Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the appropriations chair, my good friend from Texas, for yielding and for bringing this important legislation, which I strongly support.

We have seen the atrocities in Israel. We have also stood by Israel. In fact, the United States is proud to be the first country that recognized Israel as a Jewish state on the heels of World War II as the nations were coming together and recognizing the importance that we all get behind a Jewish state. Unfortunately, from that day there were always people around the neighborhood who wished Israel harm.

Over time, you have seen peace agreements, Abraham Accords, but you have always seen seeds of discord. Of course, the biggest discord started with Iran funding terrorist organizations like Hamas. Hamas took action weeks ago, atrocities that are hard to repeat that we have seen and the world needs to continue to see because, unfortunately, as the world is seeing the atrocities, while we recognize the lives that have been lost--not only Israelis, Jews, Americans, Palestinians--but you also see the ugly head of anti-Semitism popping up.

Here on college campuses in the United States, other places around the Nation and the world, where anti-Semitism seems to rise its ugly head at times when Israel seems to be in a dangerous position, these are times when we all need to be standing with Israel, giving them the tools they need to make sure they can defend themselves against these atrocities. That is what this legislation does.

In fact, we worked with the leadership in Israel. We worked with the Biden administration, the Pentagon, and others who know what is at stake. We have had long-time partnerships in our strength and our defense systems. If you think about the Iron Dome and David's Sling weapons systems that will be replenished with this legislation, a lot of this is American technology that has been partnered with Israel over many, many years to save lives in Israel.

And as those weapons systems get depleted, we need to make sure they are replenished; the Iron Beam system, a more advanced missile systems. Some of the other partnerships that we have had for a long time, that is also funded in this bill. We are making sure that Israel has the tools they need.

We came out of the box ensuring, under Speaker Mike Johnson, that we send a strong message to the world that we support Israel, passing strong legislation to unite behind Israel. But now we need to back that up with action, with the support in military strength that they need to continue this conflict.

And it is actually paid for; paid for not by taking away existing IRS agents, but tens of thousands of new proposed IRS agents. And where are they coming from? Who are they going after? If you look at the CBO report, the proposed IRS agents that we would be defunding in this, we are actually helping President Biden keep his promise. You heard over and over again, President Biden said no American

making under $400,000 will pay a dime in new taxes. We all heard that. It was a promise made over and over again, except President Biden broke that promise.

Families making under $400,000 are paying more in new taxes, and part of that is the army of IRS agents that they are sending after people, tens of thousands. Under this bill, these IRS agents that we would be eliminating save the American taxpayers making under $400,000 a total of $4 billion. That is $4 billion back in the pockets of hardworking families who were promised by President Biden they wouldn't see their taxes go up. Yet, he wanted to put tens of thousands of IRS agents looking into and raising their taxes. That won't happen if this bill passes, which is more money they need right now because prices are higher on those families.

At the end day, sending the message that we are willing to stand up to Iran and give Israel the tools they need--tomorrow, we are bringing more legislation, by the way, in the SHIP Act, to put sanctions on Iranian oil. Again, Iran is at the heart and center of funding Hamas.

Hamas started this. As the President talks about a cease-fire, it was Hamas who broke the cease-fire when they invaded and attacked and murdered, barbarically, Israel.

Israel needs the right to defend themselves. They need the tools to defend themselves, but let's also defund Iran and the money they are getting. They made $80 billion during the Biden administration selling their oil on world markets. We need to pass that legislation tomorrow, which we will, and hopefully in a very big bipartisan vote. We need to start today by passing this legislation to give them the tools they need in Israel to make sure that they can push back and destroy Hamas and protect those citizens in Israel who deserve peace. America has always stood by our ally Israel. Let's continue that today. I urge passage.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for the purposes of a colloquy. I still call him Leader Hoyer.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the conversations that the gentleman and I have had. He has led many delegations to Israel. I think most of us have been to Israel and seen firsthand some of those towns. I have been to Sderot and other cities that have come under attack. I have seen the heartbreak going to some of the kibbutzim and have heard the harrowing stories. We want to make sure they get their relief.

I also know this. Obviously, as we talk about funding of government, we just passed an appropriations bill last night, and we are going to be moving after we get through this bill into two more appropriations bills. We will be working late into the night and tomorrow on more appropriations bills to properly fund government.

If you look at the bills we have already sent over to the Senate, that includes the Defense appropriations bill, that includes more funding for Israel, along with the State and Foreign Operations bill that also includes more funding for Israel.

When we have had heads of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, military leaders, come before us in committees to testify about the major threats globally, they have been asked pointblank: What is the major threat to America? You would think if you are a military leader, you would be talking about maybe China and some of the threats that they pose that we know are very real and other countries. That is not what they talked about. They talked about our Nation's debt, that the Nation's debt is the biggest threat.

If we can do both, support our friends around the world and start confronting our Nation's debt--we are going to have to do this over and over again. The Speaker talked about a debt commission that got a lot of bipartisan interest, in fact, bicameral interest. These are all issues we have to confront at the same time.

We are going to continue to do our work. The Senate could pass that bill to the President's desk, and I think in the end he would sign it. If the Senate passes this bill that we are going to pass today to the Senate, I have no doubt the President would sign this bill.

We have to confront our challenges here. We need border security. As we talk about Ukraine, we need to secure America's border, because we know there are people on the terrorist watch list coming into our country right now that we cannot ignore.

This administration might be ignoring it. Democrat mayors and Republican mayors alike recognize it is a problem in major cities that has to be confronted. We are going to confront it and continue to work on those issues, as well. All of this has to be dealt with at the same time. None of this happens in a vacuum. Many of these problems are interrelated. We are going to continue to confront all of them and work as we can hopefully together. Obviously, today maybe we might not all be on the same page. Tomorrow, I think on that Iran oil sanctions bill, we will be closer, but we have to keep working through these issues together.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for a colloquy.

Mr. Speaker, one final point on that. Obviously, if you look at the history of CBO, they are the referee, the scorekeeper that has to be used. They have often been wrong. I would say often wrong but never in doubt. When they are wrong, they are usually wrong to the detriment of taxpayers.

Here is a classic example. Only in Washington does eliminating government positions count as something that is going to cost the deficit. Getting rid of the size of government is ruled by CBO as increasing the deficit, but they exposed a dirty little secret about these new IRS agents. I emphasize ``new.'' These are not existing employees. This is tens of thousands of new IRS agents that President Biden wants to hire. It exposed that the only way that they generate money is by raising taxes on families, including those making under $400,000. In their report, they point this out.

If you are an American citizen who believed Joe Biden's promise that you will not pay a dime in new taxes if you make less than $400,000-- and he said it over and over again; it is on video--that promise is broken, according to the CBO in this report, to the tune of over $4 billion in new taxes that those families will be paying. Those are not existing taxes. They are new taxes those families will be paying.

If you want to save $4 billion in taxes and you are one of those families that bought the promise--and, frankly, in times of high inflation, high interest rates, high cost for everything from gas to groceries, no family should be paying more in new taxes. I would argue this bill will save those families a lot more money than what those new IRS agents were going to collect in new taxes, and we are doing them all a favor while also helping address a serious spending problem in Washington and standing with our ally Israel, most importantly.

Mr. Speaker, that is why we need to pass the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this extraordinarily important resolution written with my friend and colleague, Chairman McCaul.

Mr. Speaker, 18 days ago, the State of Israel suffered the greatest mass murder perpetrated against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel by land, sea, and air.

Behaving just like ISIS, Hamas terrorists murdered and beheaded soldiers and civilians alike. Babies were shot and burned in their cribs and reduced to smoldering piles of ash--babies.

Children were murdered. Teenagers were murdered. Men and women were murdered. Elderly people, including Holocaust survivors, were murdered.

Hamas has also taken 200 of those who survived into Gaza as hostages, including unaccompanied children, Holocaust survivors, and many American citizens.

Mr. Speaker, Hamas' attack was truly unprecedented. When you consider the size of Israel's population, proportionately it would be like 30,000 people dying in New York on 9/11. Just let that sink in a little.

We must all acknowledge that Hamas is a cutthroat terrorist organization that exists solely to destroy Israel. Hamas' terrorism does not help the Palestinians. In this moment, it is critical for Israel to know that the United States of America stands firmly by its side in this battle against Hamas.

Mr. Speaker, what I am about to say next is also very important. There are innocent Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank who seek normal and free lives and want nothing to do with Hamas or other terrorist organizations.

We cannot lose sight of this. We must keep them--many of whom are also children--and their safety and well-being in mind. In the immediate term, we must find a way to ensure the safety of those innocents who are in Gaza's war zone, and I support the Biden administration's efforts toward that goal.

The United Nations estimates that thousands of Palestinians have been killed since the terrorist attacks on October 7. We don't know for certain how many of those killed were civilians, but here is what we do know: We know that Hamas terrorists used Palestinians as human shields. We know that every single one of them would be alive today if Hamas had not launched its terrorist attack.

We must be aware and do all that we can to stop this war from expanding beyond its current scope. The administration and our allies are working around the clock to send messages and warnings to Iran and Hezbollah to stay out. President Biden underscored this message during his recent travel to Israel.

Do not test America's will. This Congress will have Israel's back as it degrades and eliminates Hamas' terrorist infrastructure. We know that it won't take a day. It will be difficult.

For too long, too many have been willing to contribute to the delegitimization of the State of Israel.

It is deeply concerning that even global leaders are already whitewashing one of the worst terrorist attacks in history while Hamas and its allies blanket cyberspace with misinformation about this war.

Just yesterday, Turkish President Erdogan said: ``Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a group of mujahideen defending their lands.''

This from the mouth of a NATO ally who has his own concerns about terrorists as an existential threat to his country.

President Erdogan's rhetoric is dead wrong. It is rank with hypocrisy, and its timing is extraordinarily dangerous.

The resolution before us is a bright spot of bipartisanship today during a very difficult time in American politics.

Mr. Speaker, 425 Members of this House of Representatives have cosponsored this resolution. There is no question in my mind that it will pass overwhelmingly, Democrats and Republicans alike. Most importantly, the American people believe in the Jewish state and believe in its survival.

In the days, weeks, and months ahead, I know the United States will continue to stand steadfastly with Israel to assure its defense and its long-term security.

We will also, as President Biden has outlined, remain committed to ensuring that civilians in Gaza have access to safe areas and continue to have access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance without diversions by Hamas.

We must also stay keenly focused on working to get United States citizens and their immediate family members to exit Gaza safely.

I conclude, Mr. Speaker, by raising an issue that the United States and Israel must address: What does a successful ground operation in Gaza look like, and how do we achieve the goal of leaving Gaza to a responsible Palestinian Government if Israel's effort to remove Hamas is successful?

One thing is for certain--the path to peace will require more Arab States to recognize that Israel has the right to exist and that we hold firm and will make sure that we could thereby have a two-State solution.

If you say Israel does not have the right to exist, you are saying that you do not want peace. I urge our Arab friends to join the Abraham Accords and acknowledge Israel's right to exist because that is the pathway to peace in the Middle East.

To the people of Israel, I hope you learn of the passage of this resolution today and know that the United States Congress and the American people have your back.

We mourn beside you and are working to provide the resources your government needs to defend you. We have deployed powerful military resources to the region to demonstrate just that support.

We are working all of our diplomatic channels to assure your success, and we are in this together. We will not waver. We will not quit. We will stand with our ally Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the former majority leader of this distinguished body.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), a strong member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa), another strong member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the former chair of the House Appropriations Committee and the current Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott), the former chairman of the Agriculture Committee, the current ranking member.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the great State of California (Ms. Pelosi), the Honorable Speaker Emerita.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Thanedar).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel).

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, let me start off by thanking my friend and colleague, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul, for his friendship and for working collectively together to make sure that the world knows that there is no daylight between us when it comes to us standing with our friend and our ally the State of Israel, and I appreciate you.

When we first started this, after this horrendous attack on October 7, we had a conversation. We said, let's make sure that we put out a statement collectively, us giving our opinions as chair and ranking member of this committee. Then immediately thereafter, we went to work on a resolution so that the world would know where the United States' House of Representatives stood.

We thought we would get it done earlier, but we knew that the first bill, the first resolution that would come to the floor after the House resumed its business, would be this bill because this bill is so significantly important to state that we have the back of our friend and ally, and we want to make sure that Hamas does not exist.

Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege and the opportunity to visit Israel several times. I have been in some of those tunnels. I have talked to the people, and when I have talked to the people of Israel, all they say is that they want to live in peace. When I talk to the Palestinian people in Gaza or in the West Bank, they say they want peace, but the Hamas terrorist organization when you look at their mandate, they say they want the destruction of Israel.

You cannot have peace. You can't even negotiate peace if one side says you should not exist. How can you say that you want a better relationship if you are saying that Israel should not exist?

You can't forget the horrific terrorist ISIS-like atrocities that were committed on October 7. You cannot be silent. You can't sit back and make believe that it didn't happen because it did.

Mr. Speaker, I say, as we end this debate, thank you to the American people for standing with our friend and ally, the State of Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we live with deepening crises around the world, and America's leadership is being challenged like at no other juncture in our history. You can be sure Putin is watching. Ayatollah Khamenei is watching. Are they going to see a united and strong America that shows why we are admired and why we are exceptional?

This Congress is called to respond to the crises in Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and here at home on our border, and I hoped we would be debating a bill that rose to the seriousness of these crises without delay. However, this bill fails Israel, and this bill fails the 1,400 Israelis and 36 Americans who were slaughtered in their homes and on the streets in cold blood.

Those brutal massacres recalled the Holocaust. This is a holocaust, a different kind of massacre, that demanded that Israel act against Hamas with the support of the United States.

What the House Republicans have done is unprecedented and will mean any aid to Israel will be delayed.

First, it puts a poison partisan bill that removes funding to ensure the richest Americans and corporations pay taxes. It is supposedly paid for with cuts to the IRS of $14.3 billion, which the CBO says will nearly double the cost of this bill and add $12 billion to the deficit. It furthers the Republican goal of keeping billionaires and the big corporations from paying taxes.

Second, it is conditioning an emergency appropriation. We do not condition emergency appropriations.

Understand, this is the first time we have conditioned aid to Israel. Is Israel less important than other national emergencies? Is Israel just a budget line? Is it just more fodder for the partisan wars that polarize America?

It is outrageous that a major emergency funding bill in response to the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust is tied to offsets. Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, is reeling from a terrorist attack and urgently needs our support.

This bill tells our allies that should they find themselves in an existential war for their democracy and their freedom, we will not put aside our partisan wars.

This bill abandons Ukraine. We will not abandon Israel, and we will not abandon Ukraine, but their fortunes are linked.

Ukraine's fight for democracy and sovereignty requires decisive action and absolute support from the free world. We must act like the leaders of the free world.

This bill tells America's border communities that they cannot count on us for security or support.

Let me go to another critical part of this bill. It provides only military aid. It provides no humanitarian aid for the innocent civilians caught in the middle of this war. Are you watching the unfolding of this war and have no humanity?

Let me remind the Speaker of his colleague's nominating speech. Congresswoman Stefanik recalled ``In God We Trust'' emblazoned over the Speaker's chair. The Speaker reiterated ``In God We Trust.'' The Speaker said to look to the Bible to know his thinking, and I, too, look at my Catholic faith.

In this critical bill, we remove all help for the civilians being killed in this war.

Hamas is responsible for spreading a humanitarian crisis as it builds its armaments deep inside civilian centers, but the bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp created unacceptable civilian losses.

We need a humanitarian pause, and that is why we need a serious bill that addresses all the national security crises facing our country and that reaches for support in both parties.

House Democrats are ready to work with House Republicans on legislation that supports our allies abroad, including Israel and Ukraine; protects our national security; provides humanitarian assistance; secures our border; and makes much-needed domestic investments. House Republicans so far refuse to join us at the negotiating table.

We need to prove, as we did in the years after World War II and throughout the Cold War, that we can protect, defend, and nurture global democracy as the preeminent form of governance at the same time we serve the American people.

Our allies and the American people have no more time to wait. We must now act to defend our allies, protect civilians, and serve the American people's urgent needs. This bill does none of the above, so I urge my colleagues to withhold their support.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.

Mr. Speaker, to remind my dear friend from Arkansas that this bill, for the first time, would condition aid to Israel, which is something we have never done before.

Thank you Ranking Member DeLauro.

Mr. Speaker, the United States faces two immense national security crises at one time.

Russia's illegal and unjust invasion of Ukraine, and Israel's military response to the barbaric Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7th.

I commend President Biden for swiftly sending a comprehensive emergency appropriations request that addresses attacks on both democracies and addresses the crisis in Israel and Gaza.

I fully believe Israel deserves support for its security after children and families were hunted down and attacked in their own homes by Hamas terrorists. At the same time our country cannot ignore the suffering of children and their families in Gaza who are in immediate danger and desperately need humanitarian assistance and a safe place to be.

That is why it is so disappointing that a fringe, extreme minority in the Republican Majority has insisted on bringing this bill to the floor.

On numerous votes, more than 300 House members on both sides of the aisle are on record supporting Ukraine's fight for freedom, along with the Senate and the President.

The Republican bill ignores the urgent need to sustain support for our NATO allies and Ukraine, effectively abandoning their democracy and their ability to protect their people against Russian aggression. Putin himself claims ``if the aid stops tomorrow. [Ukraine] will live for only a week [until] they run out of ammo.''

This bill fails to include urgently needed humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians in Gaza who are in immediate harm's way.

The situation there currently for families and children is rapidly deteriorating because countless Palestinians lack access to food, safe shelter, medical supplies, and even potable water.

Humanitarian assistance must flow faster.

All hostages must be released.

And we must work with the United Nations and regional partners on a ceasefire that every involved party is held to.

We must work together to bring the conflict to an end before it escalates further.

Until then, declared safe areas must be truly safe for innocent civilians in Gaza fleeing violence.

For the security of both Israeli and Palestinian families--the violence must stop.

Finally, this bill ignores the longstanding bipartisan precedent of providing emergency appropriations without an offset.

This so-called pay-for cuts funds from IRS tax enforcement that will only enable more tax evasion by rich tax cheats costing taxpayers money.

President Biden has alread said he will veto this ill-conceived bill.

We are wasting precious time on a bill that's dead on arrival.

Therefore, I stand in strong opposition and urge my colleagues to oppose this bill that fails to meet the moment.

We cannot let a handful of extremist MAGA Republicans dictate our foreign policy.

I yield back.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Defense.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the ranking member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), the ranking member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman cared about what is happening to women, children, and babies, there would be humanitarian assistance in this package.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, on September 29, the gentleman who just spoke voted for a billion-dollar cut to Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from New Jersey, on September 29, voted for a billion-dollar cut in aid to Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider).

Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 771) standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend debate for each side by 10 minutes, and I also ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, October 7, Israelis awoke to rockets raining down on them from Gaza, and gunmen broke down their doors and invaded their homes.

Hamas terrorists killed babies and toddlers. They killed elderly grandmothers and grandfathers. They killed moms and dads. They killed teenage kids in their homes. No one was spared from their brutality.

Following World War II, my father's war, I never believed the world would bear witness to the slaughter of the Jewish people as we have seen at the bloody hands of Hamas. October 7 was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Additionally, Hamas is holding 220 hostages, including Americans. This is a flyer with a picture of a mother and son taken hostage by Hamas, #bringthemhomenow.

They are using them as human shields and threatening to execute them. They must all be released unconditionally now.

This is one of the darkest moments in the history of the State of Israel.

I was in one of the kibbutzim right on the border of Gaza last year, meeting with members of the community. I saw their daycare center. That very same kibbutz was overrun by 70 Hamas terrorists. Many of the residents I met were slaughtered.

Most viciously, the babies and the children I visited in the daycare center were slaughtered, shot to death, beheaded, and burned alive.

When the press says it didn't happen, they are just wrong. It did because I have seen the pictures of the burned babies and the decapitated children and the blood that you see here in the babies' cribs.

For God's sake, what is going on in this world today?

In one of the most horrific stories to emerge, a pregnant woman had her baby cut out in front of her very eyes as they murdered her baby before her and before they shot her in the head.

Simply put, Mr. Speaker, they are monsters.

At a music festival to celebrate peace, chaos, gunfire, and explosions ripped through the air, piercing hundreds of bodies with bullets and shrapnel. While the attendees attempted to flee the area, gunmen surrounded them from every direction. In total, 260 attendees assembled in peace to enjoy music were massacred.

Among others, atrocities we have heard reported include children with their hands bound, shot in the back of the head execution style; women who were raped and slaughtered, one of whom was dragged through the streets of Gaza; families, including babies and young children, burned alive in their homes in front of their parents; the beheading of Israeli soldiers; and parents gunned down as they shielded their children before the onslaught of gunfire.

This is sheer terror. It is evil. It cannot stand in this world.

We are witnessing in real time Hamas carrying out their covenant that outlines their goal of eradicating Israel through jihad. In fact, their covenant states: ``Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.''

They specifically discuss jihad, noting: ``The day that enemies usurp part of Muslim land, jihad becomes the individual duty of every Muslim. In face of the Jews' usurpation . . . , it is compulsory that the banner of jihad be raised.''

Mr. Speaker, it was indeed raised on October 7.

To be completely clear, despite repeated efforts by Israel to secure peace, the ``Hamas Covenant'' states: Peace ``initiatives, and so- called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. . . . There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by jihad.''

This declaration calling on the annihilation of the Jewish state must be confronted with zero equivocation.

That is why I worked with my good friend, Ranking Member Meeks, to introduce this bipartisan resolution.

It condemns in the strongest possible terms the atrocities of Hamas and reiterates Israel's right to defend herself, along with America's unwavering support for the State of Israel.

All roads lead back to Iran. Their fingerprints are all over this attack. They have consistently funded Hamas and other Palestinian groups to the tune of $100 million per year.

This resolution condemns Hamas and Iran for its support of terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic jihad while also calling for all sanctions on Iran to be fully enforced.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. It will send a clear message across the world that terrorists and their sponsors will be held to account for their atrocities, their crimes against humanity, their crimes of genocide.

On December 7, 1941, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt said it was ``a date which will live in infamy.'' So, too, will October 7, 2023, live in infamy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the vice chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), the chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the majority leader.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Jackson), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kean), the chair of the Subcommittee on Europe.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Mr. Meeks, as well.

Mr. Speaker, that is how the Foreign Affairs Committee operates. The fact that this is the most bipartisan resolution in modern history with 425 cosponsors, over 97 percent of this body, speaks volumes. It sends a strong message to the people of Israel that the United States Congress and the American people stand firmly behind you.

The Hamas Covenant states, ``Ranks will close, fighters joining other fighters, and masses everywhere in the Islamic world will come forward in response to the call of duty, loudly proclaiming: `Hail to Jihad.' This cry will reach the heavens and will go on being resounded until liberation is achieved, the invaders vanquished, and Allah's victory comes about.''

In response to this, we will strengthen our resolve to stand with our ally Israel. This resolution sends a clear and unequivocal message that the United States House of Representatives and the American people condemn the barbarity of the genocide and war crimes perpetrated by Hamas. We want to make it clear that Israel has the right to defend herself to prevent an event like this from ever happening again.

We assure you that the United States will be shoulder to shoulder with Israel supporting her right to self-defense.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr Speaker, I join my colleagues in condemning the horrific and heartbreaking terror attacks by Hamas as articulated in H. Res. 771.

I have been horrified by and strongly condemn the terrorist attack that has unleashed another cycle of violence that has millions of innocent civilians in the region under threat.

Let me be clear: Hamas is a terrorist organization that has shown time and again its disregard for innocent human life and does not represent the aspirations or speak for the Palestinians. Hamas--which has long been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. and subject to sanctions--has no regard for the lives it puts in danger, Israeli or Palestinian.

My heart continues to be heavy as I mourn the innocent Israeli lives lost and those kidnapped and taken hostage, including Americans and other foreign nationals.

I agree with many of my colleagues who have pointed out a glaring omission in this resolution: the lack of any real acknowledge of the hardships, suffering, and loss being imposed on innocent civilians in Gaza, including the children who have died, who hate Hamas as much as anyone in this chamber and simply want to live their lives in peace. We have to be clear that this body deplores the loss of all innocent lives.

I refuse the narrative that you cannot condemn Hamas while also expressing concerns for the fate of innocent Palestinians whose lives, livelihoods, and homes, are now in turmoil and under threat.

I reiterate the call from the Biden Administration, and others, that Israel's right to defend itself and its people, brings with it the responsibility to do so in accordance with international law, including the protection of civilian life. And this must include working to restore a supply of basic needs (food, water, medicines) to the civilians trapped in Gaza.

Hamas' inhumanity and acts of terrorism should not induce the rest of us to abandon our principles and international law.

You wouldn't know it from this resolution but there is an urgent humanitarian crisis that is being made worse every minute in Gaza. The longer the fighting goes, the worse I fear the impact will be for these civilians who did nothing to start this fight and have nowhere safe to go.

How does another massive humanitarian crisis help Israel's security or the ability of civilians to live in peace? I was pleased to join a number of my colleagues on a recent letter urging President Biden to make humanitarian needs of innocent civilians in Gaza a priority. This must remain a priority for U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region, including directly by President Biden himself. I hope this chamber would have joined us in sharing that sense of urgency and decency.

And lastly, even as Israeli forces are gathering for a devastating ground war in Gaza that will increase the suffering of innocent Palestinians, we all have to recognize that, at some point, the fighting will end.

I hope it is much sooner rather than later for the sake of innocent civilians.

The resolution is however conspicuously silent on what happens when the violence ends or on the two-state solution that I and others have pressed for over the years and which sadly, continues to be sidelined which is the goal of groups like Hamas.

Let's be clear--to permanently end this cycle, we don't need more nonbinding resolutions and condemnations. Tough choices, Tough decision, Tough compromises have to be made. And those decisions will not be made here on the floor of the House of Representatives.

What happens when the rocket fire stops is going to be the most important indicator of, if and when, we can break this cycle of violence or how soon we will once again have sirens going off in Israel and Palestinians in Gaza told to flee without any actual ability to flee.

The need for greater political and diplomatic engagement will not end with the fighting. In fact, its need increases exponentially if you really want to protect innocent civilians.

I can tell you there are Palestinian moms and dads huddling with their children in some awful place begging for peace right now.

I also hear cries for peace from families, relatives, and friends of Israeli's who died or were wounded or who are being held hostages. I don't need thousands more innocent Israeli's and/or Palestinians under threat to know that they are hungry for anything that brings them closer to peace and farther from fearing for their lives at every moment.

Security for Palestinians and Israelis are linked. So is prosperity and hope for a better future.

I want this fighting to come to an end as soon as possible. Military means have never brought peace to this region.