Democratic leaders in the US House of Representatives appointed one of the party’s most ardent supporters of Israel to a key foreign policy post, in a move that angered progressives who argue he is out of step with where the party is trending on the issue.
US Representative Gregory Meeks, who serves as ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced on Tuesday that Representative Jared Moskowitz would serve as the ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee.
Meeks also named two additional pro-Israel Democrats to the larger Foreign Affairs Committee: Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Wesley Ball, alongside progressive Representative Mark Pocan.
As ranking member, Moskowitz will be given some control over Middle East policy-related legislation coming out of the House, though the influence that Congress has over foreign policy has significantly shrunk under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Moskowitz will also be positioned to chair the subcommittee if Democrats win back the House in the November midterms. However, party leadership could choose to go another route.
