Quote:We've written before about Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) and his effort to get Americans out of Israel and safely home. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also marshaled planes and helped get people out.

As our sister site Townhall observed, Mills was already working to get Americans out before the Biden State Department finally said they would be facilitating flights out.

“If I had to come over here and do Biden’s job, so be it,” Mills said of his efforts in Israel, which come two years after he and a team similarly helped evacuate U.S. citizens from Afghanistan amid the Biden administration’s botched withdrawal.

On Saturday, he announced he had helped bring 96 Americans out of Israel already and said he secured a charter plane that could hold 218 passengers.

But Mills also explained something else about his flights versus the flights that the Biden team is offering to get out to safety. He said, “In contrast to Joe Biden's charter flights, this service is provided to passengers FREE OF CHARGE."

As it turns out, federal law requires the reimbursement.

"The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas, including U.S. government personnel and their dependents. The State Department has teams communicating 24/7 with U.S. citizens and providing them assistance through phone calls, an online form, and the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program," a State Department spokesperson told Just the News. "U.S. citizens in need of assistance should complete the crisis intake form on travel.state.gov, and we will continue to provide updates to U.S. citizens who have registered via our online crisis intake form as information becomes available."

"U.S. law requires that departure assistance to private U.S. citizens and third country nationals generally be provided via a loan from the U.S. government. It requires that U.S. government coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens or third country nationals be provided 'on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable,'" the spokesperson continued. "U.S. citizen and third country national passengers on U.S. government-coordinated evacuations are generally required to sign a promissory note, which is a form attesting to their agreement to repay the U.S. government."

But this administration seeks to stick to the law when they choose to, and not when they don't. The law also requires that they protect the border. They don't seem to give a darn when it's about defending Americans.

This is an administration that throws our money away on all kinds of ridiculous things, pouring it out for all kinds of political agenda items; an administration that is giving our money out like candy to countries like Ukraine; an administration that is pouring out all kinds of money to house and feed illegal aliens, as well as move them all over the country.

So when we look at the contrast when it comes to the one job they are supposed to have — defending Americans — and they cite "law" at us when they don't seem to give a darn in other cases, it seems pretty darn shallow and cold, and certainly not with Americans as a priority. There are always options, as Mills shows, if you care to look for them.

Quote:Florida brings home nearly 300 Americans stranded in Israel

(The Center Square) – Within two days of announcing Florida would arrange transportation for Americans stranded in Israel and bring them to Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomed home nearly 300 Sunday night.

At the Tampa International Airport, DeSantis posted a video, stating, “We are having our first flight of people being rescued from Israel. [The plane] has landed, over 260 people that wanted to get back to the United States and couldn’t do it, there was a void of leadership. So, we stepped up and led. We’re happy to be able to deliver and ready to welcome them back to the United States of America.”

Florida partnered with Project Dynamo to bring nearly 300 Americans home from Israel, including more than 270 to Tampa and seven to Orlando on Sunday.

“I am proud of how quickly we have been able to activate resources and do what the federal government could not – get Floridians and other Americans back home, reunited with their families, free of charge,” DeSantis said.

Quote:Bryan Stern, CEO and founder of Project Dynamo, said, “We have a dedicated team of volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the well-being of Americans caught in crisis situations all over the world. It’s truly heart-wrenching to watch the destruction unfolding in Israel. We're so grateful to Governor DeSantis for partnering with us on this mission, to save every American in need."

There are roughly 20,000 Americans, including many Floridians, who are stranded in Israel, according to some reports. They’re unable to get out because of commercial flight cancellations and other travel and logistics disruptions due to the ongoing war with Hamas.