Interview With Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA)

Interview

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"We're going to have to have a continuing resolution because the Republican chaos caucus has been totally unable to move long term appropriation bills. I think there's only three that have passed the House thus far. The last five weeks during this chaotic period, three of those appropriation bills have been stuck. They cannot get the votes themselves and they've refused to reach across the aisle to work with us on the long term appropriation.

So yes, we're going to almost certainly have to have a continuing resolution, however to go to January 15th and then on to February simply will continue the chaos for at least another three, three-and- a-half months.

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Well, I think there is all around the world enormous concern, empathy, sadness about the horrific things that have happened in Israel and in Gaza. There is no way that a caring human being can look at all that has taken place to the Israelis, as well as to the Palestinians in Gaza and not want it to stop.

And there are many ways that that can happen. A pause is in fact, a stop, at least for a temporary period of time. And a ceasefire also, is a stop, usually, for a specific period of time.

Israel has the right to protect itself. I personally believe that the aerial bombardments from rockets or from airplanes dropping bombs has to stop. There seems to me to be no reason for that. The ground action that is taking place has to be very, very carefully done, and the Palestinians in Gaza have to be given time to evacuate whether they're in a hospital or in a building. There's no other way. They have to be given the time to do that, if that's through a pause or a ceasefire, short or long term, that has to happen.

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Well, more than 11,000 Palestinians have died as a result of what's taking place in Gaza. At the same time, we've seen over what -- 1,600 Israelis have died in the onslaught that that Hamas did to Israel more than a month ago. So there is a lot of harm going on here.

My personal opinion is that the aerial bombardments, whether they are by rocket or plane must stop. And there must be a pause in the action so that civilians can get out of the way. It's clear that the IDF is going to continue to pursue Hamas fighters in Gaza and I believe that can be done with a minimum of civilian casualties by very carefully conducting it, taking time. It has to be block by block. That's all understandable.

With regard to the hospital, the hospital has to be protected. Bottom line, the hospital has to be protected. And that can be done at the same time that Israel is either preparing for the next action following a pause or if it's a ceasefire for whatever period of time, then with the hospital protected, and with the civilians given the time to get out of the way, then Israel will, in my view, be able to pursue the Hamas terrorists in a way that reduces casualties and could be successful.

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Well, that's what I said a moment ago, that hospital has to be protected. Under no circumstances should Israel attack the hospital. That's just plain wrong. But at the same time, we have work to do in Congress. Israel is going to need continuing support and all this talk about the continued resolution missed in that discussion is the support for Ukraine, as well as for Israel.

And so this is a very complex situation on the ground for the Israeli Defense Forces, one in which it seems to me they need to prioritize civilian safety and take the time -- it'll be longer to be sure -- to go after Hamas once they have secured the safety of the civilians, that cannot be done unless the United States continues to support Israel.

And that is the supplemental appropriation that the Republicans have refused to even take up, as well as the Ukraine supplemental appropriation. All of these things fit together.

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It is complex. But in my view, the safety of the civilians in Israel, as well as in Gaza, is of utmost priority.

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It doesn't work. It doesn't work. What we saw during the first Trump administration was a horrible incidence on the border. Children being separated from their parents, having no idea where the parents are. And totally, even after these many, many years, unable to reunite families.

Trump has no real plan other than cruelty. We have to have a secure border. In that supplemental legislation that I talked about a moment ago, there is a half a billion dollars to hire more than 4,000 border security people. The Republicans are refusing to move that legislation that would allow immediate men and women on the border to secure the border as it is now, as and also to build additional walls.

So President Trump cannot become president again. He has made it very clear that he intends to terminate our democracy, as we know it, should he be reelected. And this border thing that he came up with is one more example of the inhumane treatment that he provided during hits on the border to asylum seekers.

We cannot go back there. We have to secure the border. We have to have decent and wise immigration reform. Once again, the Republicans have been in power in the Congress for a full year, not one effort to really come to grips with the immigration laws of the United States. They did pass H.R. 2, which, again, simply carries on the failures of the past

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Thank you."

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