Settlement Expansion Is Surging. Congress Must Demand Answers.

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I am writing to urge you to sign the letter circulated by Representative Joaquin Castro and Senator Chris Van Hollen calling on Secretary of State Rubio to comply with the annual reporting requirement under 22 U.S.C. § 2186, governing the Israel Loan Guarantee Program.
Federal law has required since 1992 that the executive branch report to Congress each fiscal year on the amount calculated to be deducted from U.S. loan guarantee authority based on Israeli expenditures on settlement construction. For over a decade, the State Department has failed to provide the specific figures the statute requires, instead offering a categorical assertion that withholdings exceed remaining authority. This does not satisfy the law.
The consequences of this opacity are significant. Congress cannot conduct meaningful oversight of the loan guarantee program without the annual figures the law requires. Nor can Congress or the public accurately assess what Israel is spending on settlements, which remain obstacles to a negotiated two-state solution under longstanding, bipartisan U.S. policy.
That assessment has never been more important. 2025 was a record-breaking year for Israeli settlement expansion: 86 new outposts established, 54 new official settlements approved, and 27,941 housing units advanced through planning, more than double the previous annual record. Senior Israeli officials have been explicit that this expansion is designed to permanently foreclose on the possibility of a Palestinian state. Congress is being asked to appropriate billions in assistance against this backdrop without the legally mandated data it needs to conduct meaningful oversight.
The Castro-Van Hollen letter asks Secretary Rubio to provide the specific calculated figures for each fiscal year from 2013 to the present, along with an explanation of methodology and the legal analysis governing future issuances. This is a straightforward demand for executive branch compliance with existing law.
I urge you to sign this letter and stand up for congressional oversight and the rule of law.

I am writing to thank you for your letter calling on Secretary of State Rubio to comply with the annual reporting requirement under 22 U.S.C. § 2186, governing the Israel Loan Guarantee Program.
Federal law has required since 1992 that the executive branch report to Congress each fiscal year on the amount calculated to be deducted from U.S. loan guarantee authority based on Israeli expenditures on settlement construction. For over a decade, the State Department has failed to provide the specific figures the statute requires, instead offering a categorical assertion that withholdings exceed remaining authority. This does not satisfy the law.
The consequences of this opacity are significant. Congress cannot conduct meaningful oversight of the loan guarantee program without the annual figures the law requires. Nor can Congress or the public accurately assess what Israel is spending on settlements, which remain obstacles to a negotiated two-state solution under longstanding, bipartisan U.S. policy.
That assessment has never been more important. 2025 was a record-breaking year for Israeli settlement expansion: 86 new outposts established, 54 new official settlements approved, and 27,941 housing units advanced through planning, more than double the previous annual record. Senior Israeli officials have been explicit that this expansion is designed to permanently foreclose on the possibility of a Palestinian state. Congress is being asked to appropriate billions in assistance against this backdrop without the legally mandated data it needs to conduct meaningful oversight.
Thank you for standing up for congressional oversight and the rule of law.

Dear [Your Elected Official],

I am writing to urge you to sign the letter circulated by Representative Joaquin Castro and Senator Chris Van Hollen calling on Secretary of State Rubio to comply with the annual reporting requirement under 22 U.S.C. § 2186, governing the Israel Loan Guarantee Program.

Federal law has required since 1992 that the executive branch report to Congress each fiscal year on the amount calculated to be deducted from U.S. loan guarantee authority based on Israeli expenditures on settlement construction. For over a decade, the State Department has failed to provide the specific figures the statute requires, instead offering a categorical assertion that withholdings exceed remaining authority. This does not satisfy the law.

The consequences of this opacity are significant. Congress cannot conduct meaningful oversight of the loan guarantee program without the annual figures the law requires. Nor can Congress or the public accurately assess what Israel is spending on settlements, which remain obstacles to a negotiated two-state solution under longstanding, bipartisan U.S. policy.

That assessment has never been more important. 2025 was a record-breaking year for Israeli settlement expansion: 86 new outposts established, 54 new official settlements approved, and 27,941 housing units advanced through planning, more than double the previous annual record. Senior Israeli officials have been explicit that this expansion is designed to permanently foreclose on the possibility of a Palestinian state. Congress is being asked to appropriate billions in assistance against this backdrop without the legally mandated data it needs to conduct meaningful oversight.

The Castro-Van Hollen letter asks Secretary Rubio to provide the specific calculated figures for each fiscal year from 2013 to the present, along with an explanation of methodology and the legal analysis governing future issuances. This is a straightforward demand for executive branch compliance with existing law.

I urge you to sign this letter and stand up for congressional oversight and the rule of law.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your City & State]

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Summary

For over a decade, the State Department has been failing to comply with the law — and Congress has let it slide. There is a little known statute that has been on the books since 1992 that requires the executive branch to report annually to Congress on what Israel spends on settlement construction. But for well over a decade, instead of providing the specific figures the law requires, the State Department has offered a vague non-answer. Congress has been left in the dark, and the American public along with it. Representative Joaquin Castro and Senator Chris Van Hollen are trying to change that. They are circulating a letter demanding that Secretary Rubio finally comply with the law and provide Congress with the settlement spending data it is legally entitled to receive. This matters for two reasons. First, the rule of law and the balance of powers are at stake. Congress wrote this requirement into law. The executive branch doesn't get to simply ignore it. Second, the United States provides Israel with $3.8 billion in taxpayer-funded assistance every year. Even if that assistance is designated for defense, it frees up resources in Israel's overall budget, including for settlement construction. The American people deserve to know how much of that budget goes toward illegal settlements. And right now, that question is more urgent than ever. 2025 was a record-breaking year for Israeli settlement expansion: <ul> <li>86 new outposts established, averaging one to two per week</li> <li>54 new official settlements approved by government decision, nearly all deep inside the West Bank</li> <li>27,941 housing units advanced through planning approvals, more than double the previous annual record</li> <li>9,629 housing units reached the tender stage, including 3,401 units in E1 and 3,300 in Ma'ale Adumim</li> </ul> This is precisely the moment when the reporting requirement the law demands matters most. Urge your Senators and your Representative to sign the Castro-Van Hollen letter and demand accountability.

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