[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 201 (Wednesday, December 6, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5792-S5793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Supplemental Funding

  Now, Madam President, I also want to take a few minutes to talk about 
the supplemental funding package we are going to move to vote on 
shortly.
  The clock is ticking, and the eyes of the world are watching to see 
how quickly and how completely the United States responds to urgent 
challenges across the world. We cannot afford delays that tell our 
adversaries they can just wait us out. We cannot afford half-steps that 
tell our allies we will only stand by some of them, some of the time. 
We cannot accept the notion that there is a ``price'' that must be paid 
in order to stand by our allies. That is why we are voting today to 
move forward on a bill that would respond to the pressing security 
challenges. It is past time for Senators to show they appreciate the 
urgency of this moment.
  Now, I have heard some Republicans criticize this package for what is 
not in it--the extreme, partisan policy changes to our Nation's 
immigration laws that they have been pushing. Well, here is how I see 
this: When you have a bill like this one, with funding that is urgently 
needed for issues that have really broad, bipartisan support, and you 
face a moment like this, where civilians are suffering, our allies are 
under attack, our adversaries are watching for signs of weakness, and 
American leadership and our country's long-term security are on the 
line, you don't vote down the bill because you weren't able to attach 
your partisan wish list to it. And you don't tie aid for allies you 
believe is vital--vital to their safety and security--to passing 
partisan nonstarters; you work to find consensus and get that aid 
across the finish line.
  Now let's talk about that aid and the funding that is in this bill 
and why it is so crucial to pass it without delay.
  First, this package extends essential support for our allies in 
Ukraine--something we have been discussing even longer than aid to 
Israel and have already been forced to delay too many times.
  Ukraine has fought bravely to push back Putin's bloody invasion, and 
our support for their efforts has been indispensable, but it is now--
right now--at a critical juncture. We are about to leave the tank empty 
while Putin continues his attacks. If you are stopping us from getting 
this done, you are choosing to leave Ukraine with fewer resources and 
put Russia in a stronger position. Those are just the plain facts of 
the matter. This is not hyperbole; that is the military reality on the 
ground.
  Ukraine's success on the battlefield depends on its air defenses, and 
those defenses depend on U.S.-made interceptor missiles, which they 
will not get without this package. So if we don't get this done 
quickly, we will, as just one example, give Russia an opening to 
potentially destroy Ukrainian air defenses and achieve air superiority.

[[Page S5793]]

That would mark a catastrophic turning point in the war, in the region, 
and in the balance of power between the free world and brutal 
dictatorships--a U.S. ally weakened, if not beaten, not due to lack of 
courage on their part but a lack of commitment on ours. That would send 
a dangerous and disgraceful message to our adversaries and our allies 
alike about just how serious to take America's commitments.
  We cannot let this get pushed off again. We have to send a clear 
message to dictators: You cannot wait the United States out and trample 
democracies. We stand firm by our allies. And that is what this package 
does with aid to Ukraine.
  It also includes security assistance for Israel in the aftermath of 
the horrific Hamas attacks.
  The latest activity from Houthi rebels against U.S. forces 
underscores the importance of supporting our allies and promoting 
stability in the region.
  Critically, this package provides humanitarian aid for Gaza and 
elsewhere to get the civilians the food, water, medical care, and other 
essentials they desperately need. This is not just the absolute right 
thing to do, but it is a key part of combating hopelessness and the 
extremism that it can breed.
  This bill also includes much needed investments in the Indo-Pacific 
so we can strengthen our allies and bolster our presence in the region 
and deter our adversaries.
  Let's be clear. This bill also does include resources for the border 
and to stop the flow of fentanyl. If you truly, honestly believe we 
need to do more on the border, I don't know how you decide to do 
nothing and think it is better than something substantial.
  So let's cut to the chase here. This bill is made up of basic 
bipartisan priorities--supporting Ukraine, supporting Israel, getting 
humanitarian assistance to civilians, stopping fentanyl, making 
commonsense investments to humanely manage our border--and they all 
have broad support here in the Senate.
  So let's take this opportunity, with this vote today, to get things 
moving, to get onto this bill so we can do the hard work of legislating 
and debating and considering amendments to it instead of pitting allies 
and crises against each other as political bargaining chips.
  I urge all of my colleagues to vote yes and show they are serious 
about responding to all the crises before us, and then let's get right 
back to work in a bipartisan way on our annual spending bills, like I 
just talked about, and other urgent issues like childcare, because--
let's be clear--this is another crisis that is growing worse every day.
  I yield the floor.