Senate Republicans on Wednesday voiced reservations about the Biden administration’s nominee to be the new ambassador to Israel at one of the most perilous times in the country’s history.
The criticism of Jacob J. Lew from Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, committee member Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and others isn’t expected to doom the nomination of the former Treasury secretary, but it could delay the swift confirmation that the White House and Democrats say is critical to support U.S. efforts to prevent an expansion of the Israel-Hamas war.
The committee has a tradition that the chairman only schedules confirmation votes with the consent of the ranking member. If Risch withholds his consent for long, it would be a source of tension for Democrats, who broadly support Lew, and an early test of acting Chairman Benjamin L. Cardin’s reputation for congeniality even as he is one of the most stalwart Democratic backers of Israel.
