On Wednesday, Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) delivered Senate floor remarks following Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Congressional address.
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NewsTranscript
00:00The following interns in my office will be granted floor privileges until July 26, 2024,
00:05as may Vroom, Preston Kotick, Turner Vaughn, and Caitlin Hagstrom.
00:09Without objection.
00:11Thank you, Madam President.
00:15Israel is our strongest and closest ally in the Middle East.
00:20It is in our mutual interest to provide Israel the support they need to be able to destroy the
00:27terrorist group Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages.
00:33I am committed to doing that.
00:36My colleagues joining me today are committed to doing that.
00:40And yet the Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly appeased the radical pro-Hamas
00:45elements of their base.
00:48In fact, President Biden had to be pressured to put a meeting on the calendar with the
00:53Prime Minister.
00:54That should have been a no-brainer.
00:57Vice President Kamala Harris, whose only constitutional duty is to preside over the
01:04Senate, didn't even attend today's speech.
01:08She has one job.
01:10And I understand that being the presumptive nominee is new, but she does have a day job
01:16here.
01:17Instead, she chose a petty snub of our closest ally in the Middle East and a democratically
01:25elected leader.
01:27This is not how America should treat its allies.
01:32Sadly, this is one part of a larger pattern.
01:36The Biden-Harris administration has consistently undermined Israel's democratically elected
01:41government.
01:43After taking office, this administration gave $730 million to UNRWA, an organization that
01:51has been described as essentially being a branch of Hamas.
01:54President Trump had ended their U.S. taxpayer funding.
01:58President Biden and Vice President Harris brought it back.
02:02Their actions caused American taxpayer dollars to directly support Hamas terrorists in their
02:07attacks on our ally and our citizens.
02:12At least 12 UNRWA employees, funded in part by Biden and Harris, directly participated
02:18in the barbaric terror attack on October 7th.
02:22Over 100 UNRWA employees have ties to Hamas or other Islamic Jihad entities.
02:29Over 1,200 Israelis were killed, including nearly two dozen American citizens.
02:36Many were taken hostages.
02:39Eight Americans are still being held hostage today, somewhere in Gaza, 291 days after October
02:497th.
02:50We need to stand with Israel until Israel completes its mission to free the hostages,
02:56bring justice to the terrorists, and restore peace.
03:00That's the best solution for the Israelis.
03:03That's the best solution for the Gazans.
03:06That's the best solution, period.
03:09The Biden-Harris administration has also pressured Israel towards a ceasefire with the same
03:15barbaric Hamas terrorists that want to kill Jews and have pledged to continue to perpetrate
03:25atrocities like October 7th.
03:29Meanwhile, Biden and Harris have repeatedly withheld or delayed critical shipments of
03:33weapons needed to destroy Hamas.
03:37They've attacked legitimacy of Israel's democratically elected leader.
03:42So much for ironclad.
03:45Americans stand with Israel.
03:49My colleagues and I stand with Israel.
03:52We're proud to stand with Israel.
03:56The Biden-Harris administration should do the same.
04:01Thank you to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his comments earlier today.
04:05They reminded us why it is so important that Israel is successful in destroying Hamas.
04:10They'll be doing the world and civilization a favor in doing so.
04:15Thank you to my colleagues for joining me today on the floor.
04:19And thank you, Madam President.