[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 153 (Thursday, September 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1255-E1256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UNITED STATES-ISRAEL SECURITY ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 12, 2018

  Mr. HASTINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 2497, 
the Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance 
Authorization Act of 2018, introduced by two of my fellow Floridians, 
the Chair and Co-Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's 
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, Reps. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen (R-FL) and Ted Deutch (D-FL).
  This legislation takes a number of steps to reaffirm American 
commitment to Israel, one of our nation's closest allies and partners 
in security. Two years ago, the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 
729, affirming Israel's status as a major strategic partner of the 
United Sates, reaffirming our policy of ensuring Israel Qualitative 
Military Edge (QME), and calling for the expeditious finalization of a 
new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our governments. A new 
MOU was signed soon after, providing Israel with $3.3 billion in 
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant assistance every year for the 
next decade. While I personally hoped that this figure would reach $4 
billion annually, the new MOU nevertheless reflected our commitment to 
Israel's security and our numerous cooperative programs in missile 
defense, cyber-defense, and aerospace.
  The legislation we are debating today codifies this MOU into law, 
ensuring that it is the policy of the United States to provide 
assistance to the Government of Israel in order to support funding for 
cooperative programs to develop, produce, and procure missile and other 
defense capabilities to help Israel meet its security needs, and to 
help develop and enhance the defense capabilities of the United States. 
This legislation expands Israel's access to precision guided munitions 
for self-defense in the event of a sustained armed confrontation with 
armed groups such as Hezbollah or the terrorist organization Hamas. S. 
2497 extends stockpile authority for war reserves in Israel, extends 
American loan guarantees, modifies the procedures for rapid acquisition 
and deployment of defense supplies, and takes important steps to 
improve upon Israel's QME, including new assessments of Israel's 
ability to effectively defend itself

[[Page E1256]]

against military threats from regional non-state actors, risks posed by 
the unauthorized transfer or proliferation of equipment for use against 
Israel, and risks posed by unmanned vehicles and systems through air, 
land or water, and cyber and other asymmetric entities.
  This bill goes even further, enhancing cooperation between our 
countries by establishing new partnerships for cybersecurity research 
and development and commercialization of cybersecurity technology and 
ensuring the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (NASA) continues to work with the Israel Space Agency to 
identify and cooperatively pursue peaceful space exploration and 
science initiatives in areas of mutual interest. Finally, this bill 
grants the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) authority to enter into a MOU with Israel in order 
to advance common goals on energy, agriculture and food security, 
democracy, human rights and governance, economic growth and trade, 
education, environment, global health and water sanitation, with a 
focus on strengthening mutual ties and cooperation with nations 
throughout the world.
  For more than half a century, the United States and Israel have 
shared the common bond of democracy. This bond remains as strong today 
as it was when President Harry Truman first recognized the creation of 
a Jewish State in 1948, and we must continue to strengthen it whenever 
possible, including engaging the region and commit to finding a fair 
solution that enables both Israel and her neighbors to live in security 
and prosperity. I urge support for this legislation.

                          ____________________