On the recordDecember 6, 2023
Madam President, I first want to say that, as we proceed on the initial vote today--and I support the President's package, including the work on border security--I do appreciate the Senator from Oklahoma's work in trying to reach an agreement. So many of us want to see an agreement on border security. I rise today to highlight another part of that agreement that is very important, and that is the importance of the critical humanitarian aid in the supplemental funding request, and to urge my colleagues to include it in a final bill. Throughout history, the United States has been a leader. When Hitler sought to conquer Europe, American's Lend-Lease Program ensured democracy triumphed over fascism, and it was our Marshall Plan that gave our European partners the resources they needed to rebuild after the war. When the Iron Curtain fell, American aid kept communism at bay. And, to this day, Agencies like USAID give nations across the globe the support they need to alleviate poverty, become stronger trading partners with our country, and recover from disasters. We know that humanitarian aid, yes, saves lives in such a big way, but it is also important for our own country. It is our own security that we make friends. It actually helps us to spend less on military when we spend more on humanitarian aid. Today, armed conflict is tearing apart families and neighborhoods in the Middle East, and the largest land war in Europe since World War II rages on.…





