that struck me when i first started 10 years ago on the foreign relations committee is how big this planet is. it is shrinking, obviously, because of communication and every regionn, but has some kind of a problem. the united states cannot be the policeman of the world. having said that, we also have to pick the places where american interest are very important, and when they are important, we need to step up aggressively and we need to do something about it. i think the united states should continue to promote our values, to promote our shared vision for prosperity, and for human rights all over the world. >> thank you very much. all americans are grateful that this man is the new chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. thank you, chairman jim risch. >> thank you. [applause] ♪

[applause] >> our next guest is a longtime friend of the pro-israel movement, senator kiersten cinema of arizona. [applause] cinema has been a vocal supporter of the u.s.-israel relationship, as she has risen through the arizona state legislature and onto the united states house of representatives. while serving in the house, she took a strong stance on confronting iran's aggression in the middle east, and she voted against the iran nuclear deal. [applause] she joins us today as a new member of the united states senate, where she serves on the homeland security committee. earlier this year, she demonstrated her continued commitment to the u.s.-israel alliance by voting in favor of

the strengthening america's security in the middle east. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming arizona senator kierstin cinema. ♪ [applause] great to see you. thank you so much. take that chair. [applause] we are so thrilled to have you with us tonight, and we want to start with a very simple question. why is the u.s.-israel relationship important to you? >> well, certainly for the areas -- many will know this answer, but for those i haven't had the opportunity to meet, i would start by saying my own experience. i was really privileged years ago to travel to israel and see firsthand what the nature of the u.s.-israel relationship means on the ground, two people living

in israel every single day. i often tell my colleagues that while the relationship is important, because israel is the only democracy in the middle east and our greatest partner -- [applause] relationship is important because it is critical to the long-term national security of the united states. it matters to us that we keep this relationship close. it matters to our country and our future, and it serves as a begin and example to countries all over the world of what democracy partnership in alliance can look like. [applause] talking, i was telling you that my family in central israel spent their morning and a bomb shelter. they were hearing the sirens, the explosions of the rockets fired from gaza. i know you traveled to israel and visited with the affected communities. >> i have.

when i traveled to israel for my second visit ever, which was in the summer of 2013, we visited with communities that live very close to the gaza border. beautiful community. and itted a playground, really hit me that there were bomb shelters on a playground, at an elementary school designed for children ages five to eight. my first career, i was a social worker. i worked in elementary school, helping kids and families deal with life and difficulties and challenges. thatlected that moment while i was focused on having kids and families and their difficult lives, all the years i worked in phoenix, arizona, never once did i have to think about a bomb shelter. never was that i have to think about the immediate physical safety of the children i was working with.

every time i traveled to israel in see the danger that communities live in, it reminds me how important it is that we as members of congress and senators do our part in protecting israel, ensuring she has what she needs to defend herself from these horrific types of attacks. [applause] >> you and i first met at aipac in arizona a couple years back. you know how important it is that aipac educates candidates running for congress, running for office, because the minute they are sworn in, they may have a vote to take that impacts israel. your first vote in the senate was motion to proceed on the bill, the strengthening america's security in the middle east act. you voted yes when many of your colleagues did not, and we want to know why. >> i don't want anyone to get too bored with the political

stuff, but much of what happens in washington today is the result of a broken and dysfunctional system. issues that should be what i call no-brainers, bipartisan, where we all work together and agree with each other, often get tangled up in a partisan morass. that's exactly what happened when i first got to the united states senate. you will recall we were in the midst of a ridiculous, wasteful government shutdown, and there was -- [applause] it was ridiculous. [laughter] and there was an attempt to politicize the united states support for israel in her defense. i was unwilling to allow that politicization to happen. [applause] [laughter] i'm not going to do it. so i chose to vote yes on the legislation because i believe in the legislation. that's it. i believe in it. [applause]

but i do think what we have seen in particular in this session of congress, this extreme escalation of the partisanship and politicization, that first vote we took, for the first entire week in the senate, votes that we will continue to take, provide an opportunity for those of us who are committed to the u.s.'s relationship to push the partisanship aside, focus on the issue, and reconnect with the shared relationship that the u.s. and israel have, and to remind our colleagues and teach others how important this relationship is for national security. [applause] 2015, you are one of two dozen house democratic members to vote against the iran nuclear deal. [applause]

as you look at iran now, what are your thoughts about how the united states should move forward? >> i can talk for a long time about why i voted no on the iran deal, but i spoke with half of the people in this room personally about it, so -- [laughter] for me that was a very important decision. during my service in the house, that was one of the most important votes i cast. i believe that i made the right vote. [applause] i will tell you, a friend of mine came to me about a year later, and he said to me, i just want you to feel better about your vote on the iran deal, because we've looked at it, and it turns out that's the issue that is hurting me the most in my district. this is someone who voted the other direction. i looked at him and said, i don't need to feel better about it, i always felt good about it, it was the right vote.i'm good . [applause]

but the reasons i voted no on the deal are the same reasons i'm concerned about where we are right now. iran is growing as a global superpower, and unfortunately as a result of the deal, it has gained access to cash, to increasing access to global capital, and to normalize relationships with other countries, not just in the middle east but in europe as well. iran is gaining access to weapons, and equally importantly, gaining access to political and financial capital of the world, which means that in five, ten or more years, the threat of iran without very strict controls around it becomes that much more amplified. tohink it is our duty now reach out to our partners in europe as well as other parts of the world to make sure that everyone sees the growing threat from iran, and that we work

together in a coordinated fashion to push back and replace those controls around iran. i remember when we were going through the debate around that legislation. one of my colleagues said to me, 10 years is a long time. and in american politics, 10 years is a long time. but in a country like iran without democratic elections, 10 years as the blink of an eye. they can just hold on until those 10 years and, and during that time, a mass control and become more dangerous. it is our job to work together to make sure they don't have the ability to do that. [applause] >> one of the issues you worked on during your time in the house and the senate was countering terror financing. as you have spoken about that, iran can finance hamas, hezbollah, al qaeda -- how can we do more to crack down on that cash flow? >> i'm so glad you brought that

up, because they are the main source of financing for terrorism in the world. they are not the only source, but they are one of the largest sources. we passed legislation in a bipartisan way that has been signed into law by president trump that has helped make a difference. right now, federal agencies are requiring an annual report where they talk about how we are dealing with counterterrorism financing, how they are using controls and working together to ander track this financing to crack down on the financing outside the u.s. through banking and nonbanking measures. but we are working on the legislation that helps the agencies become more modern. i know, surprising, the federal government is getting modern. one of the things we have to do is help these agencies catch up, become more modern, so we can track these transitions, these transactions as they happen in real time before they make it to their end result, which is in the hands of terrorists. that legislation you will see

moving later this year, it will be bipartisan, we expected to pass, we expect president trump to support it, and it gives our government more tools to not just stop these transactions but trap them as they are beginning to happen so they don't get completed. [applause] tonight, in issue on everybody's mind, the increasing polarization in our politics. do you really made it a point to reach across the political aisle to get things done, on this issue and many issues. why is bipartisanship important to you, and do you feel there's a way to push back against that heightened polarization? >> i'm so glad you've asked this question. if you had asked at the beginning we never would have made it to the other questions, because i could talk about this all night. i firmly believe that the country needs bipartisanship to solve the challenges that we face. [applause]

the problems we have domestically as well as greatationally are too to be handled by one party being in control. we have to rise above that. we have to. we cannot afford the petty politics of the past. i remain firmly committed to engaging in bipartisan action in everything that i do, whether it is standing strong for the u.s.-israeli relationship, or any other issue i work on, because that is what americans deserve. it is what our forefathers did to create the country we enjoy today. it is what we owe to our kids and grandkids so they can have a country to be proud of tomorrow.it is our duty . [applause] fortunate, america is fortunate, senator kiersten cinema, thank you for joining us. [applause] ♪