[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 171 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5071-S5072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 1390

  Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. Madam President, last Saturday, October 
7, we saw evil personified. We saw the deadliest attack on the Jewish 
state since the Yom Kippur War, over 1,400 dead Israelis. And, for 
context, think of that. If that were America, it would be over 40,000 
dead Americans. On top of that, we have seen 30 Americans lose their 
lives because of the evil brought upon Israel. We saw Hamas--an evil, 
terrorist organization--launch an unprecedented, unprovoked, undeniably 
devastating attack on the Jewish state.
  I can't think of anything more evil than the images that we saw 
coming out of Israel where grandmothers were taken captive, where 
babies were burned alive, and where babies were beheaded. For what 
reason? For what reason did we see the atrocities and the evil brought 
upon a people? Simply because they were Jews.
  Hamas, their goal is to eliminate the Jewish state, but that is not 
where they stop. They want to annihilate every single Jewish person on 
the planet, with more than 6 million living here at home in America. 
But they go one step further. They despise Western democracy. They want 
the elimination, the annihilation, of our entire way of life.
  Fighting that war with the single-minded focus is exactly what we 
should expect from the Jewish people, from the State of Israel, from 
the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Netanyahu. He needs to have a 
single-minded focus.
  But that is not the case because we have seen, in the last 24 hours 
or so, the emergence of a different kind of war that they now must 
fight. It is the war of misinformation. The disinformation, the 
misinformation war could be just as deadly, if not more deadly, than 
the actual attack we saw last Saturday, October 7.
  One might ask the question: Why would I say that? Well, I would say 
that because immediately what we have seen since the devastation in 
Israel was Prime Minister Netanyahu sending the signal that they were 
coming into Gaza, giving people, the Palestinians, a chance to find 
themselves out of harm's way.
  But the misinformation campaign takes a different turn, a different 
spin,

[[Page S5072]]

a different direction. What it said was that the hospital strike was, 
in fact, carried out by Israel. That misinformation was carried in the 
New York Times, the AP, and other news outlets in America. That 
misinformation campaign caused a summit in Jordan to be canceled. It 
caused President Biden's meetings to be canceled. It caused protests at 
embassies around the globe. Our Embassies, around the world, felt the 
devastation of misinformation, of lies, signaling to the world that now 
Israel must fight a different kind of war at the exact same time that 
they have a proportional response, which is and should be wiping Hamas 
off the face of the map.
  We saw, as a result of that misinformation war, Hezbollah mobilizing. 
We have seen very clearly an attempt to weaken Israel and their 
standing in the world. Devastation after devastation and then, on top 
of that, we see the emergence of another deadly encounter.
  Rather than waiting for the facts, these outlets carried the Hamas 
narrative, carrying the narrative of an evil, lying terrorist 
organization.
  On top of that and equally as devastating is to see the divide within 
the House of Representatives, where the vast majority of Republicans 
and Democrats stand firm with our ally Israel. But there are Members in 
the Squad who have decided to continue spreading the propaganda of 
Hamas. Congresswoman Tlaib has yet to delete the tweet that says 
``Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians 
(doctors, children, patients) just like that.''
  Delete the tweet. We cannot have Members of the U.S. Congress sending 
out and being an extension of the Hamas propaganda machine. It is 
despicable behavior from elected representatives of the greatest Nation 
on God's green Earth.
  Those Members did not start their anti-Semitic comments on October 8. 
This started months and even years prior. There is a cancer that is 
metastasizing on the radical extreme left that has to be dealt with in 
America. I have said several times over the past several days that 
Psalm 122:6 is so important, that we should ``pray for the peace of 
Jerusalem,'' and those who do ``will prosper.''
  There is no doubt in my heart, there is no doubt in my mind that we 
find ourselves living in dangerous times in this world. Conflicts in 
Eastern Europe, now conflicts in the Middle East, and real threats in 
the Indo-Pacific. We need American mettle. We need American leadership. 
And we need it to be strong, defiant, clear, and undeniably the 
strongest force for good on the planet.
  It is one of the reasons why I made strong comments about the 
terrible decision--the unbelievable decision--to release $6 billion for 
hostages.
  I said this during the Obama administration--that paying $400 million 
for hostages would make more Americans less safe abroad and raise the 
price on every head. Now with $6 billion being paid to Iran, with Iran 
being the chief funder of Hamas--after the attacks, Hamas thanked Iran 
for the help. We do not need an administration to be complicit with 
such challenging evil attacks on the Jewish State.
  That is one of the reasons why I seek consent to pass my legislation, 
the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act. In 1996, we put in place sanctions on 
Iran. We did so in the sector of their energy sector, because we 
understood that causing pain--causing pain--would be an important and 
necessary component of keeping Iran in its place, to slow down, if not 
stop, the spread of terrorism.
  I am thankful. I am thankful that in 1996 we did act, but that action 
is set to sunset. It is set to expire. We must keep those sanctions in 
place, without any question.
  I look at the support. I look at the support for my legislation. This 
legislation predates the attacks on the nation of Israel. This bill has 
the support from both sides of the aisle. It is a commonsense step to 
make permanent the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, and support comes from 
both sides of the aisle, including the only Jewish mother in the 
Senate, Senator Rosen. These are one of the many steps we must take to 
restrain this regime from developing weapons that threaten the safety 
and security around the world.
  I believe that if we want to respond to this brutality, if we want to 
respond to this evil, one of the ways that we can respond is by making 
permanent the sanctions on Iran.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 1390 and 
the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and 
passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The senior Senator from Utah.
  Mr. LEE. Madam President, reserving the right to object, I appreciate 
the passion with which the Senator from South Carolina has delivered 
his remarks today. I am also grateful for his willingness to adopt a 
minor modification in the savings clause, clarifying that nothing in 
this legislation may be construed as independently authorizing the use 
of military force against Iran or any country. It is something we 
should do independently.
  So I am grateful for the Senator from South Carolina's willingness to 
work with me on that and that he has agreed to do it.
  The junior Senator from Kentucky, Senator Paul, has suffered a death 
in his family and is away today attending the funeral of that immediate 
family member. At his request, I am here to object on his behalf.
  On behalf of Senator Paul, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. Madam President, I am deeply 
disappointed that common sense seems to be harder to find in 
Washington, DC. It is just not common enough.
  I certainly hope that we have an opportunity to see SISA--my bill--
make permanent the sanctions against Iran. It is critically important 
that we show progress sidelining the largest state supporter of 
terrorism in the world.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________