[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.