[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 210 (Wednesday, December 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S6073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the world is witnessing the first land 
war in Europe since 1945. Ukraine's citizen soldiers are in the 
trenches right now, resisting Russian aggression with Western 
assistance.
  American leadership has strengthened the NATO alliance, prompted our 
closest allies and trading partners to share more of the burden of 
collective defense, and driven historic investments in the military 
strength and industrial capacity we need here at home to compete with 
our biggest adversaries. Finishing the job will require more of that 
leadership.
  Meanwhile, Israel is responding to the deadliest day for the Jewish 
people since the Holocaust. Our ally needs the time, the space, and the 
support required to eliminate the terrorist savages responsible for the 
horrors of October 7, and the entire region needs American leadership 
to restore deterrence against Iran and its terrorist proxies who attack 
U.S. personnel with impunity.
  From the other side of the world, our friends in the Indo-Pacific are 
watching closely what goes on in Europe and the Middle East and 
investing seriously in their own military strength because they know 
that China is doing the same.
  Our single greatest strategic adversary is growing increasingly 
aggressive, increasingly advanced, and increasingly keen to seize an 
edge over a global superpower that has failed to act like one.
  So the stakes are high this holiday season for our allies and 
partners on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression. The challenges 
are real for brave American servicemembers who are spending this time 
of the year far from home and loved ones to keep us safe.
  It is a dangerous world, one that doesn't reward weakness. America 
needs to show that we haven't forgotten how to lead and that we are 
committed to restoring the hard power that leadership requires.
  So I am encouraged by our colleagues' commitment to keep working 
toward an agreement on national security, beginning with security here 
at home. The Senate will not let the challenges we face go unanswered.

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