[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 11 (Monday, January 22, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S193-S194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           National Security

  Mr. President, but we are also a global superpower with global 
responsibilities. We are facing serious, linked challenges on multiple 
fronts, and, once again, that is reality--whether or not our Commander 
in Chief acknowledges it.
  In Europe, our closest allies and trading partners are one border 
away from facing the brunt of naked authoritarian aggression, and it 
took months for the Biden administration to grasp the urgency of that 
threat.
  America's allies look to us to lead by example, to deliver decisive 
capabilities to Ukraine, and to step up investments in upgrading our 
arsenal and expanding our capacity to stock it.
  But for months, getting the administration to authorize lethal 
capabilities to help beat back Putin's escalation was a little bit like 
pulling teeth. And, for years, the administration's defense budget 
requests have failed to demonstrate willingness to take the threats we 
face seriously.
  Right now, at long last, our European allies are making serious 
commitments

[[Page S194]]

to carry their share of responsibilities of collective defense, and 
they are leading the pipeline of lethal assistance to Ukraine's war 
effort. This is encouraging, but it is not guaranteed forever. The 
West's leading power still has to behave like one and continue 
investing in our own strength.
  Of course, on multiple fronts, our adversaries are not behaving like 
they have reason to fear American strength. China continues to back up 
its regional bullying with massive investments in hard power and long-
range alliances with the enemies of America around the world. And Iran 
and its terrorist proxies demonstrate daily that the Biden 
administration's policy has left them fundamentally undeterred.
  Undoubtedly, the terrorists enjoy watching the administration henpeck 
America's closest ally in the region and attempt to constrain Israel's 
response to their barbaric violence. They laugh at belated, half-
hearted, unenforceable declarations of sanctions against tertiary 
characters on Iran's terrorist stage and at the President's half-
measured strikes against low-value terrorist infrastructure.
  So this isn't just a matter of vanity or optics. It is about a sober 
calculation of relative strength. The failure of American deterrence 
isn't just an embarrassment; it is a tragedy, and the price of which is 
now being measured in American lives. Today, the Pentagon confirmed the 
deaths of two Navy SEALs during operations to interdict Iranian weapons 
bound for Houthi terrorists on the high seas. They were young, 
exceptional warriors engaged in an enemy's brazen campaign to threaten 
America and their allies, and their comrades and loved ones are in our 
prayers.
  Just this weekend, Iran's proxies attempted yet again to claim the 
lives of even more U.S. servicemembers. For at least the 150th time 
since October 7, terrorists used lethal force against Americans in Iraq 
and Syria. Several U.S. personnel are being treated for traumatic brain 
injuries resulting from these attacks, and frankly it is miraculous 
that this unchecked aggression hasn't exacted a higher price already.

  Our adversaries are posing pretty fundamental questions about 
America's national security and the security of our allies and 
interests around the world. Will we act to secure America's sovereign 
borders and help our friends fighting for theirs?
  Will we equip U.S. forces and our allies to meet aggression with 
overwhelming deterrent strength? Will we invest seriously in the 
cutting-edge capabilities and expanded capacity necessary to outpace 
our top strategic adversary?
  Very soon, the responsibility to answer these questions will rest on 
the Senate, and we need to answer in the affirmative.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.