Discussion · Senate
Steve Daines Republican
“I want the Senate to vote against this resolution. It unfairly blames Israel and tries to cut off military aid to our ally. The government is already looking into the deaths of Americans, but this resolution ignores Palestinian groups that pay rewards to terrorists.”
“Mr. President, I am here to address the resolution put forward by Senator Van Hollen. This is a misguided resolution. The Democrats are trying to distort reality for political gain. Make no mistake, the sole objective here is not justice or accountability for Americans, it is to cut off security aid to our ally Israel in its time of need. Of course, any loss, all loss of American life is a tragedy, and Ambassador Huckabee has called for an investigation into these deaths, and I am very confident this administration will get to the bottom of this issue. But this one-sided resolution shames one of our strongest allies and minimizes the Palestinian Authority’s role in inciting terrorist violence, including against Americans, through their horrific ``pay for slay’’ program, which unbelievably rewards terrorists with up to $200 million a year. Rather than any serious attempt at accountability or justice, this is sadly another cynical ploy by Democrats to isolate our closest ally in the region and to turn Israel’s righteous war of self-defense into a domestic political issue as we are now just a little over 30 days from election. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this resolution so we can stand with our ally Israel as they beat back the scourge of Iranian-backed terrorism. I yield the floor.”
Mr. President, I am here to address the resolution put forward by Senator Van Hollen. This is a misguided resolution. The Democrats are trying to distort reality for political gain. Make no mistake, the sole objective here is not justice or accountability for Americans, it is to cut off security aid to our ally Israel in its time of need. Of course, any loss, all loss of American life is a tragedy, and Ambassador Huckabee has called for an investigation into these deaths, and I am very confident this administration will get to the bottom of this issue. But this one-sided resolution shames one of our strongest allies and minimizes the Palestinian Authority’s role in inciting terrorist violence, including against Americans, through their horrific ``pay for slay’’ program, which unbelievably rewards terrorists with up to $200 million a year. Rather than any serious attempt at accountability or justice, this is sadly another cynical ploy by Democrats to isolate our closest ally in the region and to turn Israel’s righteous war of self-defense into a domestic political issue as we are now just a little over 30 days from election. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this resolution so we can stand with our ally Israel as they beat back the scourge of Iranian-backed terrorism. I yield the floor.