There is still only one Florida member of Congress who is a cosponsor of federal legislation calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza – Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost.
The Orlando Democrat is the only Florida cosponsor on H.R. 786 from progressive squad member Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, which urged President Joe Biden “to immediately call for and to facilitate de-escalation and a cease-fire in Israel and Palestinian Territories.” The resolution also called on the President to promptly send and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
The bill has had no movement in Congress since being introduced in the fall.
“Our goal is for lasting peace, security, and self-determination, and with that in mind we must push for an urgent end to the bloodshed of innocent civilians in Gaza and Israel,” Rep. Maxwell Frost said in the fall. “I acknowledge that it is unrealistic to expect that Hamas will heed this call to stand down due to their intent for violence and chaos. But Hamas is not fighting on behalf of the Palestinian people’s rights to dignity and self-determination, but rather for the complete destruction of Israel and the death of the Jewish people, and innocent Palestinian civilians cannot be the target for Israel’s defense.”
The other congressional cosponsors of the legislation calling for an immediate ceasefire include Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Andre Carson, Summer Lee, Delia Ramirez, Jamaal Bowman, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Chuy Garcia, Jonathan Jackson, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Nydia Velazquez, Barbara Lee, Pramila Jayapal, Greg Casar, Alma Adams, and Hank Johnson.
“Ending senseless violence on our communities and children has been the fight of my life,” Rep. Frost said. “I believe all people, Palestinian or Israeli, women and children, deserve that safety.”
Regarding the recent Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act that failed in the U.S. House, Rep. Frost said he was “disgusted by Congressional Republicans’ ability to treat our allies and innocent civilians caught in the crossfires of war as human collateral in a political game.
“The bill that was presented to the House tonight included no humanitarian aid for the vulnerable people of Gaza, included no mention of support for our Ukrainian allies desperately in need of help as they fight off communist Russia and Vladimir Putin, and it included no funding for the security of places of worship across our country that are under constant threat of violence as anti-semitic and anti-muslim rhetoric dangerously continue to rise,” Rep. Frost said. “I continue to believe in a two-state solution for both the Israeli and Palestinian people and believe any aid package must support this mission for lasting peace. I also continue to call for the end of war so that the innocent people of Gaza can live to see another day and all Israeli hostages are safely released. H.R. 7217 brings us nowhere closer to these dual goals.”
