[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 185 (Wednesday, November 8, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5408-S5409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Supplemental Funding

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the challenges facing America and our 
allies today are not an a la carte menu of projects we can address at 
our leisure.

[[Page S5409]]

No. The most dangerous threats we face are all linked together--all 
linked together.
  Take it from the author of the last administration's National 
Security Strategy. Russia, Iran, and China ``see the U.S. as weak and 
in decline'' and are willing ``to put aside their differences to 
collude against American interests.'' They are extraordinarily willing.
  Finland is investigating a case of suspected sabotage by a Chinese 
ship against an undersea communications cable and gas line connecting 
the newest member of NATO to Estonia--one of the alliance's most 
stalwart backers of Ukraine.
  Putin's Russia is reportedly helping Iran develop a space launch 
vehicle--a critical step toward building intercontinental ballistic 
missiles. In return, Iran isn't just sending Russia kamikaze drones to 
kill Ukrainians; it is helping build an entire drone factory--a drone 
factory--on Russian soil.
  A Russia state energy company is reportedly providing China with 
highly enriched uranium. China is swarming social media platforms with 
pro-Hamas propaganda and protecting both Iran and Russia in the U.N. 
Security Council.
  America doesn't have the luxury of facing these threats individually. 
Our ability to contend with complex, simultaneous threats is exactly 
what our adversaries are testing: a Russian war in Europe, Chinese 
aggression in Asia, Iran-backed terror in the Middle East, and a 
southern border that is dangerously lacking in credible enforcement. 
This is the reality we face right now. The Biden administration's 
supplemental request falls short of adequately addressing all of these 
linked threats.

  Let me explain again what this moment actually requires.
  In Europe, the administration needs to provide a clear strategy for a 
Ukrainian victory. That means prioritizing the lethal military 
capabilities Ukraine needs right now--no more half measures, no more 
hesitation.
  As former Secretary of State Pompeo put it last week, Americans 
should be ``accelerating the flow of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv'' 
because abandoning Ukraine would bolster our adversaries.
  We should be empowering Agency inspectors general to continue the 
unprecedented oversight and accountability work we have built into U.S. 
assistance since the beginning of Putin's escalation last year. We 
should continue to invest in expanding America's defense industrial 
base both to replace capabilities Ukraine is using with newer for our 
own use and to ramp up production of the ones Israel, Taiwan, and our 
Indo-Pacific allies and partners need.
  In Israel's case, it is especially important that we take stringent 
measures to ensure no humanitarian assistance bound for the people of 
Gaza can be intercepted by Hamas terrorists.
  I have said before, for any of this supplemental security funding to 
pass the Senate, we will also need to implement serious policy changes 
at the southern border. Senate Republicans will not rubberstamp the 
Biden administration's bailout for a problem it created. We are focused 
on policies to slow the flow--slow the flow--of illegal migration and 
secure the border.
  America's strategic goals are crystal clear: degrade Russian military 
strength and prevent major war in Europe; reestablish credible 
deterrence against Iran and its terrorist networks; grow our defense 
industrial base to equip our military and our allies in the Indo-
Pacific to raise the costs of Chinese aggression; and restore real 
border security right here at home. That is exactly what the Senate 
should be focused on.