[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S741-S742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Trump Administration

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I have just come from a meeting with the 
Prime Minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu. Our meeting comes on the 
heels of incredibly good news for everyone, and that is that hostages 
are coming home.
  Earlier this week, Keith Siegel, an American hostage, was released. 
He is a 65-year-old American citizen, currently lives in Israel. He is 
a father; he is a grandfather. On October 7 of 2023, he was abducted by 
Hamas, taken to their underground tunnels, and his wife was also taken 
hostage. He was held prisoner by the terrorists for 484 days, and the 
conditions, we know, were hellish. He is finally free, reunited with 
his family, and recovering in a hospital.
  We look forward to more of these moments. These are the results of 
bold action by President Donald Trump. As

[[Page S742]]

Prime Minister Netanyahu said this week, President Trump is the 
``greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.''
  We celebrate this good news. We are also keeping an eye on alarming 
news; the news is the rise of anti-Semitism around the world. A prime 
example is the International Criminal Court. It is a kangaroo court.
  Last year, it issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials. One of 
those officials is Prime Minister Netanyahu. The charges, of course, 
are bogus. The Senate had an opportunity last week to fight back. 
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, 
introduced a bipartisan bill to impose severe sanctions on the ICC.
  The House of Representatives passed the same bill last month. The 
vote was bipartisan. Passing this bill in the Senate would have sent a 
very strong message that America stands with Israel, that we wouldn't 
let our ally stand alone.
  Democrats in this body of the U.S. Senate filibustered in spite of 
the fact that 45 Democrat Senators voted to abandon our closest ally. 
Two now Democrat Senators voted for this same bill last year when they 
were Members of the House, yet when the opportunity last week to 
support Israel in the Senate came, they voted no.
  Democrats' filibuster is the reason why the ICC is not facing the 
crippling sanctions that it deserves. This very topic came up in our 
discussion with the Prime Minister of Israel.
  We did point out the fact that ICC is a kangaroo court, refuses to 
point out the difference between right and wrong, and the vote of the 
Democrats to block this bill in the U.S. Senate was an affront to the 
people of Israel, and the Prime Minister specifically asked the 
Democrats to get this passed, to support this legislation, which is 
united support by the Republicans, had bipartisan support in the House, 
but was held up on this body by a unanimous vote of the Democrats or 
near unanimous vote of the Democrats to stop this legislation in its 
tracks and to allow the so-called International Criminal Court to 
continue with their lack of justice in a court they claim to have, 
where I see having no jurisdiction.
  So where do we go from here in terms of what we have seen today and 
in our discussion with the Prime Minister? What is the path forward for 
peace and prosperity in the Middle East? That is what we just spoke 
about.
  First, peace and prosperity in the Middle East begins with American 
support for Israel. President Trump and Republicans in the Congress 
stand with Israel and have from the beginning.
  Our support is unwavering; it is unbreakable; and it is unequivocal. 
It is not what we have seen from the other side of the aisle. 
Additionally, the biggest barrier to peace and prosperity in the Middle 
East continues to be Iran.
  As the largest State sponsor of terror in the world, Iran controls a 
vast, violent network of proxies. These Iranian terror proxies include 
Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen.

  Iran funds its terror proxies. Where does the money come from? Well, 
by selling oil to communist China. Last year the Iranian regime's oil 
sales to China averaged over 1\1/2\ million barrels of oil each and 
every day.
  How did that happen? Well, the Biden administration allowed it. They 
looked the other way. Tanker loads of oil to China, pay at a discount, 
tanker loads of cash back to Iran.
  To break Iran's choke hold on the Middle East, America must bring 
back maximum pressure. President Trump is going to do that. He is tough 
on Iran. During his first administration, he imposed crippling 
sanctions and enforcement measures that brought Iran to its knees. 
President Trump is now back into the White House and so is his 
successful maximum-pressure campaign.
  This week, he restored sanctions on Iran. This comes after he 
relabeled the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. It is a 
strong start, and we can still do more.
  In the Senate, stopping Iran terror is a priority for the Republican 
majority. Now, deterring Iran means restoring peace through strength. 
Republicans are supporting our military. We are ready to make key 
investments to make our military more lethal and the most powerful 
force on earth.
  With Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth now in place, we are already 
seeing morale return and recruiting numbers rise.
  We are also working to bring back American energy dominance. Energy 
is America's most critical national security asset. We, as a nation, 
are an energy superpower. We have enormous natural resources. We ought 
to behave that way. And under this administration and this majority, 
America will unleash American energy.
  A stronger America makes our allies stronger and also makes the world 
safer. Strength deters enemies.
  We will work with Israel every step of the way. Together, America and 
Israel will bring a new era of peace and prosperity to the Middle East.