Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a meeting at the United States Capitol. Following their meeting, Speaker Johnson and Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered remarks about the enduring US-Israel relationship and Speaker Johnson thanked Prime Minister Netanyahu for his commitment to making the world a safer place. 

“With President Trump back in the White House and Republican control of Congress, America will not turn its back on our national security priorities,” Speaker Johnson said. “Our support for Israel remains ironclad.”

Click here to watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks.

Read below for a transcript of Speaker Johnson’s remarks:

We've been honored to host Prime Minister Netanyahu this week here on Capitol Hill to celebrate the remarkable progress over the past year and to renew, of course, our steadfast commitment to the US-Israeli partnership. 

The Prime Minister and I have developed a strong bond since I became speaker. I consider him a close friend, and we've spoken often. 

The first piece of legislation I passed after taking the gavel was a resolution reaffirming the US' commitment to the security of Israel. That was a very important gesture on our part. 

And of course, I was happy to pass the security assistance funding when Israel needed it the most. 

He and I speak regularly. We were honored to host my friend, the Prime Minister, in July for his historic fourth joint address to Congress, which tied for the record of most all time, and showed the world that Israel is not alone. And they won't be so long as we are governing here.

Today we discussed the special partnership that we have between these two countries. And I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for his unrelenting commitment to making the region and the world a safer place amid really extraordinary challenges. 

What Israel has done in the past seven months really is a testament to what can be accomplished when we do not let the enemy set the rules. 

As Prime Minister Netanyahu said Tuesday at the White House, when our enemies see daylight between Israel and the United States, they will exploit it. We all know that is true. And that's why strong, decisive leadership is so crucial in this time. 

President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu both understand that peace is secured through strength, not appeasement, and not by turning our backs on our allies. 

Before he even took office in January, President Trump and his team helped secure the ceasefire agreement and the return of American and Israeli hostages. 

This week, he announced a plan to exert maximum pressure on Iran and his proxies, who terrorize the Israeli people and the world. This is what decisive leadership looks like. 

And with President Trump back in the White House in Republican control of Congress, America will not turn its back on our national security priorities. 

Our support for Israel remains ironclad. And we are truly grateful to Prime Minister Netanyahu for joining us today. 

###