U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) sent a letter on Thursday to national security advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden administration to immediately cease a temporary pier operation off the coast of Gaza.
In the letter, Rogers, the House Armed Services Committee chairman, wrote, "Three and a half months since the President's announcement of a maritime corridor for Gaza and at least $230 million wasted, the operation has been riddled with setbacks, sidelined more often than operational, and can only be classified as a gross waste of taxpayer dollars."
Rogers noted that the operation moved about 10 trucks per day from the pier into Gaza, a small fraction of the estimated 150 truck-per-day capacity. As of June 19, the operation had been up and running for about 10 days and had only moved 3,415 metric tons onto the beach in Gaza. According to the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "The volume is negligible."
"I urge the Administration to immediately cease this failed operation before further catastrophe occurs and consider alternative means of land and air-based humanitarian aid delivery," Rogers said.
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