On the recordFebruary 9, 2024
Mr. President, I rise to urge strong support for the national security supplemental appropriations bill before us. Earlier this week, General Kurilla, the Commander of U.S. Central Command, told me that this is the most dangerous time in 50 years. The threats the United States faces from an aggressive Iran and its proxies, an imperialist Russia, and a hegemonic China are interconnected, and they require our immediate attention. That is why this bill focuses not only on strengthening our allies but also on fortifying our military and rebuilding our own defense industrial base. Since October, there have been more than 170 attacks on U.S. servicemembers throughout the Middle East. We have seen unprovoked attacks on our naval ships and the loss of two Navy SEALs at sea and three brave servicemembers in Jordan. Merchant ships have been attacked in the Red Sea. They have been protected by our Navy ships, including, I am proud to say, the USS Carney, a destroyer built at Bath Iron Works in Maine, which has shot down numerous Houthi UAVs. Despite the perilous times we live in, I heard a colleague suggest on the Senate floor that we are not ready to consider this bill. I would contend that we cannot wait any longer. He also implied that it had been shrouded in secrecy. That is simply inconsistent with the facts.…
Source
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