[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 64 (Monday, April 15, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2724-S2725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     National Security Supplemental

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, Saturday evening, Iran launched over 
300 missile and drone strikes against Israel, the first direct attack 
against Israel from Iranian soil in history. For five harrowing hours, 
the sounds of explosions and sirens reverberated throughout the night 
in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and across the country. Tens of thousands of 
Israeli citizens barricaded themselves and braced for the worst. On 
that long night, all of us were on tenterhooks as the missiles from 
Iran came down.
  I strongly condemn the attacks by the Iranian Government and urge 
them to refrain from escalating hostilities. What Iran did was 
dangerous, unjustifiable, and threatens to plunge the Middle East into 
a widespread war. So I strongly urge the Iranian regime to cease their 
reckless behavior from both its forces and those of its proxies.
  Now, when the attack came, thank God, Israel was ready. Israel was 
ready because of the United States' ironclad commitment to its 
security.
  The night of the attack, I was in touch with senior administration 
officials who told me that, with help from the United States, England, 
France, and some Arab nations, the overwhelming majority of all Iranian 
missiles and drone strikes were successfully intercepted.
  The damage to Israel, thank God, was minimal. Only one serious 
casualty was reported. We pray for her recovery.
  Today, above all, I breathe a sigh of relief for Israel--relief that 
injuries were minimal, relief that the damage was not worse. But, of 
course, it was no accident that Israel endured Iran's attack largely 
unscathed. On the contrary, Israel endured because America's support 
for Israel's security is ironclad. The success of Israeli missile 
defense, developed in cooperation with the United States and with U.S. 
funding, is a testament to the United States' longstanding security 
cooperation with Israel. It is why so few of Iran's missiles and drones 
ultimately hit their targets. So I commend the Israel Defense Forces, I 
commend President Biden and our military leadership and our brave Armed 
Forces, and I commend our partners who worked together with Israel to 
avert calamity.
  Iran's reprehensible attack against Israel has made a few things very 
clear:
  First, Israel is surrounded by adversaries who seek its destruction. 
We saw that on October 7. We saw it again this weekend. We dare not 
waver in our commitment to help Israel defend itself from these 
threats.
  Second, the fact that so many nations came to Israel's aid, including 
some Arab nations, shows Iran is becoming more and more isolated. 
Iran's attack should be swiftly and universally condemned. Their attack 
risked

[[Page S2725]]

provoking a wider conflict in the Middle East, and we cannot have that. 
So I am pleased that many nations banded together and held the line 
against the Iranian regime.
  Third, Israel's attack underscores the best way to help Israel is for 
the House to swiftly pass the Senate's bipartisan national security 
supplemental. The House must rush to Israel's aid as quickly as humanly 
possible, and the only way to do that is passing the Senate 
supplemental ASAP. In fact, there is no reason for the House not to 
move on the Senate's supplemental as soon as today.
  Yesterday, I got on the phone with the President, with Speaker 
Johnson, Leader McConnell, and Leader Jeffries and made it clear that 
the uncertainty and delay over the supplemental has to end. We all had 
consensus that we need to aid both Israel and Ukraine.

  If House Republicans put the Senate supplemental on the floor, I 
believe it would pass today, reach the President's desk tonight, and 
Israel would get the aid it needs by tomorrow.
  Let me say that again. If House Republicans put the Senate 
supplemental on the floor, I believe it would pass today, reach the 
President's desk tonight, and Israel would get the aid it needs by 
tomorrow.
  If the House could finish the job by the end of the day, why wait?
  Now, the Senate supplemental not only gives Israel the tools it needs 
to repel future attacks, but it also provides Ukraine the aid it needs 
against Putin. I spoke with the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine yesterday, 
who told me the situation in Ukraine is beyond desperate. With few air 
defenses, there is little stopping Russian drones from targeting 
Ukrainian powerplants and leaving more and more residents without 
electricity. And the danger here is that these power outages will 
become a long-term problem. She told me the equipment that was 
destroyed is so large--the kinds of transformers and other 
machineries--that it takes a long time to rebuild them and replace 
them.
  The U.S. Ambassador reiterated President Zelenskyy's point that 
Ukraine will lose this war unless it gets the defense materials, the 
ammunition, and the anti-aircraft resources it needs immediately. Those 
powerplants are taken out because Ukraine is running out of the ability 
to defend itself from these vicious attacks.
  At this treacherous moment for global security, it would be a grave 
mistake to think the conflict in the Middle East is unconnected to the 
conflict in Europe. That is why the best way to help Israel and to help 
Ukraine is to pass the Senate supplemental this week. I have called on 
Speaker Johnson to do that.
  Enough with the delay. Enough with the uncertainty. Enough with 
promises to take action. I urge the House to get going today on the 
Senate supplemental. It is vital for the future of Israel, for the 
future of Ukraine, and for the future of the West and democracy.