Dems want Israel envoy confirmed ‘instantaneously’ after attack

Lew was nominated in early September. But the attack, widely condemned by both parties and across the ideological spectrum, will kick the effort into high gear. It will jump start a broader debate over aid to Israel in an already chaotic fall.

Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said he hopes fellow senators “will join me in promptly confirming” Lew. And Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democratic member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said “we should do this instantaneously and we also need to confirm a chief of Naval Operations.”

“For the U.S. to be without an ambassador at this critical moment would political malpractice by the Senate. Jack Lew is highly qualified and should be confirmed this coming week,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), another member of the panel.

In addition to Lew’s confirmation, Cardin said he would prioritize sending more resources to Israel, including for the Iron Dome missile defense system as well as a potential supplemental spending bill. Those could either ride on a must-pass spending bill in November or perhaps in a separate package.

Lawmakers are also trying to supply aid to Ukraine after leaving it out of the last spending bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that ”failure to support friends under attack — in Kyiv or Tel Aviv — will only embolden the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and fellow authoritarians.”

The Senate is on recess until Oct. 16 and the House lacks a speaker, complicating plans to pass new legislation quickly. But Senate Democrats can move nominees like Lew unilaterally, and he received bipartisan support when he was confirm as Treasury secretary 10 years ago.

Senate Republicans will have some sway over how quickly the Lew nomination will move through the chamber.