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The “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” reintroduced this week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), received overwhelming Republican support.
By HANNAH SARISOHN JANUARY 9, 2025 21:48
U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives members attend a joint session of Congress to certify Donald Trump's election, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2025.
(photo credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ)
The bill seeking sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court over its issuing of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant passed 243-140 in the Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday, marking the body’s second vote in favor of the legislation.
The “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” reintroduced this week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), received overwhelming Republican support.
Roy attacked the International Criminal Court’s “unprecedented action of issuing arrest warrants” for the sitting prime minister and former defense minister of Israel.
“Let that sit in,” he said. “This is an entity, the International Criminal Court, that has no jurisdiction over the people of the United States. [The ICC] should have no authority over our people, no authority over the prime minister of Israel.”
Mast invokes 'America first'
Mast invoked the “America first” agenda and continually offered his tagline about the legislation, saying the US needs to “get in the way of those that are getting in our way.”
He said the bill sends an incredibly important message across the globe, that “when we make this law, do not get in the way of America or our allies trying to bring our people home. Don’t get in our way.
“You will be given no quarter, and again, you will certainly not be welcomed to American soil,” Mast said.
According to Mast, the ICC had time to “abandon the shameful effort” of issuing Netanyahu and Gallant’s arrest warrants but instead the court attempted to obstruct Israel’s right to defend itself, prolonging the war and preventing the release of American hostages.
“If you’re boosting the morale of Hamas, you are on the other team. And in November, the ICC’s Trial Chamber approved the arrest warrants,” Mast added. “We have to pass this bill today to prevent this travesty from moving any further and to deter any more illegitimate actions by this kangaroo court to halt or stall the military success of our allies trying to bring hostages home, both American and Israeli and others.”
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), ranking member of the House Committee on Rules, was the only Democrat who spoke during the vote, criticizing the Republican leadership for scheduling the vote during former president Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, saying it was incredibly disappointing given Carter’s stature in the US and his commitment to human rights.
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In his opening statement, McGovern said calling a vote on this legislation “takes the cake” in showing the country how backwards Republicans’ priorities are.
“We have a natural disaster unfolding in California right this second as 100,000 people are fleeing a climate change-driven fire that’s burning up entire neighborhoods. We have a gun violence epidemic, as we see massacres in our school nearly every single day, and families are unable to make ends meet because they’re being ripped off by billionaire corporations who don’t care about anything,” McGovern said. “All those challenges, and this is what the out-of-touch, elitist, billionaire Republican Party wants to waste time on, sanctioning the ICC.”
McGovern continued, saying the attacks of October 7 were unconscionable and that Netanyahu has an “absolute right” to defend his people but that there’s “no international right to vengeance.”
“And what we are seeing in Gaza is vengeance,” he said. “I mean, where is our humanity? Have we just given up on the idea of human rights? At least 45,000 people have been killed in the war in Gaza, and I fear that number is much higher.”
McGovern slammed the closed process in which Republicans wrote the bill and brought it to the floor, as the bill never went before the Rules Committee or received any amendments.
McGovern then directly criticized Mast for implying that his opposition to the legislation was anti-American.
“If I thought for one second that this bill that we’re debating today would help get the release of the hostages and the American hostages, I’d be with you, but it won’t,” McGovern said. “It complicates things even further, and it isolates us to the world community at a time, quite frankly, when we need allies and we need everybody working to try to resolve the conflict in the Middle East and to get all the hostages released, and to ensure that Israel has its security and to ensure that the Palestinians have a future as well.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) used his time on the floor to criticize President Joe Biden in addition to voicing his support for sanctions against the ICC, saying it’s shameful the way Biden’s administration has “allowed these hostages to languish.”
He said the ICC has continually abused its authority and demonstrated blatant hostility toward US allies and American values as Israel has “continued to defend itself against terrorists in the Middle East over the injections of this administration.”
Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) took the floor wearing an Israeli flag tie, and called the ICC a disgrace.
“It’s a sham, and its officials need to find real jobs. They have no authority to target Americans or our allies, especially Israel, and we won’t stand for it, Mr. Speaker,” he said. “I look forward to passing this bill, and encouraging the Senate to pass it in time for President[-elect Donald] Trump to sign it on day one.”
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