Senate GOP ratchets up calls for vote on ICC sanctions bill

Republicans are increasing calls for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) to bring to the floor a House-passed bill that would sanction the International Criminal Court as it considers whether to grant a warrant for arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The measure passed the House on Tuesday, with 42 Democrats joining all Republicans in voting for it. Now, Senate Republicans are pounced to ask for a vote in the upper chamber, which Democrats are highly unlikely to grant.

“Our members really, really want to offend this,” Senate Minority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters. “So, yes, we would love to address that here.”

Despite the Democratic support that the project received in the Chamber, the path is probably closed in the Senate.

The measure was initially planned to be bipartisan, with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, working with his Democratic counterparts in the House and Senate.

But the White House belatedly expressed opposition to the proposed sanctions, prompting most Democrats to oppose them. Democrats are also divided over how to respond to the Israel-Hamas war and the ICC, which the US does not formally recognize.

Several Senate Democrats were upset by the court’s top prosecutor’s recommendation that the ICC should charge both Hamas leaders for their role in the October 7 attack on Israel and Netanyahu and his defense minister for their response to the attack, which led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip.

However, Netanyahu’s handling of the situation in Gaza has disturbed many on the left who are disinclined to rush to his side.

Republicans, however, showed no hesitation in supporting the Israeli leader. This included a push for him to speak at a joint session in the coming weeks and calls for a plenary vote on the ICC sanctions package.

“It’s the right place to be,” said Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida). “It’s the right position to be in. I think that would send a strong message.”

The talk of a vote comes as Schumer enters campaign mode and moves forward with votes that he hopes will boost incumbents in red and purple states — and not address issues known to divide Democrats.

The House voted on the border bill that Senate negotiators agreed to annually this year, but it was quickly defeated by conservatives. Senators also voted on Wednesday on a proposal to codify the right to access contraceptives across the country – which Republicans also rejected.

Schumer also signaled plans to hold a vote to protect access to in vitro fertilization “very soon” — everything Republicans charge it is in the name of the November elections.

“He’s the guy who determines what comes to the floor, and it seems like he wants us out of here more than he wants us here,” said Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the Senate’s No. 3 Republican. “And when we’re here, it seems like he’s more interested in a summer of voting on programs than anything else.”

“We know that everything he is doing is political and not really in the best interests of the country,” he continued. “But it is in what he considers to be the best interests of his party. I’m just not sure he’s right about that.”

The House bill, if passed, would implement financial and travel sanctions on ICC employees. It would also grant the president the ability to nullify sanctions if the ICC suspends efforts to arrest or investigate individuals or U.S. allies, among other things.

It remains unclear how the Republican Party intends to push for a vote in the coming weeks. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a leader at the conference, told The Hill that messaging plans are constantly changing.

“To be honest, I’m not sure what we’re going to expect,” said Ernst, a member of the GOP leadership, adding that there will be “more discussion to follow.”

Other Senate Republicans, while supportive of a possible vote, question whether this is the best use of the party’s time as they approach the summer campaign season and are in good shape in their quest to not only change control of the House. , but possibly regain the White House.

Although the Republican Party’s base largely supports Israel, kitchen table issues remain at the center of a party that has been beating that drum very successfully in recent months and years.

“We have so little time here. It’s like going on the attack with 15 seconds left on the clock. We don’t have much time,” said a Senate GOP member, pointing to the precious days the House is in session before August.

The Senate will have just five more weeks before the August recess, with most of those weeks featuring just three session days instead of the usual four.

“We have an environment rich in targets, but some are really low-value targets,” continued the Senate Republican, explaining what the party’s main arguments are: “The failure of the economy, the failure at the borders, the failure to let people pay your bills.”

“You get into this mode so close to a campaign, people hit on anything other than things that I know are tried and true messages based on the way people feel, I think it’s a danger,” they said. “You could get some mileage, but it’s not mileage that people in election country really care about on a sustained basis.”