11.07.23
As Republican Senator seeks to pass House GOP’s misguided, partisan bill providing military aid to Israel and conditioning aid on letting wealthy tax cheats off the hook, Senators reiterate: House Republicans’ bill is going nowhere
***WATCH and READ: Senator Murray’s floor remarks***
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) sought unanimous consent to pass House Republicans’ partisan legislation to provide military aid to Israel—leaving our allies elsewhere behind, failing to provide vital humanitarian aid, and setting a dangerous precedent by conditioning aid for an ally on a “pay-for” that would actually increase the deficit and let billionaire tax cheats off the hook.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, objected to the effort to pass the bill—and led a number of her colleagues on the floor in underscoring the need to pass a comprehensive, bipartisan security package that meets all the pressing national security challenges we face with: aid to Ukraine, Israel, and our partners in the Indo-Pacific, and vital humanitarian assistance.
Here’s what Senators had to say on this issue on the floor today:
Senator Murray: “There are some fundamental flaws in the arguments my colleagues are making for having the Senate do only half of its job. … We should not pit funding for Israel against funding for Ukraine and other needs. … There is strong support here in Congress to address these urgent priorities in one package—and that is exactly what I am working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do now.”
“Our allies in Ukraine can no more afford a delay than our allies in Israel—Ukraine is at a critical point in a brutal war to defend its sovereignty against Putin’s bloody invasion. … Our commitments have to be ironclad. That means we do not abandon our allies in their time of need. Period. Failing to stand by Ukraine now will only embolden Putin, and other dictators looking to trample democracies. We must not give Putin a win and throw Ukraine to the wolves for political expediency. … Our adversaries are watching closely to see whether we have the vision to recognize how these crises are related, and the resolve to come together and respond forcefully to them. We need to send a strong message—and the way we do that is by passing a strong security package.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY): “We also must work together to defend America’s national security around the world by standing with Israel, standing with Ukraine, and increasing our defenses in the Indo-Pacific. And we must provide critical humanitarian assistance, including to civilians in Gaza—who have nothing to do with Hamas—who need food and water and shelter.”
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee: “The House Republican messaging bill represents a misguided attempt to deny needed assistance to Ukraine. It’s not really about helping Israel. It’s about failing to keep our commitments to Ukraine. And we know how dangerous Russian aggression can be, not just with respect to the people of Ukraine, but to the rest of the world. As my colleague said: China is watching. In fact, I think China is paying more attention to Ukraine than the current issue in Israel because Putin’s imperialistic dreams of restoring the Russian empire resonate most closely to Xi Jinping’s imperialist dreams to reunite Taiwan to China. So if we fail in Ukraine, I think that will send a very strong and unfortunate message to China that ‘you can attack, wait the West out, and eventually they’ll concede.’ That’s not good strategy or policy.”
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “Ukraine is the frontline in defense of democracy. We know that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not just aimed at taking over Ukraine—Mr. Putin would not stop with Ukraine. The Baltic states are clearly in his vision. … We can’t ignore Russia and think we’re going to be safe in the Middle East. We need to provide the type of security that would help us with our own national security. … We need a supplemental appropriation package that counters all of these threats—and we need to do it now.”
Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations: “I join my colleagues in standing to speak against a proposal brought to the floor by my colleague from Kansas—a proposal that would move aid to Israel swiftly, but ignore the urgency and the importance of humanitarian aid to countries around the world, of investments to secure our own border, of critical aid to Ukraine.”
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH): “Do we really want to give a green light to Vladimir Putin to continue his revisionist crusade across Europe? … It’s important that we fund this holistic response to address both Israel and Ukraine’s needs, which includes humanitarian support.”
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR): “This bill deliberately throws the republic of Ukraine under the bus by ripping Ukrainian aid out of the emergency supplemental. This bill has a very powerful and consequential impact. It will allow Ukraine to be torn apart by Putin’s invasion. In the process, it will shatter the Atlantic alliance, it will fracture NATO, it will destroy American leadership in defending democracies, and it will empower dictators around the world who conclude that they can outlast the attention span of coalitions of democratic republics when dictators seek to conquer their democratic neighbors.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): “At this moment of danger and peril around the world, we, the United States, must support our friends and democracies that are under attack from brutal adversaries. That means ensuring that Israel has the right to defend itself in the aftermath of the brutal October 7 attack of Hamas. It also means ensuring that the people of Ukraine defend themselves against Putin from Russia. This proposal on the floor today is tantamount to surrendering to Putin’s aggression. This is waving a white flag.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): “As Americans, we believe in government based on the principles of democracy and decency at home and abroad. After World War II, we made it clear that big countries can’t invade little countries. Our fight is not only a fight for Ukraine; it is a fight for protecting democracy across the globe. … Other tyrants in the world are watching. They’re watching if we keep our covenant. They’re watching if we keep our word.”
In remarks earlier this morning, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) also said: “I question what will happen if we don’t support Ukraine. … There’s little question that a Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden not just Putin but other malign actors, notably China. If Russia is successful at taking over part or all of Ukraine, why shouldn’t China think it can successfully take over Taiwan? We should be supporting Ukraine, not just because peoples fighting for freedom against tyranny are worth of support, but because supporting Ukraine—like supporting Taiwan and Israel and other free countries—is in our national interest. … The Senate will soon take up a supplemental spending bill to address defense issues and any such bill should promote security abroad by providing support for our allies—specifically right now: Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.”
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