Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

John Gardner said: ``History never looks like history when you are living through it.''

There is no doubt that today's votes in the House of Representatives will reverberate through history and will be felt for generations to come.

We have learned that when figures like Vladimir Putin emerge, we will not find peace through appeasement.

As caretakers of the world's most powerful republic, we cannot look away when the world looks to us to lead the defense of democracy. We cannot look away because tyranny is not just emanating from Moscow.

The same extremism that has fueled the Russian attack on the Ukrainian people has found countenance here in the people's House. In voting ``yes'' today, we can rebuke all those who choose to side with the enemies of freedom.

As we combat tyrants, we can also not turn away from the innocent victims of war and famine, the suffering people of Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, Chad, and Armenia. The humanitarian aid in this package is vital to relieving their pain, saving their lives, and securing their children's future.

As we witness so much destruction and starvation, as we attempt to comprehend the intertwined horrors of the October 7 attack on Israel and the devastating toll on innocent civilians in Gaza, I cannot see a path to peace that does not provide security and sovereignty to both Israelis and Palestinians, a peace rooted in justice and our common humanity. It is my hope that the votes we take today are a start.

We are not simply living through history. We are shaping it. We have the opportunity today to shape a future that is more just and more equitable.

The bills before us today are not perfect. They consider very complex and painful issues, but they are a critical step forward, and I urge my colleagues to join me in taking it.

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