Tom Cotton Slams Biden For Imposing 'De Facto Arms Embargo On Israel'

4 months ago

During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) spoke about President Biden's withholding of military aid for Israel.

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Transcript

00:00 Senator from Arkansas. The state of Israel is facing the deadliest threat to its

00:04 existence in a generation. To its south, Israel is waging a war of survival

00:08 against Hamas terrorists who slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and abducted more than

00:14 250 men, women, and children. To its north, Hezbollah, the most armed terrorist

00:21 organization in the world, is menacing Israeli towns and forcing tens of

00:24 thousands to flee their homes. And just last month, Iran launched more than 300

00:30 ballistic missiles and attack drones at Israel, for the first time attacking the

00:34 Jewish state from Iranian territory. Outlaw rebels and brigands in Yemen are

00:40 also firing missiles and drones at Israeli and allied shipping to include

00:45 US naval vessels. As Israel is under siege at home, it's also under diplomatic

00:52 assault abroad from Hamas's proxies at the United Nations, the International

00:57 Criminal Court, and even American college campuses. Joe Biden's allies on Capitol

01:04 Hill have grown increasingly hostile as well. The majority leader and former

01:09 Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, called for the removal of Benjamin

01:12 Netanyahu from power. The majority leader said that Israel needs new elections. I

01:18 think New York may need new elections. Senator Bernie Sanders said that we

01:24 should, quote, "not send another nickel for Netanyahu," while Congresswoman

01:29 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supports a bill that would strip the tax-exempt status of

01:34 pro-Israel charities. That's bad enough, but unfortunately, instead of backing our

01:40 Israeli friends to the hilt in this moment of maximum danger, the Biden

01:43 administration has sanctioned Israelis, condemned its military, and second-guessed

01:48 it while trying to undermine its democratically elected leader. Two weeks

01:54 ago, Joe Biden went a step further, halting the shipment of bombs and

01:57 precision-guided bomb kits that Israel needs to limit civilian casualties and

02:02 destroy Hamas strongholds inside of Rafa, and for that matter, to free

02:07 hostages, including American citizens. The president also announced that he will

02:12 withhold additional offensive weapons to Israel if Israel targets Hamas's

02:18 in Rafa, as if there were much difference between offensive and defensive weapons

02:23 when Israel is surrounded on all sides by mortal enemies. Joe Biden is

02:29 instituting a de facto arms embargo on Israel that will save Hamas. The reason

02:36 appears to be simple. He wants to appease a small minority of pro-Hamas voters in

02:41 his own party in critical swing states he believes are necessary for his

02:45 reelection. That's why I've partnered with Congressman Ken Calvert to pass the

02:50 Israel Security Assistance and Support Act, which would reverse Joe Biden's

02:55 arms embargo on our ally. This legislation simply requires the prompt

03:00 delivery of all weapons shipments approved by Congress. It also withholds

03:06 pay from any department of state or defense bureaucrat who

03:10 withholds vital military aid from Israel. Earlier this week, I'm sorry, earlier

03:15 last week, the House did its part and passed the Israel Security Assistance

03:20 Support Act with a bipartisan majority that included over a dozen Democrats. Now

03:25 it's the Senate term. Therefore, Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I

03:30 ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration

03:34 of calendar number 398, HR 8369. I further ask that the bill be considered,

03:41 read a third time, and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered,

03:45 made, and laid upon the table. In my capacity as Senator from Vermont, I

03:51 object. I regret that the Democrats will not allow this bill to come up for a

03:55 vote, which again would simply ensure that aid that Congress has approved is

04:01 delivered promptly to Israel in the middle of a shooting war of survival, a

04:06 bill that I would remind everyone passed the House of Representatives with a

04:10 bipartisan majority. The time is now to reverse Joe Biden's de facto arms

04:16 embargo on Israel. I yield the floor.

04:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Tom Cotton Slams Biden For Imposing 'De Facto Arms Embargo On Israel'

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