Senate Republicans Tee Off On VP Kamala Harris For 'Petty Snub' Towards Netanyahu
During remarks on the Senate floor, Senate Republicans expressed their support for Israel and criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for missing Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before Congress to attend a campaign event in Wisconsin.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you Madam President. Earlier today, members of Congress had the distinct honor
00:05of hearing from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of the State of Israel. He is a leader
00:11of one of our most steadfast allies in an unprecedented time of strife for his country.
00:20Prime Minister Netanyahu's message to Congress today was a snapshot into the reality that
00:25his nation is facing and what they have experienced since the morning of October 7th. He spoke
00:32to the urgency of bringing our hostages home and received a standing ovation for that.
00:39The courage and bravery of his Israeli forces and citizens and received a standing ovation
00:46for that. And his vision to bring peace, prosperity, and security to the Middle East. Again, standing
00:53room only. Israel is a country at war and as the only democracy in the Middle East and
01:00a friend of freedom, Israel deserves the unwavering support of these United States. That is why
01:07it is incredibly disheartening to see many of our Democrat colleagues were absolutely
01:13absent from the address, especially the Vice President. Her absence unleashed a completely
01:21unnecessary discussion about who would join the Speaker to preside over the joint address.
01:28For a time, her seat behind the podium was just simply up for grabs and I extend my thanks
01:34to my colleague from Maryland, the Chairman of the Senate for Relations Committee, for
01:39welcoming Prime Minister Netanyahu on behalf of the Senate and that was Senator Ben Cardin.
01:47But unfortunately, the public debate over the Vice President's absence is not the message
01:51that we should be sending to the world. It seems some of my colleagues on the other side
01:56of the aisle have forgotten that 291 days ago, on October 7, 2023, Israel was the victim
02:05of an unprovoked terrorist attack. The attacking force, Hamas, killed 1,200 innocent Israelis,
02:13committed unspeakable acts of sexual violence, and took men and women and children as hostages.
02:24They also took Holocaust survivors. They even took an infant under one year old. And Prime
02:32Minister Netanyahu mentioned that infant earlier today. That poor child, that poor baby, has
02:38now spent more of his life in Hamas captivity than in freedom. To this day, nearly ten months
02:46later, hostages still remain in captivity, including American citizens, and they're being
02:52used as human shields at the same time. I was incredibly moved to see some of the hostages
02:58and their families represented in the House chamber today. Hamas has proven itself to
03:03be a violent terrorist organization that continues to hide underneath schools and hospitals
03:11and intentionally putting civilians in harm's way. They have publicly called for the attacks
03:18of October 7 to be repeated again and again and again. The bottom line is this. Hamas
03:26has made it clear it has no interest in seriously negotiating a ceasefire, and they would rather
03:32engage in barbaric and honestly cowardly acts of terror, joining forces with terrorist organizations
03:41like Hezbollah and the Houthis, who continue their bombardment, bombarding Israel in every
03:49single direction. Just last week, Hezbollah fired 65 rockets into Israel. The Houthis
03:57conducted a deadly drone attack on Israel's soil, and as well as a ballistic missile that
04:06was thankfully intercepted by Israel's air defense. It is clear that Israel needs our
04:13support now more than ever. It's important that we take this moment to reflect on the
04:19longstanding ties that bind our country to Israel. The United States was the very first
04:26country to recognize the State of Israel. They have been our most stable and longest
04:34partner and ally in the Middle East. They've stood beside us in our nation when we faced
04:40unprovoked acts of terror on our own soil. They have joined with us to develop ties with
04:47their neighbors through the Abraham Accords, and they've been an essential ally in our
04:53efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program. This is a level of historic partnership that
05:00cannot be forgotten, yet far too many in our country are willing to abandon our relationship
05:06with Israel, starting with this administration. Israel is in a fight for their survival against
05:13a terrorist organization that is not bound by laws. We know what it's like to be attacked
05:19in our country, but we don't know what it's like to be geographically surrounded by our
05:25worst enemies. Standing with Israel should not be an issue that divides us, but rather
05:31one that unites us in defense of our longtime ally and friend. It is vital that the American
05:38public and my Democrat colleagues who missed the Prime Minister's speech today acknowledge
05:45the differences between Israel and Hamas. Israel is a bastion of freedom and democracy
05:51in the Middle East who is engaged in a war they did not start by an organization whose
05:58only goal is to destroy Israel. In keeping with their stated goal, Hamas has unleashed
06:06horrific, illegal, and unthinkable acts of violence on people simply because they are
06:14Jewish or Israeli. Hamas and their allies have made commanding use of the information
06:20space to sway public opinion here in our country, in the United States, in an attempt to make
06:28it appear that Israel is the aggressor in this conflict. My Republican colleagues, including
06:34those joining me here in these speeches today, know that that claim is far from the truth.
06:40As the Prime Minister mentioned today, misinformation has long been used to target Israel and the
06:47Jewish people, and we have seen it lead to chaos on our college campuses and acts of
06:53aggression of anti-Semitism I never thought I would see. We have protesters waving Hamas,
06:59Houthi, and Hezbollah flags on streets right here in the United States, including today,
07:06surrounding the Capitol. At Union Station, they are burning the American flag. And after
07:13those protesters were publicly applauded, and will be the ones today will be publicly
07:19applauded by the Supreme Leader of Iran, we now know that Iran is working behind the scenes
07:25to fan the flames of these protests. We need to be honest with ourselves about what each
07:31side of this conflict wants. The actions of Hamas are indefensible, and protesters
07:37conveniently forget that there was a ceasefire in place on the morning of October the 7th.
07:44I would say to these protesters, if the Iranian Supreme Leader thinks that you're on the right
07:50side of history, that's a pretty clear sign that you are not. The reality is this. Both
07:56Israelis and Americans want the fighting to end. For that to happen, both sides of
08:02the conflict need to agree to stop. That means Israel, but it also means Hamas. And right
08:09now, we are missing that signal from Hamas. As the Prime Minister mentioned in his speech
08:16today, Hamas could end this right now. Hamas must surrender, and Hamas must return the
08:24hostages. Now more than ever, our nation must reject terrorism and stand with our ally Israel.
08:32While the White House has left our relationship in limbo, Republicans will not let it falter.
08:38We'll continue to push for true American leadership on the world stage that keeps our
08:44promises to our friends in their time of need. That strikes fear in our adversaries and those
08:53who wish to do our allies harm. And it returns the moral clarity that is deeply needed in
09:00moments like this. With that, Madam President, I yield the floor.
09:06Madam President, I rise today in support of America's great ally, Israel. Israel is more
09:15than an ally. She represents the hope in the Middle East, hope for the world. I actually
09:25visited Israel two weeks after October 7th. After that attack, visiting with a bipartisan
09:33delegation, not only to Israel, but throughout the Middle East. Remember that Israel was
09:39created after the Holocaust so that the Jewish people would never have to hide again. This is
09:47something that former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, talked to us about during our
09:55visit. A colleague of mine shared that his daughter asked him right after 9-11, are we safe?
10:06The truth is that October 7th was similar to our 9-11. However, there's also a large
10:13difference. On October 8th, Israel knew exactly who the perpetrator was. They knew exactly
10:20where they were. They were just miles away, their neighbor. It's like if we woke up on
10:28September 12th, 2001, and we had the terrorist who had masterminded the attacks of 9-11,
10:38living next door in Brooklyn. Additionally, they said they would come back again and again
10:46and again and again until they eradicated the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
10:55That's the proximity and the gravity of the threat that Israel faces. It's literally at their
11:05doorstep. And bottom line, they can't tell their daughters that they're safe right now.
11:15291 days, over nine months, have passed now. But we can't forget what happened on October
11:237th. Make no mistake, what Hamas did was pure evil. They murdered entire families, beheaded
11:35babies, dragged grandparents, some Holocaust survivors, from their wheelchairs to a brutal
11:44They raped women. They took mothers and daughters hostages after slaughtering their fathers
11:53and brothers. They held innocent people hostage and used them as human shields. As I think
12:03about this as a mom, I can't imagine the agony that parents are going through, knowing that
12:11their children, their loved ones, are being held hostage and used as human shields. I think
12:19about the moment when they talk about parents being murdered in front of their children,
12:25children being murdered in front of their parents. How could anyone be so evil? There is no
12:35doubt that Never Again is now, and not just overseas. Unfortunately, here at home. Look no
12:47further than the disgusting pro-Hamas, anti-Semitic protests that have taken place on college
12:55campuses, in cities across our nation, and today in our nation's capital. Today, Israeli
13:05Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came before Congress and asked us to do what we have promised,
13:12to stand behind Israel, to stand behind the Jewish people. America cannot be a country
13:22of broken promises. We cannot let our allies down. We cannot be viewed as a country that is
13:31weak and unreliable around the world. We must stand strongly with Israel and show her support,
13:44not just in normal times, but when she needs us the most. Israel has more than a right to defend
13:53herself. She has an obligation. She has an obligation to freedom-loving people around the
14:01world, as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, and to the very people that she serves.
14:12Israel must ensure that this never happens again. America can and must help Israel fulfill
14:21that mission, help to bring every single hostage home, and help to bring about sustainable
14:30peace and more prosperity there in the Middle East. Remember, Hamas doesn't just want to
14:39destroy peace in the Middle East. They want to destroy Israel and wipe the Jewish people
14:46off the face of the planet. We also have to remember who funds and fuels Hamas. It is time
14:56to use every tool in our toolbox to dry up Iran financially. We've done it before under
15:04the Trump administration, and I know we can do it again. This isn't complicated. The more money
15:13that Iran has, they use it for nuclear proliferation and they use it to fund terrorism. They fund
15:21Hamas in Gaza, they fund the Houthis in Yemen, and they fund Hezbollah in Lebanon. We know
15:32what that means for Israel, and frankly, we know what that means for America. It is past
15:39time to re-establish credibility in America and its deterrence. We will only achieve peace
15:49through strength, and that means giving Israel everything she needs to permanently end the
15:57threat of Hamas. As I listened to Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech today, I was in awe of
16:06the Israeli people's courage. The courage to fight for democracy. The courage to secure
16:17peace in the Middle East and the courage to fight for their very existence. Congress is
16:27behind Israel. Alabama, the first state in America to call for the establishment of the
16:36Jewish state, stands behind Israel. And the United States of America is behind Israel. As a
16:47Christian, as an American, as an Alabamian, I firmly support Israel, and I'm incredibly proud
16:58to do so. Thank you. I yield the floor.
17:02Senator from North Dakota.
17:04Thank you, Madam President. I rise to join my colleague from Alabama and other colleagues and
17:10outline the importance of maintaining and continuing to strengthen our nation's support for our
17:16essential ally in the Middle East, Israel. The United States-Israel partnership is vital for
17:21Israel. It's vital for the United States. It's vital for security in the world. It is vital in this
17:27global fight against terror. Israel needs our help. It needs our help to fend off numerous attacks
17:33from Iran and its proxies. And I'm proud of the contributions our armed forces have made in
17:39helping defend Israel from a wide variety of drone and missile attacks. The skill of our committed
17:49airmen, airwomen, airmen and women, soldiers, sailors, Marines, special forces, their skill,
18:00unbelievable, their bravery, courage under fire, the technology that we have utilized, just
18:09incredible. And the things that they've been able to do in terms of helping Israel, and it's just
18:19beyond belief. And so we commend all of them. But we need to continue. We need to continue. We
18:26need to help Israel defeat Hamas. They need our help to completely destroy Hamas's military
18:35capability. And we can't relent until that's done. This is not a one-way partnership. This is not
18:45just the United States supporting our ally Israel. Israel is really the tip of the spear. Israel
18:52plays a vital role in standing against terror and deterring Iranian aggression across the Middle
18:59East. When you look at Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and other groups, these are terrorists that are
19:08financed, trained, sponsored and directed by Iran. We need to recognize that. We need to take a
19:18tough stance on sanctions and other measures against Iran and recognize that these proxies for
19:24Iran are conducting its missives, its directions. We are deeply appreciative of Israel's efforts to
19:35push back on Iran, on the Houthis, on terrorists, and all those who seek to destabilize not only the
19:42Middle East region, but across the world. As we've heard Prime Minister Netanyahu say many times,
19:52these extremists, if they're not stopped in the Middle East, they will set their sights on America.
19:57And they will. And they have. And they will continue to do so. Our partnership with Israel is based
20:03on our shared values and our shared commitment to freedom. Without that partnership, terrorists,
20:09extremists and authoritarians would run rampant across the Middle East and other parts of the world,
20:14threatening the global economy and positioning themselves to threaten the United States directly.
20:21And so the peace and stability we seek in the Middle East will come as the result of a strong U.S.-Israel
20:26partnership. And that is emblematic of the type of relationships that we must have with our allies.
20:33We must stand with our allies and stand up against our adversaries. And standing with our allies means
20:40not second-guessing them. For example, when Israel is conducting this war, they know how to defeat
20:46Hamas, and we need to help them do it, not second-guess how they are doing it.
20:52That is why it is so important that we heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu in person today.
20:58We needed to hear directly from him about exactly what is going on as Israel prosecutes this war
21:04and the support that they need to be successful in defeating Hamas.
21:10And now we need to move in a bipartisan fashion to continue to strengthen that relationship.
21:16There is really no time to lose. Iran's time to a nuclear breakout is down to a very short period.
21:25We need to stand together and prevent Iran from developing and potentially deploying a nuclear weapon.
21:33Hamas remains a dangerous terrorist organization. Hezbollah presents a growing threat in northern Israel.
21:43The Houthis, backed by Iran, pose a threat to Israel and the wider region, the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf,
21:50attacking and shipping from many different countries.
21:54So it is essential that we make sure that Israel has the military assistance required to stand against these threats.
22:00Again, they are the tip of the spear. They are doing the fighting, and we need to help them.
22:07We need to offer all the support we can in every form, and we must oppose anti-Semitism in all its forms and wherever we find it.
22:20I want to express my appreciation for Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit and for his remarks to our joint session of Congress today.
22:28I thought it was an incredibly powerful and moving speech,
22:33and one that not only the Senators and the members of Congress needed to hear, but all Americans, all Americans needed to hear.
22:41And I hope that we can respond to Prime Minister's visit by continuing to move in a bipartisan way to work with Israel
22:47to defeat the threats it faces and affirm our shared values, our shared commitment to freedom, liberty, and democracy.
22:56Standing with Israel is good for the United States. It is good for the region. It is good for the world.
23:03With that, Madam President, I thank you, and I yield the floor.
23:13Senator from Kansas.
23:14Thank you, Madam President.
23:15This afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his remarks to a joint session of Congress, reiterated to Congress, to us, the Senate, to the American people, and really to the world,
23:28his determination to defend his country from terrorists supported by Iran who seek the elimination of the Jewish state of Israel.
23:36The United States must continue to provide Israel with crucial military and diplomatic support to make certain the dangers Israel faces can be deterred,
23:46and that, if possible, they are defeating those efforts to terrorize Israel.
23:55The horrific attack by Hamas nine months ago remains vivid in our thoughts.
24:00A few weeks after that attack, I was in Israel to visit with the Prime Minister to hear firsthand the circumstances that Israel and its citizens faced.
24:09In addition to those killed, the widespread instances of sexual assault and taking hostage of elderly and infants,
24:17under these circumstances, no person, no person of conscience, can fail to understand the desire to eliminate Hamas as a threat to the people of Israel.
24:26Our continued assistance to Israel is in our own national interest because the threats our friends face are also threats faced by the United States.
24:36This conflict may seem distant from our shores, but make no mistake that those who seek Israel's destruction aspire to harm American citizens wherever they may be, including here at home.
24:48Twelve Americans were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th, and eight still remain held in captivity.
24:55Many hostages have died in captivity these last nine months, making it imperative that Hamas immediately free our citizens.
25:02Hezbollah continues to menace Israel on the northern border, with fire being exchanged daily, forcing the evacuation of thousands of Israelis.
25:11With more than 100,000 rockets aimed at Israel, Hezbollah, like Hamas, is a direct threat to American citizens living there.
25:19It's true there, and it's true beyond Israel.
25:22The Intelligence Community's Worldwide Threat Assessment released this year found that Hezbollah, quote,
25:27maintains the capability to target U.S. persons and interests in the region, worldwide, and to a lesser extent, in the United States.
25:35That assessment warns that that group will, quote, continue to develop its global terrorist capabilities.
25:42Our government, the United States of America, must commit, alongside our allies and our partners,
25:47to degrade Hezbollah's capabilities as a matter of international security.
25:53We saw, as recently as last Friday's drone strike on a Tel Aviv apartment building,
25:58the Houthis in Yemen also oppose a significant regional threat.
26:03Their slogan, of course, includes death to America, death to Israel.
26:07Their capabilities are expanding and have disrupted shipping through the Red Sea by launching attacks on cargo vessels.
26:14In response, the United States Navy has worked the last eight months to reestablish freedom of navigation.
26:21All these attacks, these three groups, what they have in common with their varying ideologies
26:28is the support that's provided to them by Iran.
26:31It's financial aid, it's weapons, it's training.
26:34Iran sustains these groups at the expense of our friends in the region
26:38and at the expense of our own security and well-being.
26:42Almost exactly one year ago today, I stood on this Senate floor.
26:47I stood here in the Senate and called on President Biden to enforce the bipartisan sanctions
26:52Congress had passed to choke off the resources Tehran uses to fund its activities.
26:58The regime has plotted terrorist attacks on our soil
27:02and threatens to assassinate former President Trump, along with other officials from his administration.
27:10With its nuclear program now only weeks away from producing nuclear weapons,
27:15Iran is all the more imperative to take measures authorized by Congress.
27:22Israel's existence is non-negotiable,
27:25and our shared adversaries must not doubt the resolution of American support.
27:32That is one reason why I view it as critical to pass the national security supplemental earlier this year,
27:38which provided Israel with $26 billion to bolster its military.
27:44Standing with Israel goes beyond a one-off piece of legislation,
27:48and I would remind my colleagues that we have begun the appropriations process here in the United States Senate,
27:54and each year, and I will continue this year, to advocate for military assistance
27:59that strengthens Israel's ability to defend itself.
28:02As the committee begins to mark up 12 bills for the next fiscal year,
28:06I remind my colleagues it's important we quickly advance our appropriation legislation
28:11because of what is at stake for our nation and for our allies and for those who support our friends.
28:19Support for Israel goes beyond Israel's security.
28:23That's an important goal in and of itself,
28:26but I remind my colleagues that support for Israel is support for the United States of America.
28:32Madam President, I yield the floor.
28:36Madam President.
28:37Senator from Mississippi.
28:38Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following senators be permitted to speak
28:43for up to five minutes each prior to the scheduled roll call vote.
28:47Senators Wicker, Barrasso, and Ricketts.
28:51Without objection.
28:53Thank you very much, Madam President.
28:58We stand here today having had the opportunity in a joint session of Congress
29:05to hear one of the most powerful and profound and significant addresses
29:12that has ever been made to a joint session of Congress.
29:17We have a few people listening in right now.
29:23Notice we have a number of our pages on the floor.
29:26Madam President, I'm glad that our young people, our rising seniors in high school,
29:33the workforce were able to be there and to be here in Washington in this capital
29:40and see and listen to this magnificent speech today by Benjamin Netanyahu,
29:50the Prime Minister of the State of Israel.
29:53Our steadfast ally, the only democracy in that section of the world.
30:00And I will say I doubt if we will very often see remarks that were as powerful and as important.
30:21Israel has been our steadfast ally for over seven decades.
30:27It was a democratic president, Harry Truman, post-war,
30:32that put his administration behind the recognition of the Jewish state in Palestine as Israel,
30:44and we became one of the earliest countries to recognize Israel.
30:51That has stood for over seven decades.
30:57The recognition by the United States on a bipartisan basis has recognized an important fact
31:07that the Jewish people are certainly not colonialists in the Holy Land.
31:14The place where Israel exists now is the place where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Esau
31:23were born and lived in the era 5,000 years ago.
31:31To say that the Jewish people are colonialists in Israel is the big lie.
31:40The big lie is something that our enemies have used down through the years.
31:46You say something so unbelievable and so unimaginable that you say it long enough
31:54and people will start to believe it.
31:57The Jewish people are no colonialists in the Holy Land.
32:00The Holy Land is their ancestral home and they deserve, the world's Jewish people deserve, a Jewish state
32:13so they can avoid the centuries of discrimination and anti-Semitism that they have endured over time.
32:27The Jewish people, as I say, the Israeli people, which includes of course people that are not Jewish by heritage,
32:37have had the only democracy in the area for the longest time
32:42and they've been surrounded by people who want nothing less than the destruction of Israel.
32:50And they don't make any bones about it.
32:55Support in this Congress, support in the United States for Israel, Madam President,
33:02has for these seven decades always been bipartisan.
33:07And it breaks my heart and I think it should come as a shock to all Americans
33:15that that bipartisan support seems to be fracturing on the other side of the aisle.
33:22Among my Democratic colleagues, it is a shame that the Vice President of this country,
33:35the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, declined to fulfill her duties to preside over the session.
33:50She found an excuse in another state to be at a meeting that could easily have been rescheduled.
34:00It's a shame that our Vice President, that the future nominee of her party for President of the United States,
34:08would make that statement that she was unwilling to preside over a joint meeting addressed by the Prime Minister of Israel.
34:19The President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate refused to attend.
34:26Many members of this body on the Democratic side of the aisle,
34:30many members of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives,
34:35boycotted this speech by our steadfast ally of 70 years or more.
34:43I noticed when the Prime Minister of Israel came down through the center aisle there in the House of Representatives,
34:52shaking hands on both sides, and he rounded the corner, Madam President,
34:58and the majority leader of this body, the senior senator from New York, Senator Schumer,
35:05declined to extend his hand to the Prime Minister of this, our steadfast ally.
35:14We also need to remember, as my colleagues have stated already,
35:19that in the region where Israel is the only Democratic government in the Middle East exists the Islamic Republic of Iran.
35:34They are a sworn enemy of Israel, and they're a sworn enemy of the United States of America.
35:40Death to America is what they say, and they want to start with death to America by pronouncing death to Israel.
35:51More than that, they have proxies, at least three proxies that we've been talking about recently.
35:57The Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah to the north of Israel, and Hamas, the terrorist group that perpetrated the October slaughter on the people near Gaza.
36:14Hamas has one reason to exist, one stated, admitted reason, and one reason only, the complete destruction of Israel.
36:26And they demonstrated their ruthlessness on October 7th.
36:30Rapes, beheadings, babies being burned, unspeakable acts of violence.
36:41And Prime Minister Netanyahu was correct to point out that people protesting outside this building on behalf of Hamas should be ashamed of themselves in protesting on behalf of a group that was so violent.
37:05Madam President, Hamas uses civilians as human shields.
37:14That is a violation of international law.
37:17By contrast, contrary to what people have been told in the press, Israel is doing the best job that any combatant has ever done in protecting civilians while trying to root out.
37:34Terrorist groups.
37:37I am calling on people on both sides of the aisle in conclusion to return to our bipartisan support of the right of a people to exist somewhere.
37:55And to have one place on the face of the earth where they know they can be safe in their own beliefs, in their own population, and for the first time in centuries and millennia, to be safe and have their own homeland.
38:11So I congratulate the Prime Minister of Israel.
38:18I congratulate the members of Congress who received him well.
38:22And I invite my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to remember the importance of bipartisan support for Israel.
38:31Thank you, Madam President.
38:33Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to the privileges of the floor be granted to the following interns in my office, Paul Behr and Harper Katz, during the pendency of this month of July.
38:45Without objection.
38:47Senator from Wyoming.
38:49Thank you, Madam President.
38:50Madam President, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, just delivered a historic speech to Congress.
38:59This is the fourth time the Prime Minister has spoken to the United States Congress, more than the late Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill.
39:08Like Prime Minister Churchill, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke of a battle between freedom and evil.
39:16He shared with us welcome news, and that news is that freedom is winning.
39:22Israel is committed to bringing home the hostages, to protecting its citizens from the atrocities that occurred on October 7th attack.
39:34Meanwhile, the Hamas terrorist network is under more pressure than ever.
39:39Half of its senior leadership is dead.
39:42Its military chief has likely been eliminated.
39:46Remember, Hamas is a terrorist group.
39:48It governs through fear and through violence.
39:54Hamas violently rejects the right of Israel to exist and the right of the Jewish people to live in Israel.
40:05Hamas hides behind civilians.
40:08It uses them as human shields.
40:12Hamas stores its weapons, its military weapons designed to kill, in hospitals, in schools, and in homes.
40:20It has stolen billions of dollars of humanitarian aid to build its terrorist tunnel all around the area of the Gaza Strip.
40:32This is the same tunnel network where for nine months and counting, 116 hostages, including eight American hostages, being held by Hamas terrorists.
40:42I stand firmly with Israel as Israel fights to finish the war and defeat Hamas.
40:48Sadly, supporting Israel has grown more divisive in this country than I've ever seen it before.
40:54Today, Democrats are abandoning our greatest ally in the Middle East.
40:59They're calling to put conditions on aid to Israel.
41:03The Biden-Harris administration has delayed the delivery of war-winning weapons.
41:10The Senate Democrat leader meddled in Israel politics.
41:14He proclaimed in no uncertain terms on the floor of this very body that Prime Minister Netanyahu should step down.
41:21The senior senator from Vermont went even further.
41:24Last month, he declared that Prime Minister Netanyahu is a war criminal.
41:30Madam President, that accusation is disturbing, it's damaging, and it's dishonest.
41:37If it weren't bad enough, Vice President Harris skipped the Prime Minister's speech entirely.
41:43The Vice President typically presides over joint sessions of Congress.
41:49With her snub to Israel, Vice President Harris is leading the Democrats' BB boycott.
41:57Catering to the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party is not serious leadership, not at all.
42:04The Vice President now wants to be Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America,
42:08yet she refuses to put politics aside and work with our indispensable ally.
42:16Her actions send a defeatist message, a defeatist message to our enemies and a defeatist message to our allies alike.
42:25Madam President, this is a time when it is so critical for us to restore confidence in America.
42:32Here's what we need to do and how to do it.
42:35You do it through peace through strength, with strong, steady, and serious support for Israel and for Israel's right to exist.
42:46What is the approach of President Biden today?
42:49What is the approach of Vice President Harris?
42:52And what is the approach of the Senate Democrats, members of this body?
42:57Is it continue to appease our adversaries and at the same time abandon our friends?
43:04This is a dangerous world, Madam President. It is more dangerous under the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration.
43:11America cannot continue down Democrats' path of war and weakness.
43:16Keeping America safe requires America and Israel working together.
43:22We heard that today in the joint session of Congress.
43:26Republicans believe in Israel's mission to defeat Hamas.
43:30We understand fully what is at stake.
43:34And our support is firm.
43:37Madam President, we must unite and bring back peace through strength.
43:44Now more than ever, the American people need to stand with Israel.
43:50And I'm one of those people that will continue to stand with Israel.
43:54Thank you, Madam President, and I yield the floor.
43:58Senator from Nebraska.
44:00I ask unanimous consent that the following interns in my office be granted floor privileges until July 26, 2024,
44:07as may Vroom, Preston Kotick, Turner Vaughn, and Caitlin Hagstrom.
44:12Without objection.
44:13Thank you, Madam President.
44:17Israel is our strongest and closest ally in the Middle East.
44:22It is in our mutual interest to provide Israel the support they need to be able to destroy the terrorist group Hamas
44:31and secure the release of the remaining hostages.
44:35I am committed to doing that.
44:37My colleagues joining me today are committed to doing that.
44:42And yet the Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly appeased the radical pro-Hamas elements of their base.
44:50In fact, President Biden had to be pressured to put a meeting on the calendar with the Prime Minister.
44:56That should have been a no-brainer.
44:58Vice President Kamala Harris, whose only constitutional duty is to preside over the Senate, didn't even attend today's speech.
45:10She has one job.
45:12And I understand that being the presumptive nominee is new.
45:17But she does have a day job here.
45:19Instead, she chose a petty snub of our closest ally in the Middle East and a democratically elected leader.
45:29This is not how America should treat its allies.
45:33Sadly, this is one part of a larger pattern.
45:38The Biden-Harris administration has consistently undermined Israel's democratically elected government.
45:45After taking office, this administration gave $730 million to UNRWA, an organization that has been described as essentially being a branch of Hamas.
45:57President Trump had ended their U.S. taxpayer funding.
46:01President Biden and Vice President Harris brought it back.
46:05Their actions caused American taxpayer dollars to directly support Hamas terrorists in their attacks on our ally and our citizens.
46:14At least 12 UNRWA employees, funded in part by Biden and Harris, directly participated in the barbaric terror attack on October 7.
46:25Over 100 UNRWA employees have ties to Hamas or other Islamic Jihad entities.
46:33Over 1,200 Israelis were killed, including nearly two dozen American citizens.
46:40Many were taken hostage.
46:43Eight Americans are still being held hostage today, somewhere in Gaza, 291 days after October 7.
46:54We need to stand with Israel until Israel completes its mission to free the hostages, bring justice to the terrorists, and restore peace.
47:05That's the best solution for the Israelis.
47:08That's the best solution for the Gazans.
47:10That's the best solution, period.
47:14The Biden-Harris administration has also pressured Israel towards a ceasefire with the same barbaric Hamas terrorists that want to kill Jews
47:23and have pledged to continue to perpetrate atrocities like October 7.
47:29Meanwhile, Biden and Harris have repeatedly withheld or delayed critical shipments of weapons needed to destroy Hamas.
47:39They've attacked legitimacy of Israel's democratically elected leader.
47:44So much for ironclad.
47:47Americans stand with Israel.
47:50My colleagues and I stand with Israel.
47:54We're proud to stand with Israel.
47:58The Biden-Harris administration should do the same.
48:02Thank you to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his comments earlier today.
48:07They reminded us why it is so important that Israel is successful in destroying Hamas.
48:12They'll be doing the world and civilization a favor in doing so.
48:17Thank you to my colleagues for joining me today on the floor.
48:21And thank you, Madam President.