[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5005-S5007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2709. Mr. RISCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title XII, add the following:

 Subtitle G--Maintaining Our Ironclad Commitment to Israel's Security 
                                  Act

     SEC. 1291. SHORT TITLE.

       This subtitle may be cited as the ``Maintaining Our 
     Ironclad Commitment to Israel's Security Act''.

     SEC. 1292. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) In 2016, the Obama administration concluded 
     negotiations with Israel for a 10-year memorandum of 
     understanding to provide security assistance to Israel for 
     the period of fiscal years 2019 through 2028 that affirmed 
     ``the unshakeable commitment of the United States to Israel's 
     security''.
       (2) In May 2024, the Biden administration delayed shipment 
     to Israel of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound 
     bombs in an effort to apply political pressure to the 
     Government of Israel. The decision to delay such shipment was 
     made without consulting with or notifying Congress and 
     despite repeated public assurances that the United States-
     Israel relationship was ``ironclad'' and that there was ``no 
     change in policy''.
       (3) On May 8, 2024, President Biden stated, with respect to 
     Israel, ``We're not going to supply the weapons and artillery 
     shells.''.

     SEC. 1293. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) Israel has a right to defend itself, which includes the 
     need for offensive capabilities to

[[Page S5006]]

     deter and defeat threats, including threats posed by Iran and 
     its terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis;
       (2) previously negotiated and approved United States arms 
     sales to Israel should proceed, and all pauses should be 
     lifted, to ensure that Israel is properly equipped to defend 
     itself and defeat threats, including threats posed by Iran 
     and its terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis; 
     and
       (3) limiting or otherwise delaying the sale or delivery of 
     United States-made defense articles to Israel runs counter to 
     the commitments the United States made to Israel as part of 
     the 2016 memorandum of understanding and undermines regional 
     security, including prospective advances in Israel-Saudi 
     normalization.

     SEC. 1294. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO 
                   ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL.

       (a) In General.--The President may not take any action to 
     pause, suspend, delay, or abrogate the delivery of covered 
     defense articles and defense services to Israel, including as 
     part of a policy review, unless, not less than 15 legislative 
     days prior to such action, the President provides to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress the notification described 
     in subsection (b) relating to such pause, suspension, delay, 
     or abrogation in unclassified form, with a classified annex 
     as necessary.
       (b) Notification Described.--The notification described in 
     this subsection is a notification relating to a pause, 
     suspension, delay, or abrogation of the delivery of covered 
     defense articles and defense services, which shall include 
     the following:
       (1) An identification of the end user of the covered 
     defense articles and defense services concerned.
       (2) A detailed description of the type of covered defense 
     articles and defense services concerned, including the date 
     on which Congress was notified of the transfer of such 
     covered defense articles and defense services.
       (3) A policy justification for the pause, suspension, 
     delay, or abrogation and a description of the potential 
     impact such action may have on United States national 
     security interests.
       (4) An identification of conditions for lifting the pause, 
     suspension, delay, or abrogation, a statement as to whether 
     such conditions will be communicated to the Government of 
     Israel, and the timeline for meeting such conditions.
       (5) A description of the sources of funds used to provide 
     the covered defense articles and defense services concerned, 
     including an identification of appropriations accounts, as 
     applicable.
       (6) An identification of any bilateral agreement or 
     memorandum of understanding related to the authority to 
     provide the covered defense articles and defense services 
     concerned.
       (7) An assessment as to whether the pause, suspension, 
     delay, or abrogation would adversely affect the qualitative 
     military edge of Israel over military threats to Israel.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
       (2) Qualitative military edge.--The term ``qualitative 
     military edge'' has the meaning given such term in section 
     36(h)(3) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2776(h)(3)).

     SEC. 1295. CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW.

       (a) Limitation on Actions During Initial Congressional 
     Review Period.--During the 15-legislative day period 
     following the submission of a notification described in 
     section 1294(b), the President may not take any action to 
     pause, suspend, delay, or abrogate the delivery of covered 
     defense articles and defense services to Israel described in 
     such notification.
       (b) Limitation on Actions After Introduction of a Joint 
     Resolution of Disapproval.--If a joint resolution of 
     disapproval relating to a notification described in section 
     1294(b) is introduced, the President may not take any action 
     relating to the pause, suspension, delay, or abrogation of 
     the delivery of the covered defense articles and defense 
     services described in such notification for a period of 10 
     legislative days, unless the joint resolution sooner passes 
     both Houses of Congress.
       (c) Limitation on Actions During Presidential Consideration 
     of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval.--If a joint resolution 
     of disapproval relating to notification described in section 
     1294(b) passes both Houses of Congress, the President may not 
     take any action relating to the pause, suspension, delay, or 
     abrogation of the delivery of the covered defense articles 
     and defense services described in such notification for a 
     period of 12 legislative days after the date of passage of 
     the joint resolution of disapproval, unless the President 
     sooner vetoes the joint resolution of disapproval.
       (d) Limitation on Actions During Congressional 
     Reconsideration of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval.--If the 
     President vetoes the joint resolution of disapproval, the 
     President may not take the action described in such 
     notification for a period of 10 legislative days after the 
     date of the President's veto, unless the joint resolution 
     sooner fails of passage on reconsideration in either House.
       (e) Effect of Enactment of a Joint Resolution of 
     Disapproval.--If a joint resolution of disapproval relating 
     to notification described in section 1294(b) is enacted into 
     law, the President may not take any action relating to the 
     pause, suspension, delay, or abrogation of the delivery to 
     Israel of the covered defense articles and defense services 
     described in such notification for a period of 180 days, at 
     which point, the President shall submit a new notification 
     relating to any such action.
       (f) Joint Resolutions of Disapproval.--
       (1) Definition.--In this section, the term ``joint 
     resolution of disapproval'' means only a joint resolution of 
     either House of Congress--
       (A) the title of which is as follows: ``A joint resolution 
     disapproving the President's proposal to pause, suspend, 
     delay, or abrogate the delivery of covered defense articles 
     and defense services to Israel.''; and
       (B) the sole matter after the resolving clause of which is 
     the following: ``Congress disapproves of the action relating 
     to pause, suspend, delay, or abrogate the delivery of covered 
     defense articles and defense services to Israel proposed by 
     the President in the notification described in section 
     1294(b) of the Maintaining Our Ironclad Commitment to 
     Israel's Security Act on _____ relating to _____., with the 
     first blank space being filled with the appropriate date and 
     the second blank space being filled with a short description 
     of the proposed action.
       (2) Introduction.--During the period of 15 legislative days 
     provided for under subsection (a), a joint resolution of 
     disapproval may be introduced--
       (A) in the House of Representatives, by the majority leader 
     or the minority leader; and
       (B) in the Senate, by the majority leader (or the majority 
     leader's designee) or the minority leader (or the minority 
     leader's designee).
       (3) Floor consideration in house of representatives.--
       (A) Reporting and discharge.--If a committee of the House 
     of Representatives to which a joint resolution of disapproval 
     has been referred has not reported the joint resolution 
     within 5 legislative days after the date of referral, that 
     committee shall be discharged from further consideration of 
     the joint resolution.
       (B) Proceeding to consideration.--Beginning on the third 
     legislative day after each committee to which a joint 
     resolution has been referred reports the joint resolution to 
     the House or has been discharged from further consideration 
     thereof, it shall be in order to move to proceed to consider 
     the joint resolution in the House. All points of order 
     against the motion are waived. Such a motion shall not be in 
     order after the House has disposed of a motion to proceed on 
     the joint resolution. The previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the motion to its adoption without 
     intervening motion. The motion shall not be debatable. A 
     motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is disposed 
     of shall not be in order.
       (C) Consideration.--The joint resolution shall be 
     considered as read. All points of order against the joint 
     resolution and against its consideration are waived. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the joint 
     resolution to final passage without intervening motion except 
     2 hours of debate equally divided and controlled by the 
     sponsor of the joint resolution (or a designee) and an 
     opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote on passage of the 
     joint resolution shall not be in order.
       (4) Consideration in the senate.--
       (A) Committee referral.--A joint resolution of disapproval 
     introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the Committee 
     on Foreign Relations.
       (B) Reporting and discharge.--If the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations has not reported the joint resolution within 5 
     legislative days after the date of referral of the joint 
     resolution, that committee shall be discharged from further 
     consideration of the joint resolution and the joint 
     resolution shall be placed on the appropriate calendar.
       (C) Proceeding to consideration.--Notwithstanding Rule XXII 
     of the Standing Rules of the Senate, it is in order at any 
     time after the Committee on Foreign Relations reports a joint 
     resolution of disapproval to the Senate or has been 
     discharged from consideration of such a joint resolution 
     (even though a previous motion to the same effect has been 
     disagreed to) to move to proceed to the consideration of the 
     joint resolution, and all points of order against the joint 
     resolution (and against consideration of the joint 
     resolution) are waived. The motion to proceed is not 
     debatable. The motion is not subject to a motion to postpone. 
     A motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed 
     to or disagreed to shall not be in order.
       (D) Rulings of the chair on procedure.--Appeals from the 
     decisions of the Chair relating to the application of the 
     rules of the Senate, as the case may be, to the procedure 
     relating to a joint resolution of disapproval shall be 
     decided without debate.
       (E) Consideration of veto messages.--Debate in the Senate 
     of any veto message with respect to a joint resolution of 
     disapproval, including all debatable motions and appeals in 
     connection with the joint resolution, shall be limited to 10 
     hours, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the 
     majority leader and the minority leader or their designees.

[[Page S5007]]

       (5) Rules relating to senate and house of 
     representatives.--
       (A) Coordination with action by other house.--If, before 
     the passage by one House of a joint resolution of that House, 
     that House receives a joint resolution from the other House, 
     then the following procedures shall apply:
       (i) The joint resolution of the other House shall not be 
     referred to a committee.
       (ii) With respect to a joint resolution of the House 
     receiving the legislation--

       (I) the procedure in that House shall be the same as if no 
     joint resolution had been received from the other House; but
       (II) the vote on passage shall be on the joint resolution 
     of the other House.

       (B) Treatment of a joint resolution of other house.--If one 
     House fails to introduce a joint resolution under this 
     section, the joint resolution of the other House shall be 
     entitled to expedited floor procedures under this section.
       (C) Treatment of companion measures.--If, following passage 
     of the joint resolution in the Senate, the Senate then 
     receives a companion measure from the House of 
     Representatives, the companion measure shall not be 
     debatable.
       (D) Application to revenue measures.--The provisions of 
     this paragraph shall not apply in the House of 
     Representatives to a joint resolution of disapproval that is 
     a revenue measure.
       (6) Rules of house of representatives and senate.--This 
     subsection is enacted by Congress--
       (A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate 
     and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such 
     is deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, 
     and supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is 
     inconsistent with such rules; and
       (B) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
     either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the 
     procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and 
     to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that 
     House.

     SEC. 1296. DEFINITION OF COVERED DEFENSE ARTICLES AND DEFENSE 
                   SERVICES.

       In this subtitle, the term ``covered defense articles and 
     defense services'' means any defense article or defense 
     service provided under the authority of any of the following:
       (1) Section 3 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2753).
       (2) Section 22 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2762).
       (3) Section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2776).
       (4) Section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2778).
       (5) Section 506 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
     U.S.C. 2318).
       (6) Section 614 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
     U.S.C. 2364).
                                 ______