Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has side-stepped the federal government once again. He signed an executive order authorizing the deployment of planes to rescue Americans stranded in Israel amid ongoing conflict with Hamas.
DeSantis, who is also a 2024 presidential candidate, announced the action on Thursday, stating: “Today I signed an executive order authorizing rescue operations in Israel to bring Floridians home and transport supplies to our allies. We will not leave our residents behind. To the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home — help is on the way.”
The executive order comes as a slap in the face of the Biden Administration’s handling of the situation. DeSantis clarified that Floridians in Israel reached out to his office and Florida’s congressional delegation “because they are not receiving timely assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Israel and are not receiving any follow-up after enrolling in the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.”
The order explicitly asserts that, “unlike the governments of other countries, the Biden Administration has failed to launch any form of rescue or evacuation operations for Americans, including Floridians, stranded in the region, and has failed to provide information requested by the State of Florida about any plans for such operations.”
The Governor’s press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, also weighed in, stating in a social media post that “Once again, Governor DeSantis steps in to fill the leadership void in DC.”
However, a spokesperson for the State Department responded by pointing to a recent announcement that, starting Friday, “the U.S. government will arrange charter flights to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members who have been unable to book commercial transit and seek a safe means of departing Israel.”
The spokesperson elaborated that the department has been “communicating 24/7 with U.S. citizens and providing them assistance and information through the phone, online and the Smart Traveler Program.”
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The Florida Division of Emergency Management followed up on DeSantis’ order by announcing it is organizing free charter flights for Floridians in Israel and offered directions on securing a seat.
This action comes as hundreds of U.S. families remain trapped in Israel, after most major airlines canceled routes due to a surge in terrorist activities by Hamas.
The situation in Israel has turned increasingly grim, particularly for Americans who traveled there to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in late September. Air raid sirens interrupted celebrations, forcing people to seek refuge in bomb shelters.
Additionally, Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., managed to evacuate 32 Americans stranded in Israel on Wednesday and plans further missions. Mills commented, “I went in and was very thankful to be able to get — for the second time, by the way, I’ll just add — helping the Biden administration, who has failed to do their job.”
Complicating matters further is the report that roughly 150 individuals are being held hostage by Hamas, and it’s suspected that some of these hostages are American citizens.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan noted, “We believe that there are 20 or more Americans who at this point are missing. But I want to underscore and stress, that does not mean necessarily that there are 20 or more American hostages. Just that is the number who are currently unaccounted for.”
As of Tuesday, the conflict has claimed the lives of 27 Americans. DeSantis’ unilateral action sets a precedent, while also amplifying the debate over state versus federal jurisdiction in international crises. The situation remains fluid, with both the urgency of the humanitarian need and the politics of the moment tightly interwoven.
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