To Protect Innocent Lives from Hamas Missiles, Congressman Guest Introduces Legislation to Replenish Iron Dome Missile Supply

June 4, 2021

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Michael Guest (R-MS) introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to support the replenishment of Israel's missile defense systems, also known as the Iron Dome. The Emergency Resupply for IRON DOME Act of 2021 is a companion to a bill introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), joined by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Ted Cruz (R-TX). The legislation would redirect funds appropriated for Gaza to replenish Israel's defense missile systems.

Congressman Guest introduced the legislation following Secretary of State Antony Blinken's admission that the funds allocated to Gaza could be used by Hamas to replenish its stockpiles.

The Senate and House companion bills were introduced after Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Mark Pocan (D-WI) introduced legislation to block the sale of weapons to Israel.

"This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is about protecting innocent lives from the continued attacks by the terrorist group Hamas, which aims to kill Israeli citizens and cause destruction. The Iron Dome is the strongest asset that Israel has to defend against the targeting of innocent civilians by Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist groups, so until a lasting peace is achieved, we must support Israel's efforts to protect its people," Rep. Guest said.

"I just returned from Israel where I inspected IRON DOME defense systems and the tragic devastation caused by Iranian-backed terrorists' rockets, so I believe resupplying the life-saving IRON DOME interceptors must be a top priority for Congress. I'm pleased that Representative Guest has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to the bill that Senators Rubio, Cotton, Cruz, and I introduced in the U.S. Senate to require the Executive Branch to redirect U.S. foreign assistance to help Israel replenish its highly-effective missile defense interceptors," Sen. Hagerty said.

According to its developer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Iron Dome has a missile interception success rate of 90% since its deployment in 2011. According to a video shared by the Israel Defense Forces Twitter page that displays the use of the Iron Dome to intercept missiles, over 4,000 rockets were fired at Israel in a ten day period. As a strictly defensive military asset, rockets purposed for use by the Iron Dome would be used to protect Israeli citizens from missile barrages and are not intended for offensive military operations.

The House companion legislation has received 22 original cosponsors:

Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05); Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14); Rep. Brian Mast (FL-18); Rep. Mike Garcia (CA-25); Rep. Scott DesJarlais, M.D. (TN-04); Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-03); Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-06); Rep. W. Gregory Steube (FL-17); Rep. Ann Wagner (MO-02); Rep. Bill Posey (FL-08); Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10); Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21); Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01); Rep. Tedd Budd (NC-13); Rep. Roger Williams (TX-25); Rep. Tom Emmer (MN-06); Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-16); Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01); Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-04); Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-01); Rep. Bob Good (VA-05); and Andrew Clyde (GA-09).

Congressman Michael Guest represents Mississippi's Third Congressional District. Currently serving his second term, Congressman Guest is a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Ethics.