John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz) and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, early yesterday morning, I returned from a whirlwind trip to the Middle East as part of a bipartisan codel, or a congressional delegation, to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The trip was a direct response to Hamas's savage attack on Israel. The codel, led by my friend Senator Lindsey Graham, brought together 10 Senators from both parties to show the United States' support for Israel and to demonstrate U.S. commitment to protecting our now-threatened national interests in the region. Our message was united: The United States stands with Israel. Iran is on notice, and it must stand down; and we need to get hostages freed and Americans out of harm's way. We are committed to seeing Hamas defeated so that a new chapter of prosperity for Israel and its Arab neighbors can begin, of which normalized relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a keystone. Our engagements on the ground included frank and candid discussions with heads of state, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and our U.S. Embassy teams on the ground. Our day in Tel Aviv began with meeting the families of hostages being held in Gaza, including Americans who shared their painful stories. As a parent and grandparent, it is heartbreaking to see and hear the grief of these family members. Later that day, we met with Israeli defense officials for an update on the war. We were shown video evidence of the unnerving atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists--horrific images that I will not soon forget. Our meetings made clear the absolute imperative to see Hamas defeated. Hamas's attacks have been likened to Israel's own September 11; but Prime Minister Netanyahu made a point that is especially chilling for Americans but that every critic of Israel must hear. He pointed out that, on 9/11, our enemy was thousands of miles away. In Israel, their enemy is only a kilometer away. For more than 15 years, Israel has had to live every day with a terrorist organization on its border whose sole mission in life is to kill Jews and to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth; and during that time, Hamas has loomed as a persistent threat to Israel, attacking, kidnapping, and killing Israelis. But the barbarism and brutality that Hamas displayed in its October 7 attacks took its evil to new heights, and now Israel knows what it has to do: It has to wipe Hamas off the face of the Earth. For the Israelis, this is existential. Israel's cause is just, and its resolve is firm, and it should have every peace-loving nation in the world on its side. Now, how Israel goes about that mission matters, and it needs to be done in a way that minimizes civilian casualties. The Palestinians living in Gaza are also victims of Hamas's reign of terror. Hamas has made it clear that the only value it places on the lives of Palestinians is to use them as fodder to direct attention away from its atrocities and to try and turn public sentiment, especially in Western media and the Arab street, against Israel. Case in point: Hamas's disproven claim that Israel struck a hospital, which sparked protests and riots in a number of countries. Israelis know that there are innocent Palestinians trapped in this fight and that civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis could drive more Palestinians toward extremism. That is why Israel is taking measures to protect innocents in Gaza, although its efforts are being undermined by Hamas, which has discouraged Palestinians from complying with Israel's evacuation order. The United States and other peace-loving nations in the region and beyond need to give Israel space to take the fight to and eradicate Hamas, because if Hamas and its reign of terror are allowed to continue, no nation in the region or beyond will be able to live in peace and security. It really is that simple. And one final but important point: Hamas might claim to represent Palestinians, but its violent actions do nothing--nothing--to benefit the Palestinian people. The only people who benefit from this brutal bloodshed are the ayatollahs in Iran, whose goal is to bring chaos, violence, and death to all who don't share their extreme and militant religious ideology, which, I might add, includes wiping Israel off the face of the Earth. Look no further than Hamas if you want to see Iran's influence, as 90 percent of their military budget comes from Iran, or Hezbollah, the terrorist organization on Israel's northern border with Lebanon, which is also armed and financed by Iran. Then there are the Houthis in Yemen who, in the aftermath of October 7, fired missiles and drones headed for Israel--again, likely at the direction of Iran; the Shia militias, who are attacking American soldiers in Iraq and Syria; the killing by Russians of innocent civilians in Ukraine with drones supplied by Iran. Through its proxies, Iran is literally getting away with murder. To the Iranian regime, we say: We are on to you. In addition to working with regional partners to get American hostages and citizens out of Gaza, the Biden administration must clearly articulate to the Iranians that, if they do not stand down or if they green-light the escalation of this war, the United States and our allies will be forced to respond forcefully. The movement of U.S. firepower to the region should make that point very clear to Tehran. The attacks on October 7 represent a kind of evil that the world hasn't seen in generations, and it must be confronted and contained. If it is not, we could see death and destruction on a scale akin to the horrors of the last century. History is watching. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).-

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Crapo), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Romney), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott), and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, yesterday, I came down to the floor to discuss the importance of military preparedness to our national security. The most basic requirement of national security is a strong military, but it is not the only requirement. Maintaining our Nation's strength and our ability to deter threats and discourage our enemies from tangling with us also involves things like a strong economy, energy security, and border security. And, today, I want to spend a few minutes talking about border security. Border security is an essential part of keeping our Nation secure. Porous borders are an invitation to criminals, terrorists, and other dangerous individuals. And let us be very clear: There are dangerous individuals out there right now who would like to enter and harm our country. Porous borders are an invitation to those types of individuals. Since the beginning of the month, four Iranians considered to be ``special interest aliens''--individuals, that is, who may pose a threat to the United States--have been apprehended at the southern border in Texas. Now, all told, thousands of special interest aliens--a number of them from Middle Eastern countries--have been apprehended at our southern border in the past 2 years. During fiscal year 2023, 151 individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist were apprehended attempting to illegally cross our southern border-- 151. As a recent news story noted, ``that figure is more than the total of the previous six . . . years combined.'' That same story also notes: In the first two weeks of the fiscal year, the CBP sources told Fox News that agents had apprehended more than 30 Iranians, nearly 60 Syrians, 35 Pakistanis, more than 100 Russians, 285 Afghans and nearly 2,000 Chinese migrants at the southern border. ``[M]ore than 30 Iranians, nearly 60 Syrians, 35 Pakistanis, more than 100 Russians, 285 Afghans and nearly 2,000 Chinese migrants at the southern border''--now, it is likely that many of those individuals are simply in search of the promise the United States offers of a better life. But it is also entirely possible that some of these individuals-- some of them from intensely hostile countries like Iran--had more malign intentions. And while Customs and Border Protection apprehended the individuals I have mentioned so far, it is not only possible, but likely, that similarly concerning individuals have entered our country undetected. Since President Biden took office, there have been more than 1.5 million known ``got-aways'' at the southern borders. Those are individuals that Border Patrol saw but was unable to apprehend. And we can only imagine the number of unknown ``got-aways'' who have sneaked into the country. Those are people they didn't see. They have no idea. How many of those individuals are from hostile countries or are on the Terrorist Watchlist or are members of cartels that target literally every State in the Union and are fueling the fentanyl epidemic? The truth of the matter is we just don't know, but it is a good bet that, among the ``got-aways'' were dangerous individuals who should not be entering our country. Now, I don't need to tell anyone that the situation at our southern border right now is disastrous. All signs point to fiscal year 2023 being the third recordbreaking year of attempted illegal crossings at the southern border under the Biden administration's watch. The number of attempted illegal crossings at the southern border last month alone has been estimated to be somewhere in the range of 270,000 people, which would make it the highest monthly number ever recorded. Customs and Border Protection is overstretched--to put it mildly--and has been for pretty much the entirety of the Biden administration. We could scarcely be sending a more welcoming signal to criminals, terrorists, and other dangerous individuals if we put out a welcome mat. Why wouldn't dangerous individuals like this take advantage of the chaos at the border to slip into our country undetected? The Director of the FBI recently warned of copycat attacks in the United States after Hamas's deadly attack on Israel, and a September threat assessment from the Department of Homeland Security noted: Terrorist and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow [of migration] and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States. If we want to keep our country secure, we are going to have to get the situation at our southern border under control now. I am glad that President Biden has finally conceded that a border wall is part of the solution, but it must be backed up with the willingness to fully enforce our laws. In the coming weeks, I expect that we are going to take up a supplemental spending bill to address support for our allies and to provide additional funding that our military may need. I hope--and will work to ensure--that that legislation also includes measures to help secure our southern border. I have said it before, and I will say it again: If we don't get national security right, the rest is conversation. And securing our border is an indispensable part of national security. The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 should be all the reminder we need of the importance of being constantly on guard against those who would seek to ruin our Nation and to do us harm. And I hope that, in the wake of this attack, President Biden and congressional Democrats will join Republicans to make both strengthening our military and securing our border a priority. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, Israel and the world are still reeling from the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 that left somewhere around 1,400 Israelis and at least 31 Americans dead. In scale and scope, the attack carried echoes of our 9/11. And as on 9/11, life changed in an instant. I came down to the floor yesterday to talk about these attacks and the United States' commitment to standing with the Israeli people against terrorism. And today, I would like to talk about another important point these attacks raise: the importance of our national defense and military readiness. It has been said that ``Only the dead have seen the end of war.'' We live in a fallen world. And as long as we live in a fallen world, there will be evil men bent on aggression. And if we wish to continue living in peace and freedom, we must be always ready to defend against such men. Military preparedness is an essential and constant need. There is never a time where we can guarantee our peace and safety, and so there is never a time when we can afford to be ill-prepared to defend our peace and safety. As citizens of the United States--an immense country with a reputation for military strength--it can be easy to become complacent and to assume that we will always be able to deter or defeat attacks, but that is a dangerous assumption. As strong as we are, we are not invulnerable, and we are not the only great power out there. And if we don't make the necessary investments in our military to back up our reputation of strength, we may find our ability to deter hostile countries quickly waning. And the fact of the matter is, our military preparedness is not where it should be. Thanks to budgetary impasses and increased operational demands, by 2018, our readiness had eroded to the point that the bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission released a report warning that we might struggle to win a war against a major power like Russia or China. And while we have made progress since then, we are still a long way from where we need to be. We have military services that are struggling to meet recruiting targets. There is a persistent pilot shortage, and in a number of cases, we have too few mission-capable aircraft. And we are not doing an adequate job of maintaining the kind of supply we need of munitions. That is not an acceptable situation for us to be in, and it could have very serious consequences. To give you just one example, recent U.S. war games envisioning a United States-China conflict following an attack on Taiwan have had grim results, showing enormous military and economic costs on both sides. One story on these war games noted: And while the ultimate outcome in these exercises is not always clear--the U.S. does better in some than others--the cost is clear. In every exercise, the U.S. uses up all its long-range air-to-surface missiles in a few days, with a substantial portion of its planes destroyed on the ground. Let me just repeat that last line: In every exercise, the U.S. uses up all its long-range air- to-surface missiles in a few days, with a substantial portion of its planes destroyed on the ground. That is not a promising scenario, and it highlights our serious readiness shortages, shortages that other countries may not share. China, which is investing heavily in its military, is outpacing our military in modern capabilities like hypersonic missiles and has amassed a larger navy. And while Russia is currently expending its military resources in its war of aggression against Ukraine, it too does not hesitate when it comes to military investment. We have serious work to do on the readiness front. And as I said, we have made progress since 2018. But we still have a long way to go to ensure that our military is fully prepared to meet and deter 21st century threats, and this is a priority we need to address now, not when we are waking up one morning reeling from an attack on our country or on Americans abroad, but right now. Investing in our military after we are threatened or attacked is too late. We can't scale up defense capabilities in an instant or suddenly produce an adequate supply of munitions out of thin air. We need to get and keep--and keep--our military where it needs to be on the readiness front so that we can deter threats and meet them, if needed, with overwhelming force. And boosting our strength is important for our friends and allies as well. We can't and shouldn't send troops into every conflict, and we can't solve all the world's problems. But sooner or later, world events do affect us, and we can't retreat from the world stage and allow maligned powers to fill the resulting vacuum, nor can we afford to concentrate on one threat or area of the world to the exclusion of others. Putin's war in Ukraine and Hamas's attack on Israel should be ample reminders that threats can come from both great powers and non- state actors alike. So we need to get to work, and that should start with passing a final version of this year's National Defense Authorization Act and making progress on our annual appropriations bills, including the defense appropriations bill. And we should also take up a supplemental to provide the necessary support to our allies and to ensure that we provide any additional funding needed for our own military. October 7 was the latest reminder that we live in a fallen and dangerous world. Let us ensure that we always are prepared to preserve the peace and to defend our Nation. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul).

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, there are days and events that are almost unspeakable, and October 7, 2023, is one of them. The slaughter of hundreds of innocent Israelis--men, women, and, unthinkably, children-- at the hands of Hamas terrorists was a terrible witness to the evil of which mankind is capable. The stories and images that have emerged are searing: a bloodied infant seat, parents tucking their 10-month-old twins into hiding before being murdered by the attackers, a mom and dad killed with their three young children. As a father and a grandfather, I cannot imagine the terror those parents must have felt as they realized Hamas gunmen had moved into their villages. It is a terrible fact of war that the innocent are often drawn into the crossfire, but to make war on the innocent, to target the innocent deliberately, is perhaps the greatest evil of which man is capable. Mr. President, it is nearly unimaginable to think that someone could look at Hamas's attack and find any cause for joy or celebration, and yet in the days following the attacks, we have seen far too many people right here at home--including at our so-called top universities-- attempt to defend or even celebrate the indefensible. And while the First Amendment protects their right to speak, I hope that we as a society can categorically reject the view that anything can justify or excuse the deliberate murder of babies and children. Mr. President, Israel is currently working to bring a swift end to Hamas's reign of terror, and it should have the full support of the United States in this mission. The United States has long provided security assistance to Israel, including an ongoing memorandum of understanding that supports foreign military financing and missile defense assistance through fiscal year 2028. In 2021, we passed supplemental funding to restock the Iron Dome system in response to rocket attacks from Hamas, and I anticipate Congress will soon consider a supplemental in response to this attack. We must also use every resource available to prevent escalation and expansion of this war and ensure that Israel does not end up fighting on multiple fronts. We can already see that other hostile actors are angling to enter the fray. Iran is actively threatening Israel. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has fired rockets and artillery across Israel's northern border with Lebanon. And we need to band together with our allies to make it clear that any attempts to escalate this war would be a grave miscalculation. It is also past time to hold Iran--a long-time funder of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations--to account for its role in fomenting unrest and destabilizing the Middle East. I have not been shy about calling out the Biden administration's poor track record on being tough on Iran, in particular, the administration's misguided goal of re-signing a flawed nuclear deal and attempting to appease the country's leaders with billions of dollars in sanctions relief. Just over a month ago--on September 11 of all days--the administration lifted a freeze on $6 billion in Iranian assets, which would likely have resulted in the freeing up of additional funds for Iran's hostile activities. I am glad that the President listened to calls from Senator Blackburn, me, and others to block Iran's access to these funds, and I hope that the Senate can soon pass legislation to permanently freeze these assets. We need to make it very clear to Iran--and to any other country that would seek to imitate the Iranians--that there will be consequences for aiding and abetting terror. Mr. President, 30 Americans have now been confirmed to have died in Israel. As I speak, we have 13 possible American hostages being held by Hamas. We also have an estimated up to 600 Americans in Gaza in harm's way, including a family that my office is working with. We must get them out. Mr. President, in the midst of war and Hamas's brutality, it is important to remember our own sense of humanity and innocence on both sides. Hamas's utter indifference to human life was on full display on its rampage through Israeli villages, and that indifference extends, unfortunately, to the lives of its own people. Hamas has tangled its terrorist infrastructure throughout and under an incredibly dense urban population center, ensuring that innocent lives will always be in harm's way in attacks on legitimate terrorist targets. And as Israel prepares to go after targets in Gaza, Hamas is now discouraging--and, it appears, actively trying to prevent--civilians from heeding Israel's calls to evacuate. Apparently, Hamas believes that dead Palestinians will advance its cause and keep the focus on Israel's response, not the abject brutality that Hamas unleashed on October 7. And we must be resolute in exposing and condemning this callousness. We must also work to ensure that the response of free countries conveys the respect for human life that is so woefully lacking in the terrorists and that we do everything we can to ensure that innocent civilians on both sides in this conflict are protected as much as possible and that humanitarian aid reaches innocent Palestinians and is not intercepted by Hamas terrorists. Mr. President, the Jewish people have suffered much, but their story--and the story of Israel--is one of resilience, and the United States stands with Israel at this most challenging time. My prayers this week are with the grieving families in Israel and all the suffering and for the permanent defeat of Hamas and a just and lasting peace. Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt), and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt) would have voted ``nay.''