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One of the most inflammatory Republican representatives in the House was appointed to the high-powered House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday — the same day he called for Israel to “starve” Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
On social media Tuesday morning, Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) cheered a report saying that 15 Palestinians in Gaza, including four children, had died from famine in a single day.
“Release the hostages. Until then, starve away,” Fine said. Using starvation as a military tactic and targeting civilians are war crimes.
Fine claimed that the report was a lie, without any evidence, as numerous outlets, humanitarian groups, and medical professionals in Gaza have raised the alarm over a spike in starvation deaths in the Strip this week. The deaths include those of babies like Yousef, who died of starvation in Gaza City this week at just six weeks old.
On the same day as his post, the House Foreign Affairs Committee announced that Fine had been named as a member.
“Randy is a battle-tested conservative and a fierce defender of America’s interests. The Foreign Affairs Committee is stronger with him on board. Proud to welcome my fellow Floridian to the fight,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Florida).
Fine touted the appointment as “solidifying his rising influence on Capitol Hill.”
Both Fine and Mast have become infamous amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza for their staunch support of Israel. Mast has previously served as a civilian volunteer for the Israeli military, and has worn his military uniform to the Capitol to signal his support for Israel. He once said that “there are very few innocent Palestinian civilians,” and has likened Palestinians to Nazis.
Fine has faced numerous calls to resign or be censured over a wide variety of hateful, vile comments. Members of Congress who are censured are often also removed from their committee assignments.
The Republican has openly incited violence against Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), calling Tlaib a “terrorist” and saying that Palestinians are “animals,” among a mountain of other similarly stomach-churning comments.
In addition to calling for Palestinians to be starved, Fine has previously said in an interview with Fox News that Gaza should be “nuked,” just as the U.S. did to Japan toward the end of World War II. He spewed dehumanizing rhetoric about Palestinians, saying, “there is something deeply, deeply wrong with this culture and it needs to be defeated.”
And yet, Democratic leaders have not organized any efforts for Fine to face consequences. Instead, now, Fine is growing his influence in Congress — in a field where he could do enormous harm.
That Fine enjoys impunity despite his heinous comments is a show of the extreme double standard in Congress when it comes to pro-Palestine versus pro-Israel speech. While Fine has gained a promotion while inciting the genocide, Tlaib, in November 2023, was censured for calling for an end to the Israeli apartheid shortly after the genocide began. Twenty-two Democrats voted with Republicans to censure Tlaib.
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