Israel Security Assistance Support Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1227, I call up the bill (H.R. 8369) to provide for the expeditious delivery of defense articles and defense services for Israel and other matters, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.
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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, Hamas' October 7 massacre was as cruel, barbaric, and bloody as anything I have ever seen. Hamas unleashed pure evil on Israel that day. The Hamas terrorists filmed themselves committing brutal atrocities because they were so proud of their barbaric acts.

In fact, in just hours they murdered 1,200 innocent people and took over 250 hostages, including Americans. I say this to remind my colleagues of the moral clarity that we as a body felt in the aftermath of these brutal attacks.

It was obvious to us then that Hamas was ruthless. It was obvious to us that Hamas needed to be eradicated to ensure Israel's security. It was obvious to us that Hamas would fight dirty and use innocent civilians as human shields. It was obvious to us that Israel had no choice but to win this war and end the perpetual terrorist threat.

We all, Republicans and Democrats, spent those weeks talking about our steadfast support for Israel, our ironclad commitment. In fact, Mr. Meeks and I introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas in support of Israel which had more cosponsors than any other resolution in the history of the Congress.

However, today, I am deeply disappointed that for some in this country and for the administration that that moral clarity has faded, that their ironclad commitment apparently is not, in fact, ironclad.

In an about-face, the Biden administration is now withholding critical arms necessary for Israel to win this war. This administration wants to dictate how Israel executes the war that they were thrust into.

They did not ask for this war. They did not start this war. Hamas started this war.

Just recently, though, President Biden said that if they go into Rafah, I am not supplying the weapons, period. That would be similar for us, Madam Speaker, to say during World War II, my father's war, that you can invade all the way up to Berlin, but you can't go into Berlin to finish the job. Imagine if we had done that with our Allies back then.

Israel is in a fight for its very existence, and this administration's public break with Israel has only made negotiations and victory more difficult.

Rafah is a final key military objective to complete the mission against Hamas.

Israel has effectively eradicated 19 battalions throughout Gaza, yet 4 remain in Rafah. This is the last stage of the military operation, and it keeps getting delayed and delayed and delayed.

We know that Hamas is exploiting this cease-fire and using the negotiation process just to buy more time.

Hamas has established a network of tunnels that total over 300 miles in Gaza. These tunnels of terror are where they are holed up ready to strike Israel at the first opportunity.

Their use of tunnels is why Israel must use these larger bombs, to destroy their command and control centers and eliminate the terrorists that find refuge in them.

By the way, contrary to what has been said publicly, these bombs when applied with JDAM kits can become precision-guided weapons. Precision means just that, precise. It goes straight to the target without collateral damage, and it does, indeed, protect innocent civilians.

We know that Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas, is somewhere around these tunnels. Taking him out is critical to defeating Hamas.

Madam Speaker, as the saying goes: War is hell. War is horrific. War is messy. Nobody wants war. Israel did not start this war; Hamas did. Sadly, civilian casualties are part of urban warfare. Israel has limited this number greatly and is opening all routes for humanitarian assistance.

This is despite the fact that Hamas are the ones who use human shields, hide behind hospitals and schools, and put civilians in harm's way.

It was Hamas that destroyed the Erez checkpoint on October 7, significantly impeding aid from getting into Gaza. Since then, they have repeatedly attacked another checkpoint that serves as a major artery of aid into Gaza. Egypt also is currently delaying aid through the Rafah checkpoint.

Just the other day, I saw a video of Hamas killing their own people, Palestinian children simply trying to get food out of the trucks, as they gunned down their own people.

Until Israel finishes the last major operation to remove Hamas from power, to defeat the remaining battalions that are in Rafah, we will never have the peaceful resolution that everybody wants. For until Rafah is destroyed and Hamas is destroyed, we will not be able to get to the peace talks with the Saudis and Israel and the other Arab nations that everyone is so optimistic about.

I can only think of one purpose to withhold these weapons. This administration is more concerned about a small vocal wing of activists than the ironclad commitment that they talked about to stand by Israel.

Under this administration, I have noticed a disturbing trend, a trend where we turn our backs on our allies and fall short of the promises we make.

That is why this legislation is so important. It will ensure the weapons are delivered to Israel, and it will reassure our allies that when America makes a commitment, we keep it.

Think about this, Madam Speaker: What kind of a message is this sending both to our allies and friends and our adversaries and enemies? To our allies, it sends a message that we cannot be trusted. To our adversaries, it sends a message that they no longer fear us. It does not send a message of deterrence. It sends a message of weakness. It invites conflict, aggression, and now, yes, war.

Imagine if Iran cut off its weapons to Hezbollah and cut off its weapons to the Houthi rebels, what would be said of Iran? What would be our impression?

They believe they have achieved victory, Madam Speaker, without a shot fired, a victory handed to them by this administration tying the hands of Israel, one hand behind its back, as it moves into the final stage of this war to complete its final mission.

Prime Minister Netanyahu says: I will do this alone if I have to.

He should not have to do this alone. We need to stand with our ally, Israel, stand with her and stand with her to defeat this terrorist organization, Hamas, and bring a final closure and a peaceful resolution to the Middle East.

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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, let me just say, first, with respect to the first President I had the honor to vote for, Ronald Reagan, in 1982, it was concluded that Israel was violating U.S. and international laws by their use of cluster munitions.

In this case, the Biden administration actually concluded in a national security memo that Israel was not violating U.S. and international laws. Yet, the President still announced his plan to withhold all defensive weapons to Israel. That is a very different situation, and I wanted to rectify and clarify the Record on that.

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Mr. McCAUL.

First, let me just say in response that I also appreciate our friendship, our partnership, Mr. Meeks and myself. We are very proud of our committee and our committee's record of working in a very bipartisan manner.

Mr. Speaker, following the Holocaust, the world said: Never again.

Following the massacre on October 7, this body, through our bipartisan resolution, said: Never again. When we said that, I thought we meant that.

When President Biden said to Israel after the attacks, ``As long as the United States stands . . . we will not let you ever be alone,'' I thought he meant that.

Now, in their moment of need, this administration has turned their backs on Israel, halting shipments of weapons they desperately need to win. This administration has sowed the seeds of doubt on this Nation's commitments to our allies.

We abandoned Afghanistan to the Taliban.

We slow-walked weapons to Ukraine, giving them just enough to bleed out but not to win.

President Biden's decision to withhold weapons, approved by myself, the chairman, and the ranking member, and appropriated by Congress, defied congressional intent and is tantamount to an arms embargo.

Mr. Speaker, red lines are meant for our enemies. Red lines are not meant for our allies and our friends, but that is precisely what this administration is doing to Israel.

What a terrible message to send to our allies. Even more dangerous is the message that we are sending to our adversaries.

This week marked the 76th anniversary of Israel's independence. Think about that and the timing of this. To mark this occasion, the State Department released a statement saying: ``The United States was the first country to recognize Israeli statehood when Israel declared independence in 1948. Our history of shared democratic values, trade, deep cultural ties, and commitment to regional security has provided the basis for our countries' strong partnership and friendship.''

A strong partnership and commitment to regional security means standing with our allies, not withholding vital weapons during an unprecedented war and not withholding vital weapons after Iran, for God's sake, for the first time in the history of the State of Israel, fired endless rockets from Iran directly into Israel.

We all want peace and stability in the region, but that cannot happen as long as Hamas remains in power.

Israel remains under attack, and as their closest ally and partner, we must give them the tools they need to finish the job. The time is now. We cannot wait any longer. It has been delayed enough.

Only until that final military objective is completed can we begin the other phase of this that Mr. Meeks and I have been looking forward to, and that is working with the Saudis and Israelis on a security agreement, along with the other Arab nations, to finally just maybe bring peace and prosperity to a part of the world that has been at war for so many years, for way too long.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure and to stand with Israel in its darkest hour. I yield back the balance of my time.

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