[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 199 (Monday, December 4, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5707-S5708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Supplemental Funding
Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, I wanted to say a few words about the
$106 billion emergency foreign aid supplemental bill that may soon be
coming before us. And I should be clear that there are a number of
pieces of that bill that I strongly support, but in its present form, I
do not think it serves the interests of the American people. Let me say
a few words as to why.
First, while I strongly support Ukraine's valiant efforts to defend
itself against Putin's invasion and Israel's need to defend itself
against incoming rocket and missile attacks, I am deeply concerned that
this legislation has no investments to address the needs of working
families in the United States, 60 percent of whom are living paycheck
to paycheck.
So let us be clear: Yes, there are enormous emergencies abroad, but
there are also very serious emergencies in our own country, including
the crises we face in childcare, in primary healthcare, housing, and in
other needs. The American people do not want us to continue to ignore
these issues.
Secondly, at a time when Congress will likely soon pass a $900
billion Defense bill, this supplemental bill includes tens of billions
that should be covered as part of the base defense budget and handled
through normal appropriations, not allocated as emergency spending. We
can save tens of billions of dollars in this bill and dedicate that
money to some of the horrendous domestic crises that we face.
Thirdly, and maybe most importantly, at a time when some 16,000
Palestinians have been killed in the last 2 months--two-thirds of whom
are women and children--and tens of thousands more have been injured;
at a time when 1.8 million people, Palestinians, have been displaced
from their homes and are struggling every day, having been thrown out
of their homes--they don't know where they are going. They are
struggling to get food and water and medical supplies and fuel just to
survive. And I want you to think about what is going on with the
children. There are a lot of children in that country. What is going on
psychically, looking up at the sky: Is a bomb going to fall? Where am I
spending the night? How do I get food? That is what is going on there
right now; at a time when over 250 people have been killed in the West
Bank--I am not talking about Gaza, I am talking about the West Bank--
since October 7 and more than a thousand Palestinians have been driven
off of their land in the West Bank--no, in the midst of all of that, I
do not believe we should be appropriating over $10 billion for the
rightwing extremist Netanyahu government to continue its current
military approach.
What the Netanyahu government is doing is immoral. It is in violation
of international law. And the United States should not be complicit in
those actions.
We are all clear that Hamas--a corrupt terrorist organization--began
this war with their barbaric attack against Israel on October 7. Given
that reality, Israel has a right to defend itself. But it does not
have, in my view, the right to wage all-out war against innocent men,
women, and children--Palestinians--who had nothing to do with the Hamas
attack.
Therefore, I believe it is appropriate for us to support defense
systems that will protect Israeli citizens from incoming missile and
rocket attacks, but I believe that it would be irresponsible for us to
provide an additional $10.1 billion in unconditional military aid that
will allow the Netanyahu government to continue its current offensive
military approach.
That approach has included indiscriminate bombing that has killed, as
I mentioned before, 16,000 people, most of whom are civilians.
And I want to make this point. All of us, many of us--I hope most of
us--understand that what is going on in Ukraine is horrendous. Putin,
almost 2 years ago, attacked Ukraine. The result is massive
destruction. Hundreds of thousands of young Russian soldiers are dead.
Some 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers are dead. It is a disaster.
But, interestingly enough, according to the United Nations, about
10,000 civilians have been killed since Russia's unprovoked invasion in
February 2022. Ten thousand civilians have been killed in Ukraine in a
terrible war in almost 2 years. Fifteen thousand Palestinians have been
killed in the Gaza area in 2 months.
Israel's indiscriminate approach is, in my view, offensive to most
Americans. It is in violation of U.S. and international law, and it
undermines the prospects for lasting peace and security. Israel must
dramatically change its approach to minimize civilian harm and lay out
a wider political process that can secure lasting peace. And that must
include a guarantee that displaced Palestinians will have the absolute
right to return to their homes as Gaza rebuilds. It will include no
long-term occupation or blockade of Gaza, an end to the killings of
Palestinians in the West Bank, and a freeze on new settlements there,
and, perhaps most importantly, a commitment to broad peace talks to
advance a new two-state solution in the wake of this war.
The Biden administration has, appropriately--and I applaud them for
this--been trying to get the Israelis to be more targeted in their
approach, but there is little evidence that they have succeeded. Just
today--just today--airstrikes--Israeli airstrikes--hit two U.N. schools
housing displaced people--today, two U.N. schools housing displaced
Palestinians. More than 900 Palestinians have been killed since Friday.
Israeli evacuation orders are delivered with little notice to people
with
[[Page S5708]]
no electricity and limited communication services, most of whom have
already been displaced, have already been traumatized, and already lack
basic necessities. And even then, the bombing continues.
As we proceed on this supplemental bill--which has some very, very
important issues--count me in 100 percent for the humanitarian support
that we need, not only in Gaza but all over this world. Count me in for
that. Count me in for serious discussions about how we improve border
security. Count me in to help the people of Ukraine withstand Putin's
terrible invasion. But do not count me in to give another $10 billion
to a rightwing extremist government in Israel--by the way, whose Prime
Minister's, I guess, trial for corruption is continuing. Don't count me
in to support that $10 billion.
With that, I yield the floor.