Mark Pocan: “I have been attending town halls and meetings across my district for the last 2 weeks in smaller communities in…”

“I have been attending town halls and meetings across my district for the last 2 weeks in smaller communities in Wisconsin like Edgerton, Sauk City, Monroe, Mazomanie, and Darlington. These are communities with hardworking people that have a strong work ethic and upper Midwestern values like fairness and compassion. At those meetings, Mr. Speaker, I have heard a common thread: They don't like what they are seeing in Gaza and Israel. The vast majority recognize that the attack on October 7 was horrific and Israel had a right to respond, but they didn't have a right to collectively punish 2.3 million people stuck in Gaza. They know that 1,200 people are dead in Israel from the attack and over 130 people are still being held by Hamas. However, they also know that nearly 34,000 people are dead in Gaza, 70 percent of which are women and children, clearly not members of Hamas. They know that 2 million people have been displaced in Gaza and the majority of the buildings and infrastructure have been demolished or damaged by Israeli bombs. They know that the people are dying of starvation because almost every entry point to Gaza is through Israel and not enough supplies and aid are getting through. They understand that the United States is trying to help with aid, but we have to drop it from the air or bring it in by sea because our friend Israel won't allow us to bring it in through easier, safer ways like by truck and transport.…”