Meeks beats out Castro for chair of Foreign Relations Committee

On Thursday, Democrats elected Rep. Gregory Meeks to chair the House Foreign Relations Committee. Meeks will be replacing Rep. Eliot Engel, who was upset by progressive Jamaal Bowman in his primary earlier this year. Meeks ended up beating Texas’ Joaquin Castro by a vote of 148-78. He will become the first African-American lawmaker to hold the position.

California Rep. Brad Sherman was also in the running for the position, but withdrew his candidacy after finishing in last place during the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee vote. Sherman was the most pro-Israel lawmaker vying for the spot and had positioned himself as the logical successor to the hawkish Engel, even openly calling on the Israel Lobby to support his effort.

Castro’s candidacy was seen as a long shot, but he earned progressive support as a result of his foreign policy positions. He has called for troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, an end to U.S. involvement in the war on Yemen, wants military aid to Israel conditioned, and said that he would bring Palestinian voices to the table if elected. “As Black, indigenous, and other communities of color face increased militarism at home, and as U.S. militarism abroad has led to disastrous endless wars, we are impressed with Rep. Castro’s transparent and engaging campaign for [committee] chair that focuses on the root causes of militarism,” reads an open letter from last month that was signed by dozens of progressive organizations.

“House Democrats had the opportunity to give the Foreign Affairs Committee gavel to someone who more closely represented the progressive views of the Democratic base,” JVP Action Government Affairs Manager told Mondoweiss. “Unsurprisingly, they didn’t take advantage of it. Representative Castro was the only candidate who supported the idea of conditioning military funding to Israel and the only candidate who understood the incredible importance of bringing Palestinian voices to the table when talking about how US policy impacts Palestinian lives. Our movement will celebrate that Rep. Engel is leaving, we’ll celebrate that Rep. Sherman failed, but Rep. Meeks will not be a champion for progressive foreign policy. The fight continues.”

Meeks was opposed by a number of labor groups as a result of his advocacy for destructive trade deals like the Central American Free Trade Agreement. An In These Times showed how his personal advocacy for the Colombia Free Trade Agreement connected him to paramilitary groups in Colombia.

“Rep. Gregory Meeks, the new chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, actively lobbied for trade agreements that expanded environmental violations and corporate exploitation, all the while cozying up to far right-wing leaders like Colombia’s Uribe,” reads a statement emailed to Mondoweiss from the Adalah Justice Project. “We should expect little from him when it comes to shifting the approach to Israel. While our top pick, Joaquin Castro, lost out to Meeks, the Palestine movement should celebrate that war hawk, Brad Sherman, the apparent successor to pro-Israel advocate Eliot Engel was forced out of the race by progressive organizing that centered calls to end US militarism, and uphold labor struggles and climate justice—the movement for Palestinian freedom is central to these demands. Our work continues to push lawmakers to enact policies that center the rights of all people—no exceptions.”

News of Meeks win was celebrated by pro-Israel groups like DMFI. “We were delighted that Congressman Meeks addressed our supporters recently to discuss his strong support for Israel, his opposition to additional conditions on U.S. security assistance to Israel, his support for a two-state solution, his commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and his plan to restore America’s standing around the world,” reads a press release from the organization.