Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) introduced legislation on Monday that would pause federal funding to any state or local government attempting to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant against a U.S. ally.
The American Allies Protection Act states that any attempt to enforce an ICC warrant against a NATO ally or a major non-NATO ally would result in the U.S. Department of Justice barring any grants to the state or locality in question for four years.
The bill is in response to arrest warrants issued by the ICC in November 2024 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect of New York City, has repeatedly said he would order Netanyahu’s arrest if he visited the city.
Budd stated that Mamdani’s claim is “ridiculous” and “a grave threat that could seriously damage America’s relationship with our closest allies and partners.”
“Seeking to prevent Prime Minister Netanyahu from setting foot in New York, home to the United Nations, would put Israel at a unique disadvantage at a critical time for the nation ahead of the next meeting of the U.N. General Assembly,” Budd said.
“It is unconscionable that the man elected to lead the city home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel would seek to target Israel’s leader, and Congress must take action to hold any leader accountable should they pursue this blatant overreach,” he stated.
In September, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) introduced companion bills in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, respectively, that would bar state and local law enforcement officers from arresting foreign nationals within the United States based solely on an ICC warrant.
Marshall Wittmann, an AIPAC spokesman, told JNS that the organization commends Budd’s legislation as well as the bills introduced by Scott and Stefanik.
“We support legislation that makes clear to state and local governments the consequences of attempting to enforce outrageous ICC arrest warrants targeting American allies such as Israel,” Wittmann said.
