jonathan turley, publishing that opinion in the "daily beast." joseph, virginia, democrat. what do you think? [inaudible] treva joseph? >> caller: how are you doing? , you have to turn down the tv. olmec okay, all right. >> host: go ahead. >> caller: i think this impeachment thing is a sad situation, what the republicans are doing going down this road. when they are not in power than a democrat start doing the same the republicans will not like when the democrats do what withe doing now. what we should be talked about is kitchen tableha issues, healh insurance, inflation, gas prices, jobs, something that could help somebody, not just this w going on for folks in step -- >> the senate has been a recess but is now traveling back into

session. we take you c-span2. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun.

mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo.

mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. central mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper.■ ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford.

mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt.

mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. test. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

senators voting in the affirmative -- baldwin, bennet, butler, cardin, carper, duckworth, gillibrand, hassan, heinrich, kaine, klobuchar, mendendez, merkley, murphy, ossoff, padilla, peters, reed, rosen, schumer, van hollen, warner, warnock, warren, welch, and wyden. mr. casey, aye.

senators voting in the negative -- cotton, hagerty, and paul. the clerk: mr. marshall, no. the clerk: mr. coons, aye. mr. crapo, no.

mr. johnson, no. mr. cornyn, no. mr. tuberville, no. mr. cassidy, no. mr. young, no. mr. vance, no. mr. budd, no. mrs. hyde-smith, no. mr. schatz, aye. ms. cortez masto, aye. mrs. blackburn, no. mrs. murray, aye.

mr. mr. lujan, aye. mr. risch, no. ms. stabenow, aye. mr. kennedy, no. mr. boozman, no. ms. sinema, aye. ms. ernst, no. mr. mcconnell, no. mr. daines, no.

mrs. shaheen, aye. mr. scott of florida, no. mr. sanders, aye. mr. schmitt, no. mrs. fischer, no. mr. brown, aye.

mr. rubio, no. tillis, no. mr. mrs. britt, no. mr. thune, no.

the clerk: mrs. capito, no. the clerk: mr. rounds, no. mr. tester, aye. ms. lummis, no. mr. lankford, no.i

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no. mr. cramer, no.

mr. whitehouse, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no. mr. wicker, no. vote:

the clerk: ms. hirono, aye. the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. lee, no. mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. graham, no.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye. the clerk: ms. collins, no.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no.

ms. murkowski, no. the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

mr. king, aye. the clerk: mr. markey, aye.

the clerk: mr. manchin, no.

the clerk: mr. moran, no. the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no. mr. hickenlooper, aye.

mr. grassley, no.

the clerk: ms. smith, aye.

the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.

the clerk: mr. romney, no.

the clerk: mr. mullin, no. the presiding officer: the yeas are 50. the nays are 49. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion so reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 142, joseph goffman of pennsylvania to be an assistant administrator of the environmental protection agency signed by 17 senators.

the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of joseph goffman of pennsylvania to be assistant administrator of the environmental protection agency shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey.

ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham.

mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. 4 ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell.

mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina.

mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- baldwin, carper, casey, durbin,

gillibrand, hickenlooper, king, rosen, sinema, smith, warren, wyden. senators voting in the negative -- cassidy, cornyn, graham, grassley, johnson, lankford, lummis, manchin, mcconnell, mullin, romney, rubio, scott of south carolina, thune, wicker. ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, no. ms. collins, no. ms. cortez masto, aye.

the clerk: mr. young, no. the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no. mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. schatz, aye. mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. ossoff, aye. the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye.

the clerk: mr. tester, aye. the clerk: mr. merkley, aye.

the clerk: mr. crapo, no.

the clerk: mr. menendez, aye. vote:

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye. mr. brown, aye.

mr. daines, no. mr. cotton, no. the clerk: mr. cardin, aye. mrs. murray, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no. the clerk: mr. marshall, no. mr. tuberville, no.

mr. kaine, aye.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no. mr. booker, aye.

the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye. mrs. shaheen, aye. ms. klobuchar, aye. miss hassan ms. hassan, aye.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no. the clerk: mr. budd, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no. mr. padilla, aye. í]

the clerk: mr. welch, aye. mr. reed, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye. mr. kennedy, no.

the clerk: mr. scott of florida, no. mr. rounds, no. mr. risch, no.

the clerk: mr. lee, no.

the clerk: mr. paul, no. mr. fetterman, aye. mr. vance, no.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, no.

mr. markey, aye. mr. van hollen, aye. the clerk: mrs. capito, no.

the clerk: mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mr. boozman, no. the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

vote: the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, no. mrs. fischer, no. the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. peters, aye. mr. hagerty, no.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye.

the clerk: mr. warner, aye. mr. cramer, no. the clerk: mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: mr. tillis, no. the clerk: mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye.

the clerk: mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. sanders, aye.

the clerk: ms. butler, aye.■o

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye. the presiding officer: the yeas are 50, the nays are 49. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination.

the clerk: nomination, environmental protection agency. joseph goffman of pennsylvania to be an assistant administrator.

mr. ricketts: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mr. ricketts: thank you, madam president. i rise here today in support of our closest and longest standing ally in the middle east, israel. and also to prevent american taxpayer dollars from supporting terrorism. on october 7, hamas broke the cease-fire with an horrific and elbaradeiic astack -- and elbaradeiic astack on -- and barbaric attack on israel. hamas crossed the border. they killed unarmed citizens, raped and mutilated women, burned children, beheaded soldiers, and kidnapped innocent civilians as well.

that attack demonstrates the barbarity of this terrorist organization. for those who call on a cease-fire for israel to somehow sponsor this, i call on you to call on hamas to surrender. hamas must surrender. israel cannot tolerate an organization on its border that has dedicated to the destruction of its state. hamas has said time and time again that they will continue to attack israel in this barbaric way. hamas must be destroyed. and the united states must support correctly. israel will be -- support israel. israel will be doing the world a favor when hamas is destroyed. 0en that day, 1,200 israelis were killed. it included 33 americans, hundreds of people were kidnapped, many of whom have not

been returned. i have been hosting about the hostages since this terrible event happened. these folks are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, children. these folks are real people, and they must be returned. and that is why it's so important that hamas surrender, return the hostages, and the state of israel must continue to defend itself until that happens. now, we ought not support terrorism, especially not a brutal terrorist organization by the name of hamas. yet, that is what we are doing at this moment. there is an organization called

the united nations relief and works agency for palestinian refugees in the near east, also called unwra. last friday there was a report that a dozen unwra employees participated in the october 7 attack, six directly in the attack killing israelis. a couple were responsible for logistics, procuring weapons. more involved in kidnappings. still more were traced to the sites where israelis had been killed. "the wall street journal" reports that perhaps 10% of unwra employees, some 1,200 people, may have links to hamas or even the palestinian islamic jihad, which considers hamas too moderate. think of how crazy that is.

unwra has been described as essentially a branch of hamas. by the way, this is not a news flash that it has happened. the u.n. has said they're going to launch an investigation into this, but guess what? we know through previous investigations that this was the pattern of unwra. the trump administration knew this, and so they cut off funding for unwra. they knew that unwra previously had been supporting hamas and its employees also be agents of hamas, that its textbooks glorified marytrdom, terrorism, preached anti-semitism. its teachers talked about killing jews. schools had stored weapons for hamas. unwra's sites and facilities used to launch attacks on

israel. this was not news. the biden administration as soon as they came into office resumed our funding, our taxpayer dollars to unwra. 730 million u.s. taxpayer dollars given to unrwa, and we have since found out now that one of the unrwa teachers was a hamas commander who participated on an attack on a kibbutz that killed 97 people and in which 26 people were kidnapped. we should not fund hamas and we should not fund hamas through unrwa. we need to cut off fund to unrwa. the trump administration saw it and the state department saying they are going to temporarily pause their funding to unrwa is simply not good enough. the junior senator from south carolina and me have proposed

the stop support of hamas act. this would end u.s. taxpayer funding to unrwa and stop their support of hamas. this bill must pass or we have other ways to do it. we can put it into any supplemental that we pass that is going to provide aid to gaza. we are currently considering such a bill right now. before we provide another taxpayer dollar, we m7t pass this legislation so that unrwa cannot continue to support terrorists like hamas. we must stand with our ally israel. they not only have the right to defend themselves, but it will be important for world peace to see hamas destroyed. hamas is a brutal terroristic

organization. it hasworld. we need to provide israel the tools they need to be able to defend themselvesy! and destroy this terroristic organization, and we should not act counter to that by providing unrwa funding. we must permanently ban our funding to them so our taxpayer dollars are not supporting the terrorist organization hamas. thank you, madam president. i yield back.

test.

let's start with a drone attack and jordan. >> over 160 going back to october , american forces by proxy i learned with iran. the houthis or the groups in iraq -- their lives in service to our country. my heart goes out to the families of sergeant william rivers, specialist kennedy sanders, and specialist bronn --

brianna moffett, who served in the same company i served in nearly 30 years ago as a platoon leader. i know the bravery of men and women who put themselves in harm's way, and my prayers are with their colleagues who are suffering from their injuries. our servicemembers continue to be on the front lines of iran-backed attacks. earlier this month two navy seals went missing in action while interdicting lethal aid that iran was resupplying to the houthis. navy special warfare operator first class christopher chambers, and navy special warfare operator nathan in ingraham, made the ultimate -- paid the ultimate price.

iran proxies who continue to attack our troops must know how seriously the united states takes american lives. every american life is precious. our adversaries need to understand that a single american loss is one too many. and that they will pay dearly for spilling the blood of those who ware the united -- who wear the uniform. i've said it before and i'll say it again, american weakness on the world stage emboldens our adversaries and puts u.s. citizens at risk. right now, today, six americans continue to be held hostage by iran-backed hamas.

this terrorist organization thinks it can bartter with american -- barter with american lives, instead of fearing us, they seek to manipulate us. instead of hiding in the shadows, they hold press conferences and entertain foreign officials openly in doha. for over 100 days, hamas has held six of our citizens and has not paid a price. instead the opposite has occurred. what is president biden doing to bring them home? doubling down on the appeasement strategy. by refusing to enforce existing sanctions on iran's illicit oil sales, president biden has

fueled and funded tehran's terrorist proxies and green lit terrorism. for years president biden lined the coffers of the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism through his appeasement strategy, culminating in the october 7 assault on israel. every day since these ira iranian-backed attacks on israel, we have seen the world erupt into chaos and americans lives have been in constant danger. still, the biden administration fears escalation more than anything else. what's the result? they're letting tehran's terrorists off the hook for their illicit actions and attacks on american lives. october 7 was not only a

physical attack on israel, but also one of the largest losses of american lives from terrorism since 9/11. there were 32 unforgettable deaths. make no mistake, this chaos is exactly what iran wants. it pays for it and it plans for it. when i was in the region during the attacks, many leaders shared their concerns with me, that iran would capitalize on the chaos by using proxies to escalate the conflict. i knew that it was essential to stand with israel, not only to protect our partnership with our greatest ally in the region but also to protect american lives.

unfortunately we are seeing those fears come to fruition. since october 7, iran-backed proxies have ramped up their aggression with over 160 attacks on our servicemembers. the houthis are unleashing drown attacks on our troops in the red sea, disrupting commerce, and wreaking havoc on innocent civilians. we struggle to defend our ships from incoming rockets and drones and hesitate to find, fix, and finish the very source of these attacks. we know it's iranian proxies. folks, we know that. there's no doubt about it. we know they are trained by the

irgc. it is time to strike the source of the problem. why? because american lives continue to be on the line every single day. self-defense is not escalation. it is the most basic and moral action we can take as a nation. we owe it to our troops. we owe it to our citizens. for nearly four months -- four months, folks, hamas has held u.s. citizens hostage as political prisoners. our fellow americans are being used as human shields without consistent access to food, to

water, to medical treatment or to sleep. right now american hostage families live in agony, uncertainly if their loved ones are alive or they're dead. no parent should ever have to endure this. and terroristsare should not -- and terrorists should not be table to hold this power over americans. we must do everything in our power to stop hamas from torturing our families. to end hamas' rain of terror -- reign of terror, we must cut off their irgc funding. these terrorist groups have one thing in common. as long as t sponsored by tehran, they are committed to

chaos in the world and they pose a threat to americans at home and abroad. now is the time for strong u.s. leadership. i've been calling for president biden to hit iran where it hurts, the pocketbooks funneling illicit oil funds to its terrorist proxies. the choice, folks, is clear. to stand with israel, we must target iran's terrorist arm and end its ability to target americans so we can bring american hostages home safely and quickly. folks, every second counts. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

mrs. fischer: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mrs. fischer: thank you, madam president. i want to talk today about deterrence and escalation. in 1988, the american u.s.s. samuel b. roberts struck an iranian mine in international waters. thankfully no americans were killed but wisely president reagan didn't wait for tragedy to occur before acting. just four days later, the united states destroyed two iranian oil platforms, three warships, two fighter jets, and multiple other vessels. the message was clear. if you put american lives in

danger, you will be destroyed. there was no escalation. the conflict did not spiral into an uncontained war. deterrence was restored. compare that powerful and effective example of deterrence to where we are today. another iran-backed group, hamas, attacked our ally israel on october 7. the president said that the united states would stand with israel and that he would not tell israel how to conduct its war against this terror. since then, his administration has all but folded to the demands of those in his party who want to condition aid and support to our ally.

since october 7, iran-backed militias have attacked u.s. troops not once, not twice but more than 150 times. president biden has allowed not days, not weeks, but months of unanswered attacks by iran-backed houthis on u.s. ships and civilian cargo vessels in the red sea. what was the result of the president's hesitation? the tragic deaths of three american troops at the hands of an iran-backed militia, with thousands more -- with dozens more seriously injured in that attack.

and let's not forget that two navy seals gave their lives just days before. they died trying to stop iran from supplying weapons to similar militia groups across the region. this administration likes to say that it doesn't want to escalate the situation. president biden doesn't want israel to escalate its justifiable war, and he doesn't want the united stat to escalate our defense of americans. his administration has said it wants to avoid escalation so much that it's beginning to seem like he's more afraid of being blamed for escalation than he is afraid of americans being killed

but we should be clear. the only attacks president biden is deterring are our own. it's time to realize that our enemies have already escalated. our response must be strong enough so that we can restore deterrence. militants -- they've attacked israel, targeted civilian ships, and now they've killed americans. all funded and supported by iran. to stand up for our country, to stand against the murder of americans, and to stand with israel, we must clearly demonstrate to iran that they

will pay a price for their continued support of terrorism. public reports say that president biden is considering options for a retaliatory strike against iranian forces. whatever he decides to do, it must not follow his now well-established pattern of too little, too late. president biden must finally restore credible deterrence, which is the only way that we will prevent escalation. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

mr. budd: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. budd: madam president, over the weekend, our nation lost three servicemembers in a drone attack in jordan. responsibility for this attack rests with the islamic republic

of iran. sadly, what happened over the weekend, it's not a surprise. it's been happening for months. iran and their proxies have launched more than 165 attacks against u.s. troops across the middle east and countless more against commercial and military vessels in the red sea. there have been a consistent drumbeat of iranian-backed proxy attacks since the october 7 hamas attack on israel. now, a few things are clear about this situation. first, iran and its proxies, they do not currently fear the united states. second, iran is intent on harming the united states or servicemembers and our interests. third, iran is aiming to push the united states out of the middle east in a bid for complete regional power. we can't let this takeover happen. iranian dominance of the middle

east would jeopardize the free flow of trade, it would damage energy resources, as well as damage america's counterintelligence efforts. if we were to abandon our middle east allies, it would be open season on israel and the jewish people. now, i.v. he'll heard the views of -- now, i've heard the views of many in this chamber, ranging from those who favor an immediate military offensive inside iran to those who want the united states to leave the region altogether. so instead of beginning another forever war or succumbing to isolationism, i would submit that there is a better way. and we don't have to go back very far in history to find it. after a single american contractor was killed at the hands of iran in 2019, president trump ordered a strike that eliminated the head of iran's revolutionary guard corps quds

force, qasem soleimani. we didn't start a war, and we didn't withdraw. we simply sent iran's leaders a very clear message. that is, if you kill americans, you will forfeit your life. and iran pulled back. that is deterrence. when all nations know for certain that they are -- that we are willing to act in defense of our people, it is that clear understanding that actually prevents a wider conflict. and it's a breakdown in clarity that is provoking the iranians to continue taking more danger ooze and ultimately deadly shots at u.s. forces abroad. we must end the failed biden policy of appeasement towards iran. we must also stop telegraphing u.s. responses so iran and its proxies can move personnel, weapons, and equipment out of the target area. weakness only invites further

aggression. we must reestablish deterrence and we must respond with the strength that this moment requires. no more half measures, hesitation, or muddled messages. iran and their proxies must know that when the united states tells them to stop, then we mean it and we're willing to do something about it. without a strong response, the risk of escalation only increases, and with it the danger to america. one other note before i yield the floor. all of my colleagues and i are here today to stand shoulder to shoulder with the nation of israel. they are one of our closest friends and allies. that's why it's highly disturbing to read reports that the biden administration is reviewing options to reward the extremism and bar bearism of -- barbarism of hamas by recognizing a palestinian state. this would represent a major reversal of long-standing u.s.

policy and would be a betrayal of our friend and ally, israel. the biden administration must abandon any consideration of such a dangerous and foolish proposal. i yield the floor.

mrs. capito: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, madam president. i rise today to once again stand in strong support of our friend and ally, israel. and to highlight the continued fallout that we are witnessing as a result of the october 7 terrorist attacks perpetrated by hamas. it's really difficult to describe those 116 days that

we've had since october 67 as anything -- october 7 as anything other than shocking. as we've seen the senseless murder of over 1,200 people in israel, widespread violence across the middle east, and alarming rise of anti-semitism right here in the united states. just this past weekend on january 27, we recognized international holocaust remembrance day and honored the six million jewish victims of the holocaust. the largest genocide in human history with unspeakable horror inflicted on the jewish people. this commemoration serves as a reminder of why the state of israel must exist and our continued commitmen stand against the persecution of the jewish people. but now nearly 80 years later, the safety. jewish people -- the safety of the jewish people is once again under siege. i never thought i would make that statement. the terrorist attacks on october 7 killed the most jews

in one day since the holocaust. hundreds of women and children were taken hostage, including our very own americans thatcapt. and shamefully some of the most prominent organizations that claim to support women were silent when it came to hamas' use of sexual violence against women and girls on october 7. we must continue to universally denounce the barbaric tactics of hamas and do all that is in our power to free the hostages and bring those american hostages home. it remains clear that israel has the right to defend themselves, as any country would in the face of this unprovoked terror. there isn't another country in the world who would be expected to sit back and allow this to -- allow their next-door neighbor, whose own charter calls for genocide, to commit this kind of

brazen and indiscriminate violence. to this day, hamas continues to fire rockets at israel, target their civilians, and hold women and children hostage. and that is all in violation of international law. they also continue to use protected civilian structures for its operation, endangering its own people. there is no question that our world has dramatically shied since october 7, as we can clearly see that israel's security is directly related to our own national security here at home. unfortunately, since the beginning of the attacks on israel, president biden has not displayed the strength that is needed for our nation at this critical junction. his administration beginning on october 7 made their fears of an escalating conflict crystal clear. secretary blinken said on october 22 that -- and i quote -- this is not what we

want. we don't want escalation. end ever quote. -- end of quote. this widely broadcasted fear of escalation prevented them from taking action to stop this violence spreading beyond israel's borders. now the iranian-backed houthis have launched hundreds of drone and missile strikes against ships transiting the red sea, one of the most important water ways in the -- waterways in the world. we have conducted multiple air strikes in yemen but with no clear indication that the houthis have been deterred. and most especially sad, we lost two navy seals. some of our most elite members of the armed forces, who made the ultimate sacrifice while halting the shipment of more advanced weapons to this group. adding to this, there has been a staggering increase in attacks by iranian proxies on our troops and bases in the region. i think we've heard earlier,

there have been over 165 attacks on our men and women in uniform in the middle east since october 7. with minimal response from this administration. this has led, sadly, to another loss of our american soldiers. we lost three heroic americans in one ever these attacks with dozens more wounded. less than three weeks ago, on january 7, when asked if he had a message for iran, president biden said, quote, i've already delivered the message to iran. they know not to do anything. that message was clearly not delivered and has put our nation and servicemembers in an unacceptable situation. what does all of this aggression in the red sea and these attacks on our armed forces, what do they have in common? it's all funded and supplied by

iran. for far too long this nefarious nation has been pulling the strings behind the scenes that are inciting terror and creating chaos in the middle east. the iranian regime stand in direct opposition to what we as americans represent and our values. their hatred for america is made more obvious by the company that they keep and the continued closeness that they are cultivating with adversary like russia, china, and north korea. china is iran's biggest oil customer and provides a revenue stream to support iran's aggression. russia continues to purchase iranian drones, using them in their unjust war against ukraine. and north korea has remained iran's leading partner in destabilizing actions and nuclear proliferation.

iran's maligned influence and its disdain for america and our ally israel is unmistakable. it is past time to reestablish deterrence against iran with a decisive response to these unacceptable actions. this is something that my republican colleagues recognize and something we continue to urge president biden and his administration to take seriously. secretary blinken himself said this past week the middle east has not been this dangerous since 1973. this comes of course after president biden's national security advisor announced that the region was quieter than it had been for decades as we were approaching the october 7 date. we can all see now that this is an increasingly important moment with incredible high stakes. we must take this opportunity to

lead with strength, to lead in the ways that only the united states can lead. while our adversary are attempting to divide us, we must come together. the future of our nation depends on our ability to support our allies like israel in their time of need, to protect vital american interests like our shippers, to defend our troops overseas, and to secure the homeland of our own country. i encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to remain committed to the security of the united states and our ally israel. this chamber must display the american leadership the times of crisis require. we have done it before, and we must do it again. and with that, madam president, i yield the floor.

i ask unanimous consent that my remarks from this point appear separately in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. capito: thank you, madam president. i rise today in strong opposition to the nomination of joe goffman to lead the environmental protection agency's office of air and radiation. mr. goffman has been the biden administration's leading political now for over three ye without senate confirmation. he also spent all eight years i same epa office. rarely do we have such a robust record to draw on in evaluating a nominee. and i say this with great disappointment, but rarely is the record so damaging. madam president, mr. goffman's

actions marked by federal overreach and job-killing regulations has been a disaster for our country. under president obama, mr. goffman was a chief architect of the clean power plan. this rule aimed to close down coal and gas-fired power plants, especially those in my own home state of west virginia. but it was a direct shot at american energy production. in 2022, the supreme court confirmed what we all knew. the original clean power plan was illegal. unfortunately, before this rejection, mines were shuttered, workers were laid off, and communities were left behind. and yet this has not phased mr. goffman. recently in his current position at the epa, mr. goffman has proposed the second iteration of the clean power plan. many of us have learned a lot

about the lawlessness and danger of this regulatory plan, and i appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle speaking truth to the epa in recent letters about what this would do to our economy and to our energy sector. but you don't have to take it from us. here's what our nation's grid operators, which are nonpartisan groups responsible for ensuring our electric system is reliable and affordable, this is what they said about the clean power plan 2.0. quote, without firm proof of the commercial and operational viabilities of these technologies, proceeding with these requirements could place the reliability of the electric grid in jeopardy. in short, hope is not a strategy, end quote. despite these concerns, mr. goffman is intent on implementing this part of a misguided climate agenda regardless of what the law says or its disastrous consequences

on the reliability of the grid or the affordability of energy. i've also spoken before about theadministration's rapid push toward electric vehicles. despite warning signs and lack of a plan to deal with the inevitable increased electricity demand. compliance with the epa's current policy would require two-thirds of new cars to be electric by model year 2032. and now california wants to push the auto industry even faster, requiring that all new cars must be electric by 2035. and important to note, since senator schumer last filed cloture, mr. goffman's office has agreed to formally consider this request by california to ban sales of all new cars with internal combustion engines within the next decade. we saw what happened with our electric vehicles during the

cold spell we just had. meanwhile auto makers sounded the alarm that americans aren't buying e.v.'s that would match this pace. the epa is trying to force americans to buy expensive electric cars -- and they are more expensive -- that they can't afford at a rate they do not want. and this is all at mr. goffman's direction. already in 2024, we are seeing the courts working to correct the regulatory confusion created when the epa, office of air and radiation oversteps its legal authorities. as an ex epa's so-called good neighbor regulation would remove the authority states have to manage their environmental policy under the clean air act. initially mr. goffman's rule targeted 23 states -- and you're right, one of them was mine -- but just in the last week his

office proposed to expand the rule to five more states, which now include arizona, iowa, kansas, new mexico, and tennessee. this has caused the supreme court to step in once again and consider pausing the program while litigation proceeds. we're also expecting mr. goffman's office to finalize an unattainable, unnecessary air regulation that would threaten manufacturing jobs and projects across the country. that rule is expected any day now. so to sum it up, from his more than ten years at the epa, we know that this is what joe goffman stand for because he has shown us this time and time again. his record is one that consistently kills american jobs, threatens our electric grid, and violates the law. that is why i continue to strongly oppose his nomination today, and i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do

the same. thank you, and i yield the floor.

we are here with representative stone bacon. welcome to the program. thank you it's great to be here. >> would start with the drone

attack in your reaction. >> there had been over 160 attacks since october by proxy forces a rep aligned with iran so whether it's the houthis are the groups in iraq were in syria the head of the snake is iran so iran is behind all of this and we had to regain deterrents. >> the questions how do we do that? some of your colleagues have been calling for strikes against iran's come inside iran. >> i think they are right. after the hezbollah or militia groups in iraq they don't care if you attack their proxy partners. they do care if you gain deterrence there had to be some kind of strike against the head of the snake which is iran. they be cautious about where i would strike. you don't want to have pilot shot down in prisoners but

there's a way to go after every means oil export capabilities are iranian navy that would be low risk for our forces in yet to realize iran would counterstrike. they are attacking us and it should be our escalation. >> summit for colleagues have asked the president seek congressional approval before any strike. as you have just said it could lead to escalation. you think that's necessary? >> it's not necessary for a one-time power strike. if it's a longer duration yes. if it's for retribution or to strike back at iran when strike or couple of strikes i don't think he needs to. this could be a prolonged scenario nonetheless. >> you are retired from the air force as a one star general. what do you think is going to happen? good the spiral out of control

like. >> there's always the possibility that iran would counterstrike. they killed three americans in their custody a price to pay for striking americans and iran is behind it so we need to go back and punch them in the know than safety do it again we will hit you harder but they need to fear us and not us or them. >> if you'd like to join a conversation with congressman don taken her lines are democrats (202)-748-8000 republicans chita rivera -- 202-748-0001 and you can use align two text us on social media. what do you think iran's goals are here? >> they want to be the regional power but so do other countries particularly to be dominant in saudi arabia that they hate israel and the like to wipe israel off the map and they hate

us and they'd like some of the region. they are the largest exporter of terror in the region. all those terror groups are aligned with iran and even hamas as any group essentially to focus on israel dubai. while on the ground, our message to the world was clear, the united states is again leading the global effort to attack the climate crisis. that leadership is thanks in no small part to the biden administration's work to implement the unprecedented climate and clean energy investment that's many of us here on this floor helped to enact into law. it's also thanks to the historic action by the environmental protection agency to rein in climate pollution in a way that supports economic growth and job creation. still, meeting our nation's climate goals, reducing harmful air pollution and supporting

good-paying clean energy jobs requires having the right leadership in place. and, as i said before many times on this floor, the office of air and radiation has an outside impact on our lives. the american people deserve someone leading this office who is committed to carrying out its mission, that includes reducing climate pollution, while improving our vehicle emission standards and protecting public health, all of which go hand in hand with economic growth and job creation. mr. goffman has proven that he's up to the task. under his direction, the epa has made significant progress in implementing many of the programs that we secured in the inflation reduction act. that includes programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help lower energy costs for all americans. from the earliest days of his

career, serving on the senate environment and public works committee, which i am now privileged to chair, to his time at epa under -- president obama and now president biden, he has dedicated his work to cleaning up the their we breathe and protecting our one and only planet. he is thoughtful, he is pins manied and he is -- principled and he is humble. joe has served as chief counsel of the environmental protection agency -- environment and public works committee, which i chair. he provides senator and predict ability for industry. joe goffman is also committed to fair outcomes, and that is because he cares about doing things the right way while listening to the concerns of all who might be impacted by changes to our nation's clean air

standards. don't just take my word for it. over 50 groups representing a broad coalition of interest, from, oh, my gosh, what a w i will mention them in a minute. they voiced their support for joe goffman's nomination. here is a sample of the group, the breadth of the growth. the national defense resources council, the league of conservation voters, the sierra club, the environmental defense fund and the national wildlife federation. that's just to name a few. key industry partners such as the addison electric institute and renewable fuel institute support joe goffman's nomination. finally, joe goffman's nomination has the support of some of our nation's largest labor unions, that includes the

a.f.l./c.i.o. and even the united mine workers of america, they have voiced its support for mr. goffman's nomination. a coalition this broad does not happen every day, and certainly not on this floor, and it bears testimony to joe's character and commitment to doing what is right. let me conclude by saying that joe goffman is the right person to lead the this committee, and he will excel in this important role in part because he's already doing the job. i do not doubt that joe will be considerate, he will be courteous and he will be inclusive as he develops epa's rules to reduce harmful pollution and clean up the air we breathe and protect america's health and well-being.

that -- with that, madam president, i want to urge our colleagues to join me, and join us, i hope, in supporting mr. goffman's nomination so he can continue serving our nation. he will not disappoint us and the confidence we've placed in him. with that, madam president, i yield the floor. i ask unanimous consent that the scheduled vote occur immediately. the presiding officer: is there an objection? without objection. the question is on the goffman nomination. mr. carper: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd.

ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins.

mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst.

mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono.

mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan.

the clerk: ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray.

mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer.

mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock.

ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- cantwell, cardin, carper, cortez masto, duckworth, klobuchar, murray, rosen, and schatz. mr. tester, aye. senators voting in the negative -- blackburn, capito, crapo, fisher, hawley, lummis, risch, and tillis. mrs. hyde-smith, no.

mr. booker, aye. ms. butler, aye. mr. warnock, aye. mr. boozman, no. mr. wyden, aye. mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. peters, aye. the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no. mr. braun, no.

mr. kelly, aye. mr. grassley, no. mr. casey, aye. the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. romney, no. mr. heinrich, aye. the clerk: mr. padilla, aye.

the clerk: mr. vance, no.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye. mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. reed, aye.

the clerk: ms. hirono, aye. ms. baldwin, aye. mr. johnson, no. mr. cramer, no. mr. menendez, aye.

the clerk: mr. sanders, aye.

mr. manchin, no. mr. paul, no. the clerk: ms. lummis, no. mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: ms. sinema, aye. ms. collins, no. mr. warner, aye. the clerk: ms. smith, aye. mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.

the clerk: mr. tuberville, no. mr. rubio, no.

the clerk: mr. rounds, no. the clerk: mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, no. mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: mr. daines, no. mr. king, aye. mr. brown, aye. mr. scott of florida, no. mr. ricketts, no.

the clerk: mr. cornyn, no. mr. mcconnell, no.

the clerk: mr. graham, no. the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, no. mr. young, no.

mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: ms. hassan, aye.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no. mrs. gillibrand, aye.

the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye. the clerk: mr. marshall, no. mr. cotton, no.

the clerk: mr. markey, aye. t mr. mullin, no. mr. kaine, aye.

the clerk: mr. hagerty, no. mr. van hollen, aye. the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye. mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr.welch, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no. the clerk: mr. ossoff, aye. mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. cassidy, no.

the clerk: ms. warren, aye.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

the clerk: mr. kennedy, no.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, no. mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. merkley, aye. vote: ■=

the clerk: mr. lee, no. the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 50, the nays are 49, and the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action.

mr. merkley: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: mr. president, i rise tonight to talk about the extraordinarily challenging humanitarian situation in gaza. let's begin with october 7. mr. president, israel has every right to eliminate the military threat of hamas, to go after hamas terrorists who conducted a horrific attack on israel on october 7. but how the netanyahu government wages that war matters. and how they have done so is deeply dispushing to -- disturbing to millions of americans, and to me. hamas is the enemy.

palestinian civilians are not the enemy. earlier this month, senator van hollen and i visited the rafah crossing on the border between egypt and gaza. we spoke with aid workers who had served in the worst conflict zones in the world, from syria to sudan to yemen, including one worker who spent a -- well, several months working on the front line in ukraine. each told us that they had never witnessed humanitarian disaster on the scale or severity of gaza. in gaza calamity after calamity multiplies the suffering. it's not just a shortage of food. it's a shortage of food, it's contaminated water, it's massive displacement, it's continuous bombing and shelling, it's destroyed hospitals and other hospitals that desperately need drugs and medical supplies, it

is communication failures due to damage and communication failures due to blackouts. as of today, more than 26,000 palestinian civilians are dead. it is estimated that 7:00% -- 70% are women and children, sol 18 -- some 18,000 women and children. it's an unfathomable number. but let's try to put some perspective on that. if 18,000 women and children will lined up holding hands, they'd form a line over 13 miles long. or if you spent one minute with each child and woman, 18,000 women and children, it would take you more than 300 hours to visit or connect with each of them. 12 days. in addition to the 26,000 palestinian civilians who are dead, an estimated 65,000

palestinians are wounded. of gaza's 2.3 million people, 1.7 million are eternally displaced. over 70,000 homes destroye nort for the safety of the south are now often bombed or shelled into locations they were encouraged to go to. there is no guaranteed safe place in gaza. even designated u.n. shelters have come under attack. thinking about food, 90% of palestinians are living on less than one meal a day, one meal a day. only one of the three clean drinking water pipelines from israel is functioning. water filtration equipment has been repeatedly turned away by israeli inspectors, as i saw for myself in rafah. just 14 of 36 hospitals are still operating. and those hospitals lack basic

medical supplies and even lack food. one doctor who came out of gaza talked to me about the extraordinarily deep wounds, burns caused by white for forrous. he -- foss forrous. he showed me pictures. another was an orthopedic surgeon, he fixed broken bones, but he said he couldn't believe how many bones had been shattered by the blasts and how much untreatable trauma there was to individuals' internal organs. unicef estimates at least 1,000 children have had arms or legs amputated, many without anesthesia. new mothers have been profoundly imp impacted. more mothers are having misca miscarriages. more mothers are having still births. more are anemic and suffer post

part emhemorrhaging. more are undernourished and cannot breast feed. finding clean water and formula is extremely difficult. more mothers are enduring c-section surgeries without anesthesia. let me say it again. israel has every right to go after hamas. hamas is israel's enemy. the palestinian people are not their enemy, and they are not our enemy. so, we should be disconcerted, we should be staggered, we should be horrified by the extraordinary level of civilian deaths and injuries and the humanitarian challenges i've desc described, with food and water and med president biden has called the bombing indiscriminate and urged the netanyahu government to adopt a much more targeted war strategy. this message has been repeated

by secretary of state blinken. this has been repeated by secretary of defense austin. these messages have been repeated with increasing inte intensity. but the netanyahu government has rejected these requests. president biden has called for israel to vastly increase humanitarian aid to afflicted palestinian civilians, but the netanyahu government has also rejected that request. so the suffering is growing with each passing day. so, what has prevented a massive influx of aid needed to address the humanitarian conditions in gaza before october into gaza. why can't 500 trucks a day go into gaza carrying that needed humanitarian aid, food, water, and medical supplies? in short, israel has done two

things -- they have set up a complex and inefficient inspection process post-october 7 that restricts aid from entering gaza. second, once aid is into gaza, there isn't a deconflicton process that makes it possible to deliver aid safely. into more detail now about how that inspection process works. senator van hollen and i witnessed the burdensome inspection process firsthand at the rafah checkpoint. the inspection process can take more than a week from the time a driver loads a truck until that driver can deliver that aid into gaza. we witnessed hundreds of trucks lined up on the highway in egypt, mile after mile of trucks. they were filled with food and water and medical supplies, sitting on the side of the highway. now, some of them were waiting permission to go to israel

inspection. and some of them had been inspected in israel and sent back to rafah to await final permission to enter into gaza. the challenge, when you think about a truck, is it should be able to load up its supplies, be insp inspected, deliver the supplies in the same day, not a process that takes over a week. let's think about that process for a moment. israel is appropriately trying to stop dual-use items from entering into gaza. and so there is a pre-approval process between the suppliers and the israeli government. that's appropriate. when things are approved, and trucks arrive, they're often told by the person inspected, no, we're not allowing that to go in. maybe the tent pole is too long. in one case, medical kits for

bi birthing children had a sharp blade. they were rejected. that inconsistently greatly complicates delivery and includes the fact that if anything in the load is rejected, the entire truck is rejected. it starts the process all over again. items allowed in one day can be rejected the next. senator van hollen and i visited a warehouse full of those rejected items, and they were the things that you would expect for delivery for humanitarian aid. they were water testing kits, medical supplies, and other desperately needed equipment. m

face a terrifying gauntlet of damaged roads and falling bombs and artillery shells. the failure to set up de deconfliction to allow this to be delivered safely is unacceptable. there's only one government that can set up that process, that is the netanyahu government. more than 150 u.n. workers have been killed in gaza so far. the largest loss of life in the history of the united nations. more than 300 additional this has been reduced to 3,000 workers. the rest are injured or killed or refugees within gaza itself.

only the netanyahu government has the power to establish an organized, efficient inspection process. only the netanyahu government has the power to enforce deconfliction protocols. this double failure stymied the delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid, unnecessarily deepening the suffering of palestinian civilians. now delivery of aid faces an additional problem. the netanyahu government has produced information showing that at least 12 u.n. workers made have been -- may have been involved in the october 7 terrorist attack on israel, and this is for sure deeply troubling. that's 12 workers out of a workforce that counted 13,000. but it is troubling, it is completely against the principles in which the u.n. relief and works agency

functions. the.s. has appropriately paused assistance to unrwa pending an investigation. i welcome that these individuals were immediately terminated. they certainly don't represent the thousands of men and women who work for unrwa and bravely serve vulnerable people, day in and day out, in some of the most dangerous settings around the world. i look forward to a swift and thorough investigation to ensure accountabilities so that u.s. assistance can properly -- promptly resume, that the entire humanitarian assistance program can continue. and wish though we might, there is no way to replace that unwra workforce, the 3,000 aid workers that is needed in gaza,

it cannot be replaced by any other international organization. it is the netanyahu government that has chosen the war -- it has taken an unacceptable number ofan citizens, it is the net net government that has preserved an inefficient inspection system and a failed system that -- let me be clear the united states shares the responsibility for these failures. we, the united states of america, is israel's major partner in supplying economic aid. we, the united states, are israel's major partner in supplying military aid, we, the united states, have resupplied israel with bombs and arterial

shells that have caused much -- many of the civilian deaths. the world looks at our close partnership and expects the u.s. to do more than request that the netanyahu government adopt a more targeted strategy against hamas to reduce civilian deaths and injuries, the world expects the united states to do more than request that the net net -- netanyahu fix the process to increase the flow of humanitarian. no matter how often we request, no matter how intensely we request, simply requesting hasn't worked. the world expects the united states to use our influence that comes with being israel's closest partner to reduce the civilian carnage and vastly increase the humanitarian aid. president biden and his team have operated for three and a

half months under plan a, and plan a made sense in the context of a long-standing relationship, and plan a was to make requests, make them more clearly, make them repeatedly, make them more intently, but not use any other significant leverage for change. plan a, now over 100 days in operation, has failed. so it's time that the united states move in a bolder fashion. let's call it plan b. provision 620i of the foreign assistance act reads, no assistance shall be furnished under to any country when it is made known to the president of the united states when the country restricts directly or indirectory -- directly the transports or delivery of the united states humanitarian

assistance. well, senator van hollen and i certainly saw for ourselves the restrictions on the delivery of aid that the netanyahu government has sustained for 100 days. a convoluted inspection policy and a broken decon flicks process. decon flicks process. this enables the president of the united states to tell netanyahu, prime minister netanyahu, we are not allowed by law to provide another dollar of aid as long as you are restricting humanitarian aid to gaza through the broken deconflicting process, so president biden has leverage. he's bound by american law. all he has to do is make it clear that that's leverage that he's bound to follow. that's a law he's bound to follow. as long as n netanyahu governmet

restricts the delivery of humanitarian aid, the u.s. cannot legally deliver humanitarian aid to israel under 620i of u.s. public law. our president should do more. he should make it clear as long as the netanyahu government delivers insufficient humanitarian aid to gaza, the u.s. is going to take to provide aid directly -- directly provide food, water, medical aid to the palestinian people in gaza. it's time for the united states to use american ships and helicopters to provide medical supplies to every one of gaza's remaining 14 hospitals. we must move swiftly to eliminate the shortages of anesthesia and antibiotics or any shortage of medical supplies, american

helicopters delivering to those hospitals, never again should a woman go through a c-section without anesthesia, never again should a child have an arm -- never again should these medical procedures occur without antibiotics, the u.s. can deliver and is morally bound to address this shortfall of medical aid. it's also time for our team, our president, to say to team netanyahu, to say to his government that if the netanyahu government cannot or will not ensure that sufficient food and water are supplied to civilians in gaza, the u.s. will ensure, and we will use our ships and our ship to shore assets to

supply food and water to gaza directly, which fortunately has a 40-mile coastline that greatly facilitates thatnk type of supp. we, the united states, as the major partner with israel, through financial aid and military aid are inextricably linked to the humanitarian crisis in gaza. the u.s., as israel's supplier, is explicit now in the -- complicit now of the suffering of the people in gaza. this complicity must end. president biden must use the leverage and power of the united states to address the suffering of palestinian civilians in gaza. to deliver medical supplies, to deliver food, to deliver clean water. let me step back and repaint this picture once again.

more than 26,000 palestinians are dead. that includes more than 18,000 women and children. more than 65,000 palestinians have been injured. 1.7 million palestinians in gaza have been driven from their homes. 90% of palestinians in gaza are surviving on less than a meal per day. the supply of clean water is woefully insufficient, medicines are in desperately short supply. as we ponder this, we must realize we must value the life of every child the same no matter who they are or where they call home. if we keep that in mind, we will find the right answer to the enormous suffering in gaza. the palestinian people are not

israeli's enemy. the palestinian people are not america's pneumonia. -- america's enemy. the u.s. must end our complicity in this humanitarian catastrophe. the u.s. must pivot from simply requesting that the netanyahu government fix the inspection that are restricting humanitarian aid to using every asset at our disposal to directly deliver a massive amount of humanitarian aid into gaza. we must act boldly, we must act swiftly to do otherwise is completely unacceptable and immoral. the u.s. must act now. thank you, mr. president.

the presiding officer: the senator from maine. mr. king: mr. president, first i'd like to ask unanimous consent that my defense fellow michael morfet be granted floor privileges for the 118th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. king: mr. president, i recently read by -- a book by the great historian william l.shiere, a book about the fall of the republic, it was between world war i and world war ii. one of the most haunting parts of that book, more than a chapter, was about the failure of the european allies, particularly france and great britain to face hitler when stopping him would have been relatively easy. whenever people write to my

office, asking why are we supporting ukraine, i answer, google sudatan land in 1948. we could have stopped a dictator, i say we, the west, at a relatively low cost. the result of not doing so was 55 million deaths. that chapter has haunted me because it echos so strongly in what's happening now in ukraine. we're going to have one of the most important votes that any of us have ever taken, hopefully in the next few days on support for the people of ukraine as they fight for our values. this vote will echo throughout the history of this country and the history of the world for generations, particularly if we fail to meet what i believe is a

commitment to the people of ukraine. if we back away, walk away, pull out and leave the ukrainians without the resources to defend themselves, it will compromise the interests of this country for 50 years. it will be viewed as one of the greatest geo political mistakes of the 21st century. why? first it will embolden vladimir pu putin. he told us in 2005 that he felt that the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century was the disillusion of the soviet union. he has said that and he has pursued the remedy to that catastrophe in his eyes ever since. in 2005 he said the catastrophe, the greatest catastrophe, the disillusion of the soviet union. in 2008 he gobbled up part of

what had been an independent country of georgia. 2014 we all know crimea and eastern ukraine. 2022, he tried for the rest of ukraine. and i've talked to people about this. i talked to a fellow on the street in maine just recently. he said, well, he'll stop with ukraine. i said the fins don't think so. the swedes don't think so. the baltic countries don't think so and the fins and the swedes know russia. finland has a long border with russia. they know russia better than any of us. and they decided to join nato. they haven't been in nato for almost 75 years. why did they decide to join this year? it wasn't just a coincidence. oh, yeah, let's join nato. no. they know what's coming. they see the danger of our

failure to stop vladimir putin in ukraine. maya angelou said if someone tells you who they are, you should believe them. putin has told us who he is. he's an autocrat. he's an authoritarian. and he wants to rebuild the soviet union. and i believe he wouldn't stop there. i don't have much doubt that if in 2022 when those russian tanks were headed for kyiv if they had succeeded. if zelenskyy had run and if they had succeeded in dismantling and amputating the head of the russian government, of the -- of the ukrainian government, the people of the baltic states, lithuania, latfiya, estonia would also be facing threats from russia. we have to take him at his word. he doesn't like the west.

he despises the west. he thinks nato is an aggressive alliance, somehow designed to invade or otherwise threaten russia. nato doesn't want to invade russia. nato wants to keep the lines where they are. and that's one of the significances of the invasion of ukraine. it was the first crossing of a border of this nature since world war ii. the lines in europe had been drawn. he crossed into a separate country. he doesn't like the concept of democracy. he doesn't like the rule of law. he has a nostalgic view of the soviet union. mr. president, what we're looking at here is an important piece of a global struggle that is really the struggle of the 21st century, in my opinion. it's the struggle between the idea of democracy and the rule of law and authoritarianism and

totalitarianism. that's what's going on here. ukraine is the opening wedge in that debate. i hate to call it a debate. it's a conflict where we've got authoritarianism and totalitarianism and they are saying, chicago jing ping and putin and others are saying our system can't work. it's too messy, too complicated. it takes too long to make decisions. and they're betting, they're betting that we don't have the staying power that our democracy is too feckless to stick to our guns, in this case literally. we'd be rewarding naked aggr aggression. sudetenland in 1938, the lesson we learned from the 30's is appeasing dictators, appeasing authoritarians just doesn't work. but it wouldn't only embolden .

many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are gravely concerned about the future of ta taiwan. it's inevitable that if we cut and run in ukraine, that will change xi jingping's calculus about taiwan. he's going to say well, the americans aren't going to stick. we don't have to worry too much about them helping the fine niece ee-taiwanese defend themselves. it's going to make it easier for him to make that decision because he's going to look and take a lesson. we aren't as good as our word. we left. we walked away. he's watching this like a hawk and not a very friendly hawk at that. you know who else is watching this like a hawk? kim jong-un. he's making threatening noises about south korea and the war on the pa lynns la, the last few days. you don't think he's not paying attention to what we're doing or

not doing in ukraine? it will be a signal to him. you can't count on those americans, can't count on them sticking with the south koreans against aggression from the north. it will embolden iran. it will be the most -- i hate to use the word catastrophe because that's what putin used, but it would be a catastrophe for this country. it would also shatter the confidence of our allies and our commitments. our asymmetric advantage in the world right now is allies. china has customers. we have allies. russia has iran and north korea. we have allies across the world. but our allies are going to say well, wait a minute. you're with us now but when the going gets tough and you have to maybe have a budget supplemental to stick with us, you're going

to walk away. it's going to undermine the confidence of our allies and in places like japan and south korea, they may say we can't count on the americans to defend us. therefore, maybe we better develop our own nuclear arms, for example. maybe we can't count on the famous american nuclear umbrella proliferation, heightened tension, a higher likelihood of these unthinkable weapons being used. the other reason that we can't walk away is we're undermining our ability to negotiate and make deals in the future. who the heck is going to deal with us if they know we can't be trusted? we can't keep our word? people who■on't keep their word, nobody wants to deal with them. nobody wants to make agreements. nobody wants to make concessions. nobody wants to work together. we'll be your ally when times are good but don't count on us

when it gets tough. don't count us if it's not easy. don't count on us when times are tough. what an awful thing, what an incredible wound, self-inflicted wound on this country, not only on our moral standing but on our just practical because the allies are going to go their own way because they'll say we can't be trusted. we would be abandoning the people of ukraine who are literally dying for our values. i was doing a little historic research the other day. the battle of yorktown, the battle that end the revolutionary war and really made america, it was the key battle. it was the french fleet that bottled up cornwall las at new yorktown. it was a french army along with the continental army that won

the battle of quorum calltown. what if the french had said it's going on too long, this war is going on too long, we're just going to leave, we're going to walk away? there's a reasonable chance we wouldn't be the united states of america today if our ally had walked away. ally means somebody you can count on. the whole idea of an alliance is that you can count on somebody when the times are tough. we're sending ammunition. they're sending lives. and by the way, there's not much doubt if we cut and run, if we stop, if we cut off aid, it would be very difficult for the ukrainians to continue to defend themselves. the -- russia is a bigger country. it has a bigger war machine, a bigger army, more wherewithal in terms of munitions. let's not kid ourselves. we can't -- if we walk away this

w week, it's highly likely that russia will control ukraine within a few months. we can't -- we can't have this fantasy that somehow this isn't a big deal and oh, it will all get fixed. we're sending ammunition. they're sending lives. they're not asking us to fight their battles. they're not asking us to send troops. all they're issing is -- they're asking is for the means to defend themselves. and bay the way, most -- by the way, most of the money we're talking about ends up going back into the economy for the arms and ammunition we're sending them. it ends up back in our states, in our communities. what's another argument not to do it? corruption. i hear this. corruption. i've been there. i spent an entire day in kyiv and my principle mission was what about corruption?

how serious is it? and met with everybody from zelenskyy to officials that were running software to keep track of every bullet that goes into their effort. i'm satisfied that it's one of the best and strongest and most closely accounted for provisions of aid ever. does that mean it's perfect or there might not be a scandal here i don't think there will be, but nothing is ever perfect. but i looked president zelenskyy in the eye. my question was, if you have a scandal, mr. president, it's going to kill us. we can't support you. and i was -- i didn't know what he was going for say but his answer was, i know. and they are working on that. and by the way, another point that i think is important is who is supporting -- i hear this.

we're giving all the money. what about the rest of europe? well, actually, here's the chart of support for ukraine. here's poland and here's the united states. we're number 14 in percentage of gdp in support of ukraine. the blue line is actual military and financial support. the gray line is refugees. in poland they've taken in millions of refugees. they're in their schools, in their communities. they've made an enormous commitment. it's up to 2.5% of their gdp. we're at.3. the idea that nobody else is contributing and europe isn't doing its part is just bunk. i think that's very important to consider. mr. president, democracy matters. values matter.

freedom of expression, the rule of law matter, and that's what's at stake. that's the point i'm trying to make. this is a historic struggle between authoritarianism, arbitrariness, surveillance, and the radical idea that people can govern themselves. that's what this is all about. this is a battle for the soul of our democracy in the world. democracy is history. it's unusual -- the norm is dictators, pharaohs, emperors, kings. what we're doing in this country is an anomaly but it's a glorious idea. it's a huge, radical idea. it was radical in 1776. it had to be fought for in 1865. and it had to be fought for in

the plains of europe and the pacific and world war ii. it's worth fighting for. and in this case we don't even have to do the fighting. we just have to supply the arms and ammunition. so i have a question for my colleagues. when the history of this day is written, as it surely will be, do you really want to be recorded as being on the side of vladimir putin? all those in favor of putin, say aye. that's what's at stake here. or on the side of china, as they contemplate the invasion of taiwan. all those in favor of innovating taiwan, say aye. no. we don't want thatoing to recor this vote as one of the most important votes that any of us have ever made. one final note, my wife says i say finally too much, it gets

people's hopes up, but i'll say fin finally. people say, well, secure our border before we worry about ukraine's border. okay. a group of the best of our senate have been working on that for months. apparently, they've come to an agreement. i'm told by those who know that it's the strongest border security legislation in something like 40 years. so we got that. you wants to secureur border before we do ukraine? hey, we can do both in this bill. we can do them both in this bill. if we don't do the border now, who knows when this opportunity will come again? the dictators are betting we can't do it. they our system. they're betting that democracy can't work, that we can't make tough decisions and tough commitments and live up to them. i want to stand on the side of

resisting authoritarian, on the side of democracy, on the side of the values that the country has stood for and that people have been fighting for for 250 years. there's a wonderful hymn that we sing in my church, and it starts like this, and it just seemed to me to fit the situation so well, once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth with fa falsehood for the good or evil side. this is our moment. once to every man and woman and nation comes the moment to decide. on december 1, 1862, in the midst of the civil war, abraham lincoln came to the congress, and he was trying to shake them out of the politics -- out of the politics, and by the way, politics is what we're talking about, politics, to focus on the

crisis of the civil war. and what it really meant. he wanted to bring home to the members of congress, and here's how he ended that speech, december 1, 1862, here's what abraham lincoln said -- my fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. we of this congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. no personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. the fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. the fiery trial through which we passed will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. mr. president, i deeply hope we

choose honor. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: madam president, a huge thanks to my colleague from maine and for his scholarly and passionate presentation of the challenge that we face at this moment. and as he summarized then, may we choose honor and sustain our

support and partnership with the people of ukraine. thank you. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate consider the following nominations en bloc -- 181 and 487 through 5050, and all nominations on the secretary's desk in the air force, army, foreign service, marine corps, navy, and space force. that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. merkley: madam president, i have nine requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. merkley: i ask unanimous consent to verbate the order of december 20, 2023, with respect to s.j. res. 50. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: i ask name consent that the order of january 22, 2024, with respect to to the veto message on s.j. res. 38 be modified so that the date for consideration be prior to february 29, 2024, with all other previous provisions remaining in effect. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 1568, which was received from the house. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 1568 to amend the tariff act of 1930 to protect personally identifiable information, and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. merkley: i ask name

consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. merkley: i ask name consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 538, which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 538, commending blue mountain christian university for 150 years of service to the state of mississippi and the united states. the presiding officer: without objection. the senate will proceed. mr. merkley: i ask name consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: i ask name consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 539, submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 539 supporting the contributions of catholic schools in the united states and celebrating the 50th annual national catholic schools week. the presiding officer: without objection. the senate will proceed.

mr. merkley: i ask name consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: i ask name consent that when the senate completes its business today it stand adjourned until 11:00 a.m. on thursday, february 1, that following the prayer and pledge the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed, that upon the conclusion of morning business the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the wang nomination. further, that notwithstanding rule 22, the cloture motions filed during yesterday's session ripen at 11:30 a.m., that following the cloture vote on the wang nomination, the senate immediately vote on cloture on the laroski nomination, and that if cloture is invoked on the laroski nomination all time be considered expired and the confirmation vote be at a time

to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the republican leader. further, that if cloture is invoked on the wang nomination, all time be considered expired at 1:45 p.m. finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during thursday's session the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until

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