Foreign Affairs - International

Washington, D.C. – Today, during House floor debate on H.R. 8369 the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, Congressman McClintock delivered the attached remarks in support of the measure. Mr. Speaker: On December 8, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt stood in this very hall and asked for a Declaration of War against the government that attacked our fleet the day before at Pearl Harbor and he solemnly pledged to win through to “absolute victory.” On October 7th, Hamas targeted and butchered innocent and unarmed women and children. Israel not only has a right to defeat Hamas – it has a moral duty to do so. The killing on both sides 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.

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Tom McClintock (CA-05) today delivered the following remarks on the House floor: Mr. Speaker: Ukraine and Israel are in growing danger of running out of arms and ammunition while China casts a hungry eye on Taiwan. History warns us of allowing aggression to grow unchecked and of how quickly events in an unstable world can unravel Profligate spending is exhausting our resources and damaging our economy, but as Reagan reminded us, defense is not a budget issue. You spend what you need to spend – and although the defense of these besieged nations is one step removed from our own – it would be good to keep it that way. I regret that the three military aid bills are larded up with $20 billion of economic handouts, but we’re out of time and out of options. I’m afraid it is the price we now have to pay for months of dithering in this House. Without these bills today, we and the world risk a future butcher’s bill that is incalculable.

Mr. Speaker: The attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th was an unprovoked act of barbarity and butchery that targeted innocent civilians and broke every rule of war dating back to medieval times. The sinister nature of the attack and the genocidal character of the government behind it should shock the conscience of every man and woman of good will on this planet. As the Nazis were systematically murdering six million Jews, the civilized nations of the world took up arms in defense of the defenseless, annihilated the scourge of Hitler and Hitlerism and vowed to NEVER allow such crimes to be permitted again. To assure this objective, these united nations restored the Jewish state to the Jewish homeland, whose roots in Israel trace back to the dawn of human history. NEVER AGAIN. Israel exists today to maintain and uphold that sacred vow of mankind. NEVER AGAIN. The generation that survived those times KNEW how vital that declaration is and how essential the existence of Israel is to fulfill it. And yet, the genocidal hatred that produced the Holocaust was never completely extinguished.