House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he prayed for the United States to “always stand” with Israel during a visit to Jerusalem over the weekend.

In remarks at the Western Wall, Johnson explained that he was part of a delegation with fellow members of the House, which is taking place after the Louisiana Republican postponed a planned trip to Israel in June as tensions with Iran were escalating.

JUST IN: Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the Western Wall in Israel, says he is praying that “America will always stand with Israel.”

“We are grateful for the privilege of being here in Israel today, on the day we recognize the destruction of the Temple twice in history.”

“It is… pic.twitter.com/Eq2B223wjp

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 3, 2025

“We are grateful for the privilege of being here in Israel today, particularly on this day,” Johnson said, alluding to how it was Tisha B’Av, the annual day in the Jewish calendar of mourning that marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

“It is a moving time for us to be here at the Wailing Wall. We’ve offered our prayers. We put our notes into the wall as is traditional. And we’re so moved by the hospitality of the people and the great love of Israel,” Johnson added. “Our prayer is that America will always stand with Israel and we pray for the preservation and peace of Jerusalem. That’s what scripture tells us to do, it’s a matter of faith for us, and a commitment that we have.”

The visit comes a few days after President Donald Trump said there was “real starvation” going on in Gaza, a rare break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who contends Hamas is hoarding supplies and no famine is taking place.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday that he and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where the fight against Hamas continues.

At @POTUS’s direction, @USAmbIsrael and I met yesterday with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza — level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with @GHFUpdates and other… pic.twitter.com/aCtLuMuhq1

— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) August 1, 2025

“Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza — level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with [the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] and other agencies,” Witkoff posted on X. “The purpose of the visit was to give [President Trump] a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.”

Johnson’s trip also came after the Senate rejected two resolutions to block arms sales to Israel, but with Democrat opposition increasing.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he met with Johnson and other members of the congressional delegation, which made the trip while the House is on its August recess.

I met today with a distinguished delegation led by U.S. Speaker of the House @SpeakerJohnson, along with @RepNateMoran, @RepTenney, @RepCloudTX & @RepMcCaul.

I thanked them for their unwavering support and moral clarity in standing with Israel against its enemies, and for their… pic.twitter.com/xDOVgtK4lW

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) August 3, 2025

“I thanked them for their unwavering support and moral clarity in standing with Israel against its enemies, and for their vital voices in the efforts to bring all the hostages home and defeat the murderous terrorist organization Hamas,” Katz said. “Israel is not only fighting for its survival – we are on the frontlines of the free world’s battle against radical Islamic ideologies. Operations ‘Midnight Hammer’ and ‘Rising Lion’ against Iran reflect the deep alliance and shared values that bind Israel and the U.S. – liberty, justice, and the uncompromising defense of freedom.”

The University of Michigan is coming under federal scrutiny for its acceptance of hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign countries, some of which it may not have reported to the federal government.

According to Campus Reform, the university has received over $270 million from 38 foreign countries over the past ten years. “President Donald Trump signed an April 23 executive order titled ‘Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities’ which instructs federal agencies to enforce disclosure rules and require colleges to report the ‘true amounts, sources, and purposes of foreign money’ received,” Campus Reform noted.

On July 15, Paul R. Moore, the Chief Investigative Counsel and Assistant General Counsel Office of the General Counsel U.S. Department of Education, sent a letter to University of Michigan interim president Domenico Grasso in which he stated, “The Department’s review of UM’s Sec. 117 foreign funding disclosures reveals that incomplete, inaccurate, and untimely disclosures may have been submitted by UM, in possible violation of its foreign source funding statutory disclosure obligations.”

“UM, an ‘R1’ research institution, notes significant total research expenditures of $2.04 billion in FY24, including $1.17 billion in federal research funding from grants and contracts from and with the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, Transportation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies,” the letter continued.

The letter made reference to a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice that Chinese nationals had recently smuggled dangerous biological materials into the U.S. for use at UM laboratories, adding:

Just five days later, DOJ brought additional criminal charges in a separate matter against another UM-affiliated Chinese national for smuggling biological materials into the U.S. for use at a UM laboratory. These highly disturbing criminal charges against UM-affiliated research personnel follow UM’s decision (January 2025) to close its joint research institute with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Announcement of the closure occurred subsequent to a letter to UM from Chairman John Moolenaar (U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party) which raised serious national security concerns related to China’s ability to use the joint institute to contribute to China’s “most sensitive defense programs, including nuclear weapons, carrier rockets, satellites, nuclear submarines, and fighter jets.”

“Other prominent UM officials have downplayed the vulnerability of research developed at its joint institutes with Chinese research universities,” Moore wrote. “Since January 2021, UM has submitted foreign funding disclosures valued at approximately $375 million and over 20% of those disclosures – approximately $86 million – were submitted in an untimely manner. Additionally, many of UM’s disclosure reports appear to include transactions in which the counterparty was erroneously identified by UM as nongovernmental.”