the speaker pro tempore: witt. the gentleman is recognized. mr. mccaul: madam speaker, the october 7 massacre was a cruel,

barbaric, and bloody as anything i have ever seen. hamas unleashed pure evil on israel that day. the hamas terrorists filmed themselves committing brutal atrocities because they were so proud of their barbaric acts. in fact, in just hours, they murdered 1,200 innocent people and took over 250 hostages, including americans. i say this to remind my colleagues of the moral clarity that we as a body felt in the aftermath of these brutal attacks. it was obvious to us then that hamas was ruthless. it was obvious to us that hamas needed to be eradicated toen sure israel's security. and it was obvious to us that hamas would fight dirty and use innocent civilians as human shields. and it was obvious to us that

israel had no choice but to win this war and end the perpetual terrorist threat. we all, republicans and democrats, spent those weeks talking about our steadfast support for israel, our iron-clad commitment. in fact, mr. meeks and i introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning hamas in support of israel, which had more cosponsors than any other resolution in the history of the congress. however, today i'm deeply disappointed that for some in this country and for the administration, that that moral clarity has faded, that the iron-clad commitment apparently is not, in fact, iron clad. in an about-face, the biden administration is now withholding critical arms necessary for israel to win this war. this administration wants to

dictate how israel executes the war that they were thrust into. they did not ask for this war. they did not start this war t. hamas started this war. just recently, though, president biden said, "if they go into rafah, i'm not supplying the weapons, period." that would be similar for us, madam speaker, to say during world war ii my father's war "you can invade all the way up to berlin, but you can't go into berlin to finish the job." imagine if we had done that with our allies back then. israel is in a fight for its very existence. this administration's public break with israel has only made negotiations and victory more difficult. rafah is a final key military objective to complete the mission against hamas.

israel has effectively eradicated 19 battalions throughout gaza, yet four remain in rafah. this is the last stage of the military operation, and it keeps getting delayed and delayed and delayed. we know that hamas is exploiting this cease-fire and using the negotiation process just to buy more time. hamas has established a network of tunnels that total over 300 miles in gaza. these tunnels of terror, where they holed up, ready to strike israel at the first opportunity. their use of tunnels is why israel must use these larger bombs, to destroy their command and control centers and eliminate the terrorists that find refuge in them. by the way, contrary to what's been said publicly, these bombs,

when applied with the kits, can become precision-guided weapons. precision means just that, precise. it goes straight to the target without collateral damage. and it does indeed protect innocent civilians. we know that the head of hamas is somewhere around these tunnels, and taking him out is critical to defeating hamas. madam speaker, as the saying goes, war is hell, war is horrific, war is messy. nobody wants war. but israel did not start this war. hamas did. and sadly, civilian casualties are part of urban warfare. israel has limited this number greatly and is opening all routes for humanitarian assistance. this, is despite the fact that

hamas are the ones who use human shields, hide behind hospitals and schools, and put civilians in harm's way. it was hamas that destroyed the check point on october 7, significantly impeding aid from getting into gaza. and since then, they've repeatedly attacked another check point that serves as a major artery of aid into gaza. egypt also is currently delaying aid through the rafah check point. just the other day, i sue a video of ham -- i saw a video of hamas killing their own people. palestinian children simply trying to get food out of the trucks as they gunned down their own people. until israel finishes the last major operation to remove hamas from power, to defeat the remaining battalions that are in rafah, we will never have the peaceful resolution that

everybody wants. for until rafah is destroyed and hamas is destroyed, we will not be able to get to the peace talks with the saudis and israel and the other arab nations that everyone is so optimistic about. i can only think of one purpose to withhold these weapons. this administration is more concerned about a small vocal wing of activists than the iron-clad commitment that they talked about to stand by israel. under this administration, i've noticed a disturbing trend, a trend where we turn our backs on our allies and fall short of the promises we make. that is why this legislation is so important. it will ensure the weapons are delivered to israel, and it will reassure our allies that when america makes a commitment, we keep it. think about this, madam speaker. what kind of a message is this

sending both to our allies and friends and our adversaries and enemies? to our allies, it send a message of we cannot be trusted. to our adversaries, it send a message that they no longer fear us. it does not send a message of deterrence. it send a message of weakness and invites conflict, aggression, and now, yes, war. for imagine if iran cut off its weapons to hezbollah and cut off its weapons to the houthi rebels. what would be said of iran? what would be our impression? they believe they have achieved victory, madam speaker, without a shot fired, a victory handed to them by this administration, tying the hand of israel, one hand behind its back, as it moves into the final stages of

the war to complete its final mission. prime minister netanyahu says i will do this alone if i have to. he should not have to do this alone. we need to stand with our ally, israel, stand with her, and stand with her to defeat this terrorist organization hamas and bring a final closure and a peaceful resolution to the middle east. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as i may assume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i strongly oppose h.r. 8369. mr. meeks: it is a cynical political exercise by my g.o.p. colleagues to attempt to sow division and use the united

states-israel relationship and american security assistance to advance their own political agenda. despite what you have heard and will hear from the other side of the aisle today, there is no bigger champion for israel's long-term security as a jewish state than president joe biden. like me, the president is committed to eliminating hamas and that is clear by what took place recently when he defended, along with other alike, israel from an iran an attack. he visited israel during war time. he has delivered unprecedented aid. and to suggest that he's abandoning or harming israel is absurd. he's been with israel as a

senator, as a vice president and as a president. and to insinuate that now all of a sudden he's not with israel is not true at all. i hear my republican colleagues arguing that lev ranging a -- leveraging a 2,000-pound ball should not have been done publicly. well, that approach has not worked. for months. the biden administration publicly and privately urged israel not to launch a major offense in rafah without credible plans to avoid mass casualties. and to try to evacuate palestinians to a safe space.

the united states has also repeatedly pressed israel to cease using large warhead ordinance that result in excessive civilian casualties in densely populated civilian areas. humanitarian, our values, to try to save independent lives. not save -- innocent lives. not saving hamas but trying to save innocent men, women and children while we pursue hamas. not cutting off all weapons. cutting off these huge bombs. that kill innocent individuals, but utilize munitions that are more appropriate for urban warfare to get hamas.

to date israel has present nod plan to mitigate civilian harm. or commitment to not using the 2,000-pound bombs in rafah. and to the contrary, what we heard was prime minister netanyahu last week had repeatedly affirmed israel's plans for an all-out assault on rafah. that is when the biden administration confirmed it would temporarily hold a small number of large warhead bombs so that they would not be used in rafah. my republican friends also seem to think that president biden's actions are unprecedented. but there is a history of the united states withholding certain security assistance to

israel. many of my g.o.p. colleagues call themselves reagan republicans. so, recall that president reagan did the exact same thing based on concerns with israel's military actions on two occasions in 1981 and 1982. these 2,000-pound bombs in question can create a crater up to 50 feet wide and 36 feet deep when dropped. and they have a lethal fragmentation to a radius the size of multiple football fields. such bombs have no place in urban combat. not in gaza, not in rafah, one of the most densely populated areas on the planet. and the united states has a duty, an obligation under law to make sure our weapons are not

disproportionately killing civilians. and as far as this bill, h. h.r. 8369, prohibits the biden administration from exercising its executive branch prerogative in holding or suspending u.s. arm transfers to israel, including these large warhead munitions, and any other defense article. it also forces the administration to deliver any such item to israel within 15 days of enactment if the administration is unable to comply -- enactment. if the administration is unable to comply, it freezes significant funds at the state department and the national security council budgets. according to the defense department itself, and i quote, withholding these defense-wide operations and maintenance funds would jeopardize d.o.d.'s ability to fulfill its constitutional obligation to

defend the united states of america which could cause significant harm to the united states' national security. further, these budgetary freezes would undermine u.s. defense leadership when we are simultaneously competing in the indo-pacific, supporting ukraine in its fight against russia's war of aggression, and working with our partners in sub-saharan africa on security challenges. again, this is all tremendously dangerous for what? for our own national security. the bill also includes a blatantly political attack on military officers, hardworking civil servants and u.s. government employees by mandating inspector general investigations into individuals, not agencies or departments, and orders the withholding of their salaries in a plit sietzed witch

hunt -- politicized witch hunt. all of these concerns would have been made clear had my republican colleagues not rushed this bill through without any kind of regular order, had it been marked up in the foreign affairs committee we would have been able to highlight that this legislation undercuts a number of crucial existing united states laws that are in the foreign affairs committee's jurisdiction. including the arms export control act, the leahy law, the executive branch policies, including the conventional arms transfer policy and the national security memorandum 20. so let me repeat. president biden paused one arms shipment, one, and the president continues to focus on freeing the hostages. put the onus on hamas to reach a deal and supports israel's right to eradicate hamas. that is the position of

president joseph r. biden. let's be clear about it. so in conclusion, consider the facts. and the context. we should oppose this bill moving forward because it is not good for israel and it's not good for the united states of america. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. let me just say first, with respect to the first president, i had the honor to vote for ronald reagan. in 1982 it was concluded that israel was violating u.s. and international laws by their use of cluster ammunitions. in this case, the biden administration actually concluded in a national security memo that israel was not violating u.s. and international laws. yet the president still announced his plans to withhold all defensive weapons to israel.

very different situation. and i wanted to rectify and clarify the record on that. with that, i yield five minutes to the author of this bill, the gentleman from california, mr. calvert, the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: jacht california is recognized. mr. calvert: -- the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this act. this bill reverses president biden's misguided attempts to withhold vital security assistance to israel as they fight to defend the citizens from terrorists. just last week we observed holocaust remembrance day. commemorating the six million jews who were murdered by nazi germany. the memory of those lives horrifically taken endures 80 years since the end of the holocaust. a plaque at auschwitz states, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. mr. speaker, we can never forget. on october 7, 2023, hamas terrorists launched a massive,

unprovoked war on israel. killing 1,200 innocent people, taking 240 hostages, including american citizens. it was the worst attack on the jewish people since the holocaust. israeli people are still reeling from the barbaric attacks on that day. unable to begin healing while still separated from their loved ones taken hostage and determined to ensure no further innocent israeli lives are taken by radical terrorists. over the past six months, israel has been repeatedly attacked by iran, terrorist proxy groups, hezbollah, hamas and the houthis. each one of these groups has vowed repeatedly to destroy the state of israel. the only reason these attacks have been unsuccessful is because of israel's robust military -- and because of their missile defense capability. honed by years of defending

itself from attacks, hamas and others who seek the end of the jewish state have not run out of weapons, resources or will power. in this unprovoked conflict they started, they are using none of these things to defend innocent civilians, preferring to use them instead as human shields. hamas has made a choice. a choice to continue the the conflict by tormenting their hostages and hiding behind civilians. it is time to stop appeasing terrorists and provide israel with the weapons and support necessary to end this war. the united states affirmed our resolve to stand with israel less than a month -- when we passed the supplemental appropriations for israel just last month with strong bipartisan support. this message could not have been clearer. astoundingly last week "the washington post" reported that president biden ordered a pause

on weapons ready for delivery to israel. literally on the truck ready to be sent to israel, to the airport and flown out to israel immediately. weapons that were previously approved by congress and the administration. these include 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 500 pound bombs that are intended to strike hamas' intensive tunnel network. it was also -- extensive tunnel network. it was also reported the administration was reviewing a planned transfer of joint attack munition kits which would bring precision to the fight and help minimize civilian casualties. the biden administration is ignoring the fact that the state of israel is surrounded by people who want to destroy them. iran does not recognize israel and called for its elimination. hamas is committed to the destruction of israel and hezbollah's primary goal is the

elimination of israel. iran and its proxies are deterred through strength, which is why the u.s. must continue to provide weapons to israel. unable to deter iran, hamas, hezbollah or any other nefarious actor seeking to attack the jew inner -- jewish state, the biden administration instead is suppressing a close ally. members on both sides of the aisle have called for president biden to reverse his decision. the administration should not ignore the will of congress, as evidenced through the overwhelming bipartisan legislative action. unfortunately the biden administration decision made it necessary for me along with the appropriations committee chairman, tom cole, state and foreign operations subcommittee chairman mario diaz-balart, financial services and general government subcommittee chairman david [newline]johns., to introduce -- joyce, to introduce

this act. this bill prevents the defense and state department from withholding the delivery of weapons to israel. requires the administration to ensure prompt delivery of weapons to israel. mandates that anything with held from delivery to israel be delivered within 15 days and withholds funds until they are delivered. requires all assistance for israel to be obligated within 30 days. requires the inspector general to report on actions by executive branch officials to withhold security assistance to israel. it also includes comprehensive reporting on weapons deliveries to israel to ensure congressional -- mr. mccaul: i yield an additional 30 seconds. mr. calvert: mr. speaker, it's appalling that this legislation is necessary. the reaction of the biden administration proves that it is. a veto threat, $1 billion of unrelated aid package, was y announced almost simultaneously once it became clear the house intended to take action on that this week. with that, mr.

with that, mr. speaker, i urge support and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: thank you, mr. speaker. let me correct the record. president biden never said, as i hear my colleagues saying that he is suspending all weapons to israel. he said specifically the 2,000-pound bombs that causes death to innocent palestinians, that is the only thing that was paused here. not all weapons. and now i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, representative sherman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sherman: my pro-israel efforts began long before my 28 years on the foreign affairs committee, and i believe that my pro-israel record is as long and as strong as any member of this house. i rise to oppose this pseudo pro-israel bill.

it purports to deal with this issue of 2,000-pound bombs accident as the ranking members pointed out, suspensions occurred all under reagan and ford. but more significantly, this is just a communicative act. it has no significance. israel already has such a large stockpile of 2,000 and similar weapons that the administration is going to be providing many thousands of kittle to turn those -- of kits to turn those kits into smart bombs. the chair is working with several of us on a much better response to this suspension, and i look forward to that, working its way through the committee. no one should be tempted to vote for this bill. there will be a better bill. this bill does nothing to help israel strategically, but it attacks israel at its two weakest points. the first is bipartisan support. israel has one friend in the

world it cannot afford to have only one-half of one friend. we saw that bipartisan support where 85% of democrats and 85% of republicans voted to provide israel with $14 billion of extraordinary aid, but this resolution has poison pills, including condemning biden by name in a clear incident to get as little democratic support as possible. second, this bill attacks israel's international image. israel, in fact, meets american international standards for minimizing civilian casualties. but what this bill does is it exempts israel from the similar laws. in effect, declaring from this congress to the world that israel can't meet the standard. israel is doing at least as good a job as any military in the history of urban warfare. the report from the biden administration wasn't as clear as it should be on that, but it reached the right conclusion. congress should not step forward

and exempt israel from a test that israel clearly meets. that's poison on the international stage. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is expired. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. d diaz-balart. mr. diaz-balart: i rise in strong support of this act. the reason we're here is because the biden administration, despite all the rhetoric, has broken its so-called iron-clad commitment to israel by halting shipments of weapons at a time when israel needs them the most. weapons not only that israel has asked for, but that president biden himself asked congress to provide. so this administration's argument is that, well, the bill undermines the president's ability to "execute an effective

foreign policy." does anyone really believe that this administration has an effective foreign policy? do i need to remind folks of what former secretary of defense, mr. gates, said of mr. biden, that he's been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy national security issue over the last four decades? you see, what the administration doesn't get, doesn't understand, mr. speaker, is what an effective foreign policy requires. it requires having the ability to distinguish allies from enemies. those fighting for their lives in self-defense versus terrorists seeking to kill, to harm, and to destroy them. israel must do what is necessary, to eradicate that deprived terrorist group hamas. hamas, a proxy of terrorist state iran, the same iran which also, for the first time ever, under the weakness of this administration, directly

attacked israel. israel needs these weapons to eradicate the terrorists, who have vowed the destruction of israel and israel needs it to protect itself and its people. withholding vital resources jeopardized not e not only israel's ability to defend itself, but also our national security by harming and weakening our strongest ally. in the biden administration's veto threat, mr. speaker, it says that the rationale was to prevent unintended consequences with no other explanation, by the way. what about the likely consequences of failure to fully support israel now when they need it? does the administration doubt that hamas will seize any opening, any opportunity to further maim and torture and kill? congress approved the supplemental in a bipartisan way, and we expect the administration to follow the law and to deliver. we cannot stand by while the biden administration tries to

force israel to fight for its very own existence with one hand tied behind its back. i want to thank my colleagues, chairman calvert, chairman cole, chairman joyce, and i want to thank the speaker and leader scalise for bringing this very important bill to the floor. it is time to tell the administration keep your word, support israel, follow the law, send the weapons that you, mr. president, and israel has requested. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. mcmeeks: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong opposition to this political bill. this is not about policy. it's about politics. what a shame.

this is not in israel's best interests. it's not in this congress' best interests. the gentleman who just spoke spoke with passion and immediacy and urgency. unfortunately, house republican leadership has sought to turn it into a partisan issue on multiple occasions. this legislation is their latest attempt. they claim president biden is delaying some portion of aid. where was that outrage, i ask my colleagues, where was the outrage? when on november 2, you brought a bill to this floor with a poison pill that you knew would not pass and would not be signed by the president of the united states. if it had been a clean bill as i told you then, it would have passed with over or approximately 400 votes.

but you waited seven months, not 20 days, seven months. where was the outrage when we waited seven months to give israel aid? and by the way, we delayed on ukraine as well. where was the outrage? i was told over and over again, well, the speaker is going to bring it to the floor sometime. he says he's going to bring it to the floor. seven months. one, two, three, time went by. where was the outrage then? this is a political bill that does not help israel, does not help america, and should be defeated. i urge a no vote. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to direct their comments to the chair. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from

texas, m. self, a member. foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. self: as a special operator in the united states army, our commitment to each other was to leave no man behind. our commander in chief does not hold to that doctrine. president biden has not only turned his back on our ally, israel, he has also abandoned the americans still being held hostage by hamas. my fellow americans, this used to mean something. u.s. citizens have been held by terrorists for over 220 days. very reminiscent of the waning days of the democrat carter administration when american hostages were left in iran for 444 days. they were releapsed just minutes after president reagan took the oath of office. i pray the hostages in gaza will not suffer at the hands of hamas

for another 224 days. we don't even hear the biden administration mentioning american hostages. make no mistake, president biden is aiding and abetting hamas terrorists instead of supporting israel. i can just imagine the tris playing an endless loop of democrat sound bites to the hostages, saying your president is on our side, with headlines like, and i quote, "biden just betrayed israel and rewarded hamas." u.s. withholding sensitive intelligence on hamas from israel. biden admin wants israeli forces to get out of gaza. pentagon chief confirms u.s. pause on weapons shipments to israel. while our commander in chief signals weakness to the world

and support to terrorists, i'm here to send a message to those being held hostage. you are not forgotten. congress must fight to get you out in spite of obstacles put in place by democrats and terrorists. we must support israel's right to eradicate hamas, and we must bring our hostages home immediately. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. members are remind to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i proudly yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, the member of the house foreign affairs committee, representative schneider. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. schneider: mr. speaker, today is the 223rd day since hamas slaughtered more than 1,200 people, including 45 americans. more than 250 people were taken

hose damage, 132 are still held, including eight americans. after october 7, president biden immediately stepped in to help the jewish state. 11 days after the attacks, he traveled to israel, the first president to do so in wartime. he dispatched two carrier strike groups and sent hundreds of shipments of weapons to israel. when iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at israel, the u.s. worked with our allies to defeat that attack. president biden and secretaries blinken and austin have repeatedly clarified that u.s. support for israel is iron clad. and they continue to match those words with action. this week, they approved northerly $100 billion in armed sales to israel. while the administration is doing everything in its power to support our allies, republicans in congress play politics. the early weeks of the gaza war, they tried to condition aid to israel on republican cuts to i.r.s. funding. it took fully six months after

october 7 for republicans to finally put the emergency security funding on the floor. it passed overwhelmingly with 366 votes. the delay was clearly partisan. let me be clear. it is wrong to withhold even just one shipment of weapons to israel in its fight, as it fights an existential, multipronged war. it is ok for friends to disagree, but we must not send mixed signals to israel's enemy about u.s. support for the mission to end hamas' reign of terror over gaza, to eliminate the threat to israel, and to bring the hostages home. sadly, speaker johnson's approach is different. he drafted a partisan bill with no path forward. it didn't even go through the foreign affairs committee where we could have fixed it. i can't imagine anyone in this body believing that automatically zeroing occupant the budget for the departments of state, defense, and the national security council in the case of delayed arms is a good

idea. it is a terrible, dangerous idea, and it's the reason i must vote against this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and an original cosponsor of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, on december 8, 1941, franklin roosevelt stood in this very hall and asked for a declaration of war against the government that had attacked our fleet the day before pearl harbor, and he solemnly pledged to win through to absolute victory. on october 7, hamas targeted and butchered innocent and unarmed women and children. . israel not only has a right to defeat hamas, but a moral duty to do so. it can only end with the

unconditional surrender of hamas. the sooner that day comes, the better for all humanity. to hasten that day the president requested and the congress provided the precision bombs and other munitions that israel needs to quickly bring this war to an end while minimizing civilian casualties. and now that same president is withholding that aid while sending billions of dollars of supplies into gaza before hamas has surrendered. this act is treacherous and it must not stand. this measure says so. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: let me just say this quickly, mr. speaker. the gentleman, one of the speakers before him said, democrats are against israel. that shows how political this is. democrats and republicans have always been with israel. and to try to distort and say

democrats are against shows it's just partisan. argument, not for the benefit of israel but trying to play politics with this issue. with that i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, the ranking member of the western hemisphere subcommittee, the honorable joaquin castro. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. castro: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in opposition to h.r. 8369, because joe biden did the right thing. he made the right decision. the united states is a friend to the people of israel. the united states is not a rubber stamp to an extremist prime minister who has not prioritized the release of hostages. who has allowed for indiscriminate killings in gaza, and put his own political survival above all else. chairman mccaul said something i think was very important. after october 7, the world stood

with israel. expressed support for israel. i believe all of us did. in a bipartisan way. so what has happened since then? prime minister netanyahu has ruined the world's support. he's done so by not focusing on the hostages, but by allowing his military to bomb hospitals, ambulance convoys, people's homes. to take out journalists, aid workers, including americans. the moral compass does not bend in favor of one nation regardless of what it does. that's why the president has done what he has done. the president's leverage matters. when president biden has taken steps to exercise his leverage, we have seen immediate results. last month president biden told israel to open the crossing in

northern gaza. three days ago dozens of w.f.p. flower trucks entered in the crossing bringing desperately needed food to starving families. after the president paused a 2000-bomb shipment, less than 1% of total weapons shipment to israel, the israeli defense minister raised concerns for the first time that netanyahu has no plan to rescue the hostages or establish a functioning palestinian government in gaza. so this in many ways is our last chance. we must do the right thing ourselves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. clyde, a member of the committee on appropriations. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. mr. clyde: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 8369, the israel security assistance support act. this critical bill ensures defense articles and services

are delivered quickly to our steadfast ally, israel, as they face unprecedented threats from hamas, hezbollah, the houthis, and high ran. on october 7, iran-backed hamas terrorists brutally attacked israel, murdering, raping, and torturing more than 1,200 innocent villains and abducting over 240 others to gaza as hostages, including american citizens. the following month since this unprovoked terrorist attack, israel has continued to be under constant assault by iran and its proxies. we must support our ally, israel, and ensure that they have the weapons they need to defend themselves, including the small arms, the 50,000 rifles that the israeli government has on order that is being held up by our state department. and the precision guided munitions. it's doublespeak, it's unconscionable that the biden administration complains about civilian collateral damage when they are withholding the exact

munitions that minimize civilian collateral damage. h.r. 8369 would ensure that all previously approved arms transfers to israel can move forward without interruption. as well as prohibit funds from being used to stop or cancel the shipment of defense items to israel. in addition t. would require the timely shipment of any items that have been stopped or delayed by president biden and the biden administration to be sent within 15 days after enactment. i urge my colleagues to join me in passing this critical legislation. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i'm proud to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from florida, representative debbie wasserman schultz. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized for two minutes. ms. wasserman schultz: thank yo- ms. wasserman schultz: i rise in strong opposition to this bill, despite what the authors claim, threatening to defund our national security and torch the

u.s.-israel relationship. it's being done to score cheap political points. we are accustomed to republicans bringing up nonsensical bills from the fact they blocked vital aid to israel for six months. last week i spoke out against the delayed weapons shipment and urged the u.s. and israel to resolve this agreement privately to maintain the united front. the white house and israel are now clear that those weapons are not needed for the rafah operation. and just this week, the biden administration finalized more than $1 billion 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. but this isn't another nonbinding resolution. this dangerous 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 iran missile onslaught. this bill imbarrels our diplomats who work nonstop to get hostages released.

undercut american security undercuts israel security. a plan to defund u.s. national security agencies that send assistance, share intelligence, and help defeat hamas is how you cut off your nose to spite your face. october 7 made clear israel's needs can evolve overnight. i won't abide by republicans holding our national security hostage so they can micromanage our commander in chief and fayne how pro-israel and pro-military they are. if you don't like the president holding up one shipment for a week, i don't, you should be livid about speaker johnson holding up all military aid for six months. i wouldn't allow stunts to masquerade as bipartisan support for israel. sop the games. israel needs real consistent support, not republican users who repeatedly made it clear that israel cannot count on them. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. kiley. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute mr. kiley: mr. speaker, i stand in strong support of the israel

security assistance support act. president biden's threat to withhold aid from israel is reckless, unjustifiable, and indecent. it flies in the face of the bipartisan support this house recently showed for continuing support of israel. the american public understands the importance of the american-israel relationship. how it is in the national security interests of both countries. the american public understands that israel is our long-standing ally, a democracy and region that has very few of them, whereas hamas is a terrorist organization that has committed historic atrocities and would not hesitate to do so again. the president is catering to the most radical elements of his party. the sort of elements that have unleashed chaos on college campuses across this country. it is vitally important that reasonable people on both sides of the aisle come together to reassert our support for israel as it struggles against this terrorist organization.

thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. and the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: mr. speaker, i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from new york, representative dan goldman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. goldman: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise today as a proud american jew who steadfastly supports israel's right to exist as a democratic jewish state and its right to defend itself after hamas' barbaric and unprovoked attack on october 7. the united states must continue to support israel, to defeat hamas, release the hostages, including americans stuck in gaza. and provide all funding, weapons, and intelligence necessary in order to do that. and that is president biden's clear policy as well. this bill does not do any of that. it does not support israel. it does not provide any additional funding, any add

additional weapons, nor any additional support for israel. and even though republicans delayed for six months, i was pleased when this body finally bipartisanly voted to support israel with a supplemental aid package several weeks ago. but this bill is designed to undermine that bipartisan support, which israel desperately needs. as a jew, i am frankly sick and tired of the republican party using israel as a political weapon to divide us. which aids hamas, iran, and israel's enemies. to my republican colleagues i have one simple request, if you truly care about israel, please stop using it as a divisive political pawn. just stop. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield one minute

to the gent the from the great e gentleman from the great state of texas, mr. pfluger, original co-sponsor of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. pfluger: last month congress passed the israel security supplemental with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. now the president is holding security assistance to our ally, israel, hostage. let's not forget hamas is responsible for this massacre on october 7 with over 1,400 people being murdered in the horrific actions that they have taken place. but president biden's decision to withhold weapons from israel is a disgrace that will harm israel's capacity to defend is he. it is yet -- itself. it is another policy failure that will prolong the conflict and make things worse in the middle east. house republicans are leading and showing steadfast commitment to israel, our most important alley in the middle east. but the biden administration is choosing to betray the will of congress. the president doesn't get to pick when he chooses to follow

the law and when he does not. congress acted quickly to reverse this decision and stand with israel. support israelle against -- israel against its enemies. the united states stands with israel and i urge support of this. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i yield one minute to the gentleman from texas, representative lloyd doggett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from the great state of texas is recognized for one minute. mr. doggett: horrified by seeing a baby's arm blown off, the president successfully demanded israeli prime minister halt the bombing. president reagan also halted deliveries of weapons. but today's republicans don't want america to lead, they would defer the decisions about the best course for america to netanyahu and ben. they would place us on a disastrous path of isolation and

greater mideast instability. they attack president biden now for halting delivery of 2, 2,000-pound dumb bombs used in ways he rightly described as indiscriminate bombing that pulverizes large areas and kills and mutilates thousands of innocent women and children. leveling gaza, starving and killing a multitude offers israel no genuine victory over hamas. no end to the cycle of violence. hamas can never be a genuine partner for peace. but netanyahu's so willing to sacrifice the hostages and protect himself. hamas can never be a genuine partner for peace. but netanyahu's so willing to sacrifice the hostages and protect himself is also obstructing peace. limiting the flow of bombs is a constructive step forward toward

assuring long-term security for the families of america, israel, and palestine. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. the gentleman from new york, you are recognized. mr. meeks: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas, you are recognized. mr. mccaul: i may have one more speaker, sir. i do not. i'm prepared to close. and i reserve until the ranking member has closed. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york -- mr. meeks: how much time is left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 7 3/had minutes remaining. mr. mccaul: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized.

mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i said this in the beginning. today in this debate, it's a cynical, partisan exercise by my republican colleagues to attack the biden administration and advance their political agenda. mr. speaker, i've been here for 26 years. any time israel came up previously, we didn't play politics with it. we tried to sit down and work it out and come out unified, democrats and republicans. especially in any foreign policy, one of the things we've done, especially on this committee, is try to work

together so that the other countries of the world did not see a divided america, a unified america with our allies. this is true with, for example, ukraine, after many of my colleagues talked about the delay that took place to pass the supplemental. the whole idea even then was to negotiate together, to try to come out with a bill that showed unity. not play politics with it. not try to say, oh, as we've heard in this debate by that side, oh, the democrats are in cahoots with the terrorists. that's not who we are. that's not who we should be. we should be the united states

congress, talking and working. we're not always going to agree on everything, but to have dialogue and conversation on an issue in a manner that is so serious as this, as we did, as mr. mccaul said correct on october 8, we wanted to make sure that we put a resolution on this floor that over 400 members of the house of representatives, democrats and republicans could support. we didn't start out agreeing on everything in that resolution. we went back and forth and debated, and then we came up with a resolution that we could proudly put on the floor. to say that the united states congress is together, that we're not divided. that's not this bill. we didn't do that on this bill.

we didn't even try. why? politics. politics. in such a crucial time as this. with all that's going on. we will together make sure that we're working together. we were talking to our arab colleagues about normalization with israel. why? because that makes for a better middle east. it's good for israel. it's good for our los angeles lies in the region, and it's good for the united states of america. that's not what this bill is all about. this bill is not good for israel. it's not good for our allies in the region. mr. mccaul is correct when he said we want to make sure that saudi arabia plays and has

normalization with israel, as well as others in the gulf area. speak to them and ask them if this will make the area better. this bill, speak to them and include them in that dialogue. because if we want a better middle east, if we want peace for israel, the jewish state to move forward, where they don't have to worry about a threat, we need to work together, not alone. that's the dialogue and conversation we should be having. that's who we should be as leaders. that's who we should be as the indispensable nation. we should value every human life. we should be concerned when we see people starving, innocent individuals. that shows who we are. that's leadership. that brings people together. that's good for national. that's good for the united

states of america, not this. not this. people are looking all over the world. er who we? who are we? are we just going to continue to divide? are we going to be a nation to decide we can't sit down and talk and work things out? i know we can. mr. mccaul die it all the time -- do it all the time. we just happen to mark up right now 14 bills. in the house foreign affairs committee. didn't start out agreeing, but we worked it out. 14 bills today. all of them bipartisan. that's who we are. that's who we should be. you heard mr. sherman say he's working now on another bill.

that we can work with together. that's who we are. that's who we should be. let's make a difference. let's not play politics on the house floor. let's make a difference. we can do this. we're better than this. we're better than this. i saw today on our committee, and i'm proud of the committee, democrats and republicans, differences that we're talking back and forth, trying to figure out how we can change this and move that so we can pass a bill on this floor, in the committee. i was listening as we were doing certain things, and it made me proud to see how we were working together. so i say to my colleagues on the other side. let's not do this.

we're better than this. especially on issues, i mean, we're going to have our political domestic issues, but not on foreign affairs. let's not play politics here. there's too much at stake. just too much at stake. for us, for others. they expect more from us. let's give them more. let's show them we can work together. let's show them why we're the greatest country this planet has ever seen. because we are the united states of america. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: first let me say in response, i also appreciate our friendship, our partnership, mr. we're very proud of our committee and our committee's

record of working in a very bipartisan manner. mr. speaker, following the holocaust, the world said never again. following the massacre on october 7, this body, through our bipartisan resolution, said never again. when we said that, i thought we meant that. when president biden said to israel after the attacks, "as long as united states stands, we will not let you ever be alone," i thought he meant that. and now in their moment of need, this administration has turned their backs on israel, halting shipments of weapons they desperately need to win. this administration has sowed the seeds of doubt on this nation's commitments to our allies. we abandoned afghanistan to the taliban. we slow walked weapons to

ukraine, giving them just enough to bleed out, but not to win. president biden's decision to withhold weapons approved by myself, the chairman, and the ranking member, and appropriated by congress, defied congressional intent and is tantamount to an arms employee go on. mr. speaker, red lines are meant for our enemies. red lines are not meant for our allies and our friends. but that's precisely what this administration is doing to israel. and what a terrible message to send to our allies. even more dangerous is the message that we are sending to our adversaries. this week marked the 76th anniversary of israel's independence. think about that and the timing of this. the state department released a statement saying, quote, the united states was the first

country to recognize israeli statehood when israel declared independence in 1948. our history of shared democratic values, deep cultural ties and commitment to regional security has provided the basis for our country's strong partnership and friendship, end of quote. a strong partnership and commitment to regional security means standing with our allies, not withholding vital weapons during an unprecedented war and not withholding vital weapons after iran, for god's sake, for the first time in the history of the state of israel firing endless rockets from iran directly into israel. we all want peace and stability in the region. but that cannot happen as long as hamas remains in power. israel remains under attack.

and as their closest ally and partner, we must give them the tools they need to finish the job. the time is now. we cannot wait any longer. it's been delayed enough. and only till that final military objective is completed can we begin in the other phase of this, mr. meeks and i have been looking forward to, and that is working with the saudis and the israelis on a security agreement along with the other arab nations to finally, just maybe bring peace and prosperity to a part of the world that has been at war for so many years, way too long. so i urge my colleagues to support this measure, to stand with israel in its darkest hour,