JUST IN: Rand Paul, Bob Menendez Face Off Over Iron Dome Funding Proposal

year the terrorist groups in gaza launched more than 4 000 rockets at innocent israelis for 11 days hamas and others fired off thousands of various rocket systems with little guidance into heavily populated areas across israel with no regard indeed likely with the intention of killing civilians in the face of this barrage once again israel deployed the iron dome missile defense system which intercepted 90 percent of these incoming attacks because of this purely defensive system israel is able to protect its own citizens and also direct its response to more carefully target those in gaza who are responsible for launching this brutal attack now i have been clear we should all mourn the loss of innocent israeli and palestinians who were killed during this conflict beyond a lack of regard for innocent israeli civilians hamas further endangers palestinians by hiding their stockpiles and themselves in densely populated areas but i'm not here today to relitigate thousands of years of conflict i'm here to point out two simple facts hamas as a terrorist organization that routinely threatens innocent civilians iron dome a purely defensive system that protects civilians it saves lives regardless of religion or ethnicity period furthermore by saving those lives iron dome also preserves diplomatic space for de-escalation communication and further negotiations about israeli and palestinian long-term security and the future of a negotiated two-state solution there is no conceivable reason why anyone in this chamber on either side of the aisle should stand in the way of u.s support for this life-saving defense to be fully ready for the next attack i strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join the house of representatives in passing this funding on a broadly bipartisan effort so therefore madam president i ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader following consultation with the republican leader the senate proceed to the consideration of calendar number 140 h.r 5323 that there be up to two hours for debate that upon the use or yielding back of time the bill be considered read a third time and the senate vote on passage of the bill without intervening action or debate is there objection adam chairman madam president senator from kentucky reserving the right to object i joined the chairman of the foreign relations committee in being supportive of iron dome but i think it should be paid for i think the american taxpayer dollars that pay for it should come from money that could go to the taliban there's a fund with over six billion dollars in it that was designated for the afghan government and that money i think could be spent on the taliban if we not rece if we do not rescind that money the justification for my proposal for paying this is simple only an economically strong united states can be a militarily strong ally of israel i support israel i voted for hundreds of millions of dollars to support iron dome i'm glad the united states has a strong bond with israel but the united states cannot give money it does not have no matter how strong our relationship is the united states is approaching 30 trillion dollars in debt our out-of-control spending added three trillion to the debt just in this fiscal year a day of reckoning is coming sooner than you think interest on the debt will be larger than what we spend on national defense in just a few years if the debt weakens us to the point where we have difficulty funding our own military needs how can the united states continue to be a reliable ally to israel getting our fiscal house in order does not mean that we are failing to support israel far from it the billion dollars under consideration today is on top of the more than 1.6 billion the us has already given for iron dome and that's not all the us provides israel with just under 4 billion in aid annually to date the united states has provided over 146 billion dollars in aid to israel in addition to iron dome the us has helped israel fund other missile defense systems as well we spent 2 billion on david's sling and 3.7 billion on aero programs that means the united states has contributed over 7 billion to israel's missile defense system iron dome is an indefensible is an indispensable defensive tool that not only saves israeli lives but palestinian lives i want an israel strong enough so that it does not have to rely on american support but if we are here to add an additional billion dollars in aid all i ask is that we make sure that it's paid for my amendment would rescind six billion dollars in afghanistan reconstruction money that otherwise might go to the taliban secretary blinken said as recently as two weeks ago that this money may well go to the new taliban government under this arrangement we would devote a billion dollars to israel's iron dome and return the rest to treasury this has cleared all of the republicans so it needs to be very clear today that republicans support paying for iron dome and they support paying for iron dome with taking away money that would go to the taliban i hope my colleagues will work with me to strengthen israel strengthen the united states and strengthen our alliance i ask for unanimous consent that the senate that the senator modifies request so that instead of this his proposal the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar item number 140 h.r 5323 further that the only amendment in order to be my substitute amendment which is at the desk i further ask that there be two hours of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees upon the use or yielding back of that time the paul substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to the bill as amended be considered read a third time and the senate vote on passage of the bill or as amendment with no intervening action or debate does the senator so modify his request reserving the right to object uh while i respect the senator from kentucky's consistent approach to foreign aid spending uh his substitute to h.r 5323 is problematic for the following reasons this amendment would unleash an array of adverse consequences for our broader foreign policy and national security objectives this amendment ultimately proposes to rescind funds from the departments of state and defense and this amendment would not reallocate funds that would allegedly go to the taliban as the senate from kentucky suggests the reality is that u.s dollars are not going to the taliban nor will they let me be clear and echo what the administration has said no u.s foreign aid will go to a taliban-controlled afghan government this does not mean that we remain any less committed to supporting the afghan people on the contrary u.s humanitarian aid could be routed through highly vetted partners like the world food program that we trust to put the interests of the afghan people first so let me be clear senator paul's amendment would actually raid the funding that delivers life-saving humanitarian aid to the afghan people and they need it more than ever secondly afghanistan is in the grips of a dire humanitarian crisis the economy has collapsed one in three afghans don't know where their next meal will come people are afraid to leave their homes and so for those reasons as well as the following this amendment would also slash refugee assistance being used at this very moment to evacuate and resettle u.s allies and partners who served alongside americans in the war on terror likewise senator paul is proposing we rescind the funding that supports important bipartisan priorities like promoting regional security countering chinese influence and ending this pandemic and that's not all the amendment also jeopardizes funds being used to recover and secure u.s military equipment we may no longer be funding the afghan national army but we still urgently need these repurposed funds to keep american equipment out of the wrong hands in short senator paul's amendment would undermine u.s national security it would abandon the afghan people in their darkest hour and it would betray the american people's commitment to supporting our afghan allies finally let me just say that this body overwhelmingly supports the swift passage of iron dome despite what others may have said even on this floor democrats in the senate are not holding up this critical funding in the house there may have been a very small handful of bipartisan opposition and the only reason it's being held up in this body is because of this amendment it is not a member of the democratic caucus this is a defensive life-saving system built on years of cooperation with our ally israel i'm disappointed we're in this situation but because of all of these reasons i must object to the senator's substitute amendment objection to the modification is heard madam president this objective withdraw the request is their objection to withdrawing the request madam president reserving the right to object i think it is very clear and very important that it be very clear that i've offered to fully pay for the iron dome system with an extra billion dollars the objection is coming from the democrat side they're objecting to it being paid for them we've offered this fund of 6 billion we've offered to modify it make it less so there would still be some remaining money in this system we've offered other funds we've offered a basically open invitation to the other side that we just think it ought to be paid for so the objection from the other side is to paying for iron dome to paying for the billion dollars interestingly eight is already going to afghanistan while the taliban is in charge now allegedly that aid is going to charitable organizations but the history of the taliban has been to withhold control manipulate and corrupt charitable organizations as well i think it's a mistake to have money already flowing into the new uh government under the taliban and charitable organizations because it basically makes their job easier and will make the public more pacified if they are being fed by the western world they wouldn't be as happy if the money's being destroyed and it's chaos so really in some ways you do help to stabilize the taliban by sending more money into there but secretary blinken was asked this very question in committee by myself can you guarantee that this 6 billion will not be released at any time to the taliban and he said no the implication being that if the taliban behaves he sees this six billion dollars going to the taliban i think it's a big mistake this is a big issue iron dome is a big issue but it's also a big issue whether we send money to the taliban they already have 80 billion dollars worth of our weapons i think it would be a real big mistake to send money indirectly or directly to the taliban so i object the objection is heard madam president senator from new jersey uh let me just simply say this is a fig leaf we could have today passed iron dome as the house of representative passes send a billion dollars and make sure that israeli and palestinians would be safer as a result of uh the terrifying actions that hamas and others take there is no reason for this i know my colleague has not been particularly supportive uh on foreign aid in general and in this case in particular uh but the reality is is that we have an opportunity here now i'm convinced that iron dome will get done we will get the resources to our ally the state of israel but it's a shame that we have to have the uncertainty that is pending as a result of the objection that has been had we don't need to find a pathway in this particular way which you know is only going to undermine our own national security interests as it relates to afghanistan with that i yield the floor madam president senator from michigan mr president uh i uh request that i'm able to make my remarks prior to the vote without objection madam president i rise in support of jonathan myers nomination to be general counsel at the department of homeland security or dhs mr meyer understands the unique challenges facing dhs and he has the legal and management experience and vision needed to succeed in this important role throughout the confirmation process mr meyer has demonstrated that he understands the complex legal issues facing dhs and the importance of ensuring the department cooperates with congressional oversight dhs has not had a senate confirmed general counsel for over two years dhs needs qualified senate confirmed leaders in place to effectively carry out its critical mission of safeguarding our nation mr meyer is an accomplished lawyer and dedicated public servant who is well qualified to serve as the department's chief legal officer i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the confirmation of jonathan meyer to be general counsel for dhs thank you madam chair under the previous order

Channel: Forbes Breaking News

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Keywords: Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Bob Menendez, Iron Dome

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Length: 14min 15sec (855 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 04 2021