Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill, which, despite what the authors claim, threatens to defund our national security and torch the indispensable U.S.-Israel relationship, and it is all being done to score cheap political points. By now we are accustomed to Republicans bringing up nonsensical messaging bills to distract from the fact that they blocked vital aid to Israel for 6 months. Last week, I spoke out against the delayed weapons shipment and urged the U.S. and Israel to resolve disagreements privately to maintain the united front against Hamas. The White House and Israel are now clear that those weapons are not needed for the Rafah operation. Just this week, the Biden administration finalized more than a billion dollars in assistance to Israel. Instead of coming together to show bipartisan support for Israel's defense, Republicans return to their political playbook, cynically exploiting Israel as a political wedge issue. However, this isn't another nonbinding resolution. This dangerous, cynical bill is not pro-America or pro-Israel. The bill before us threatens to block funds to our military, the same Armed Forces which defended Israel against an Iranian missile onslaught. This bill also imperils our diplomats who work nonstop to get hostages released. Undercutting American security undercuts Israel's security. A plan to defund U.S.…”