vast missile arsenal and support for terrorism posed a grave and growing threat to America. … President Trump recognized this threat and made the right call to eliminate it.”

Every Senate Republican — except for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) — supported Kent’s confirmation.

“The resignation of Joe Kent as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center could not have come at a better time,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said, accusing Kent of “echoing the Democratic talking points, which are devoid of fact or evidence.”

Taking one of the hardest lines toward Kent, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) accused him of antisemitism.

“The virulent anti-Semitism of his resignation letter makes it clear that Mr. Kent is incapable of upholding these pledges, and those who mistake its baseless and incendiary conspiracies for brave truth-telling are only fooling themselves,” McConnell said. “Isolationists and anti-Semites have no place in either party, and certainly do not deserve places of trust in our government.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Senate Republican to immediately come to Kent’s defense.

“Voices like his that cautioned against being overly involved in the wars in the Middle East were good voices to have,” Paul said. “I think he was America First from the very beginning, and still is.”

A handful of House Republicans also trashed Kent.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said that Kent’s assessment of the threat posed by Iran was incorrect based on the briefings he received, and that it’s “clearly wrong” that the U.S. was putting Israel’s interests over its own.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said that Kent “was never fit for the job.”

“He was a leaker who spent more time undermining our foreign policy than doing his job. Now he’s out the door and blaming Jews on his way out,” Lawler said. “Good riddance.”

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) called Kent, “Example 1A of why failed congressional candidates should not be elevated to senior roles within administrations. When the going gets tough the first instinct is to call it quits. Let me be clear…the U.S. is not the bad guy here!”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) also said “good riddance” to Kent, adding, “Anti-Semitism is an evil I detest, and we surely don’t want it in our government.”

Moderate congressional Democrats are pushing back against claims from anti-Israel activists, sparked by recriminations over an unreleased Democratic National Committee post-2024 election analysis, that the party’s position on Israel during the war in Gaza was a decisive factor in Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss.

Speaking to Jewish Insider, the lawmakers rejected the notion that the Biden administration and Harris campaign’s approach to Israel was the decisive factor in the defeat, instead pointing to broader political dynamics.

They also called on the DNC to release the post-election autopsy, expressing confidence that the findings wouldn’t indicate that taking a stronger anti-Israel line would have helped Harris win more votes.

“I don’t think that was the issue in the election. I disagree with that conclusion,” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) told JI. “Israel is our country’s strongest ally in the Middle East, one of the strongest allies in the world, and I can tell you that my colleagues here overwhelmingly support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) echoed those sentiments, telling JI that “the idea that the vice president lost every swing state because she wasn’t more extreme on this issue is laughable.” He called on Democratic officials to “release the report.”

“I mean, this is ridiculous,” said Moskowitz. “You got Democrats talking about how we should release the report on Epstein … now they should release [the DNC autopsy report].” 

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), who represents a swing district in Ohio, also called for transparency, but cautioned against narrowing the post-election analysis to a single issue.

“That’s what the party should do,” Landsman said of releasing the report. “The country, they want us to focus entirely on the voters … which means that it’s going to be about their economic conditions, it’s going to be about their safety, it’s going to be about how we invest in their communities, it’s going to be about how we make their lives better. That’s the winning formula.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told JI he had not heard of the autopsy, however, he stated that he questions “the veracity of that report,” adding that he “strongly disagrees” with the assertion that Harris lost due to her stance on Israel.

“There were a number of reasons why she lost,” said Blumenthal. “I have not spoken with anybody associated with the DNC about this report. I have no idea what the report says, but it may be wise to release the report.” 

Senior congressional correspondent Marc Rod contributed reporting.