War on Gaza: Internal anger with Biden and Congress reaches boiling point
After
100 days of war, scores of staffers on Capitol Hill and in the Biden
administration are demoralised and uncomfortable working for the US
president
White-shrouded
body bags, representing victims in the war in Gaza, are seen during a
vigil in front of the White House in Washington on 15 November 2023
(Mandel Ngan/AFP)By
Umar A Farooq in Washington
Published 14 January 2024
After three months of Israel's war on Gaza, and after months of widespread mass protests against the war and calls for US
President Joe Biden to support a ceasefire, Washington ordered air
strikes on Yemen, an escalatory move that could push the region into a
wider war.
The decision by Biden has exponentially increased the level of anger
from lawmakers and progressives who have been working since October
to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
But anger and dissent aren't limited to the progressive camp. Middle
East Eye spoke to congressional staffers from several offices across
both chambers, as well as several staffers working in the Biden
administration who say that frustration towards Biden and Congress has
reached a boiling point.
"The level of anger at Joe Biden is now comparable to the level of
anger at Donald Trump," one progressive Capitol Hill staffer told Middle
East Eye on the night the US conducted the first strikes on Yemen.
"The idea that he would do that and then ask us to vote for him is
ludicrous," the staffer said. "I don't know what planet they are
operating on, but this is not how you win in November."ed an attack from Gaza on southern Israel. The attack killed
695 Israeli civilians, 373 security forces and 71 foreigners, a total
of 1,139 people according to the Israeli government.
Israel responded to the attacks with widespread and unrelenting force, launching a full siege on Gaza and an "indiscriminate" aerial bombing campaign, followed by a ground invasion by Israeli troops and tanks.
Israel's military campaign has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians,
mostly women and children, and has targeted civilian infrastructure
including mosques, hospitals, schools and UN shelters.
'There's nothing really tying us to want to stay here and also make us feel even more complicit'
- White House staffer
Since 7 October, one White House staff member told Middle East Eye
that she has had a letter of resignation typed up and ready to send.
Each day, she takes a look at it, wondering whether it will be the day
she decides to leave.
"The only reason a lot of us had for staying is, if we're not here,
who will be at least advocating. I think that's what's held a few of us
back, but that one specific cause is slowly - it's fading away. There's
not much else left," the staffer told MEE.
"There's nothing really tying us to want to stay here and also make us feel even more complicit."
The staffer's experience and feelings resemble many others across the
administration who decided to join the Biden administration to work on a
number of domestic policy issues such as education or the environment.
But now, each day the war continues, they see working there as risking
complicity in Biden's fervent support for the war, even as Israel has
been brought to The Hague to defend itself against accusations of
genocide.
"Staffers feel demoralised, and they feel disconnected, kind of
appalled and very uncomfortable working for this president," another
White House staffer said.
"It's very difficult to continue to work here.
Members of at least every agency in the Biden administration have
expressed support for a ceasefire, according to several White House
staff members who spoke to MEE.
So far, two people from the administration have tendered their
resignations - Josh Paul, who oversaw arms transfers at State, and Tariq
Habash, who worked on education policy at the White House.
The morale of staff in the White House is so low that the chief of
staff planned a party in the hopes of cheering up the employees,
according to a report from Axios.
However, it's not clear if the senior staff members of the
administration understand why morale is so low. After the report of the
party for White House staff, another report
stated that hundreds of federal employees across 22 government agencies
are planning a walk-out to protest against Biden's handling of the war.
"Mass resignations would be powerful, but I don't know if we are there yet," the first White House staffer said.
'I don't know if I want to return to the Hill'
A few blocks away in Congress, staffers tell Middle East Eye that the
situation is similarly bleak, and it's not just a matter of dissent
brewing within Washington. All across the US, the number of Americans
who are against their country's support for the war has grown.
"We have people crying or sobbing, begging us to do something,
telling us that we're complicit in what's happening, that we have blood
on our hands, desperate for some direction or actions on what to do as
Americans to help stop the violence that they see unfolding," said one
congressional staffer.
More than 140 staffers wrote a letter in mid-December stating
that, across 71 offices, they have received more than 700,000 calls
urging their elected officials to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The actual number of calls for a ceasefire coming into congressional
offices is likely in the millions, according to several congressional
staff members who spoke to MEE.
But members of Congress wouldn't know this, since the congressional
staff who spoke to MEE said that senior staff members often lower these
numbers or simply don't present them to their representatives.
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The suppression was a bitter reality that left many staffers
demoralised. They didn't come to the Hill naive about how Congress
operates. But similar to the experience of many Biden staffers, they
never expected such a severe loss of life to be met with silence.
"I grew up as someone who always wanted to do politics, and so I
would always hear that you should stand up for what you believe. So now
that we're doing that, the fact that we have to be concerned about
losing our jobs, I can be sued, all these threats. It just makes life
really awkward in the office," said the second congressional staffer who
spoke to MEE.
"I don't even know if I want to return to the Hill. It's just a very weird feeling."
Beyond questioning their own jobs, some individuals working in
Congress have gone as far as saying elected officials refusing to speak
on the subject should not even have the job of being a member of the US
Congress.
"If you're hiding behind a podium, saying it's tough, there's a long
history, [Israel] needs to do what they need to do, that is just a sign
that you're unwilling to do your job as a member of Congress. You do not
deserve the title or the responsibility that comes with it," said the
third congressional staffer who spoke to MEE.
"That's where a lot of staff feel right now," the staffer said.
Public support for Gaza ceasefire
The insight into the mood in Washington from staffers is matched by
nationwide polls, which show the position of the US president and the
majority of elected officials is at odds with much of the American
public.
A poll released by Reuters/Ipsos in November, just one month into the
conflict, found that a majority of Americans were in favour of Israel
calling for a ceasefire. Only a third of the respondents were in support
of the war.
'I don't think a lot of these members understand exactly how unpopular and untenable their positions are'
- Capitol Hill staffer
Other polls offered greater condemnation of US support for Israel's war. A New York Times poll released in mid-December found
that half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 35 believe Israel is
deliberately killing civilians, while 70 percent disapprove of Biden's
handling of the war.
A poll released this past Friday by the Arab American Institute found
that a majority of Americans, 51 percent, are more inclined to vote for
a political candidate who supports calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
To the congressional staffers who spoke to MEE, the findings of these
polls are what they themselves have been witnessing during their
interactions with constituents. The fact that their offices have still
yet to call for an end to the war does not bode well for them come
election time.
"All of the people who are engaging with constituents are largely
supporting a ceasefire, are largely coming out to our protests, and are
largely calling for better from our bosses," one staffer said.
"I don't think a lot of these members understand exactly how unpopular and untenable their positions are."