Bernard Sanders

Mr. President, today the Senate will vote on an important resolution introduced by Senator Van Hollen--and I thank him for his work on this--introduced by myself and more than 20 of our colleagues.

In January 2024, I introduced the first 502B resolution on Israel that received 11 votes. I have a feeling that we are going to get a lot more votes tonight.

And the reason for that is that as the American people observe what is going on in Gaza, what is going on in the West Bank, they are becoming more and more disgusted and are demanding that the U.S. Congress act. My own view? No more military aid to the genocidal government of Netanyahu.

The resolution that we are debating tonight concerns the escalating violence in the occupied West Bank and the killing of American citizens there with zero repercussions. But we cannot talk about the West Bank without talking about what has gone on in Gaza.

For nearly 3 years, the world has watched the Netanyahu government wage a genocide in Gaza. It has now killed at least 74,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children. It has wounded over 170,000 Palestinians. In other words, more than 10 percent of the population of Gaza has either been killed or wounded in less than 3 years.

But it is not just the massive attack on human life that we have observed. In this 3-year period, Israel has laid waste to the territory of Gaza and has almost completely destroyed the infrastructure there. It has destroyed homes, hospitals, schools, and water systems, and it has used starvation as a weapon of war. Cities like Rafah have been reduced to rubble.

Leading human rights organizations--including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Israeli group B'Tselem--have concluded that what is happening in Gaza is a genocide.

Senior members of the Israeli Government have said openly that they want Palestinians out of Gaza. And even under a so-called cease-fire, the killing has not stopped; well over a thousand more people have been killed.

Much of this has been done with American bombs and American taxpayer dollars, which is why Congress must end all taxpayer support and aid for this genocidal government.

And while the world's attention has been on Gaza, this same government has been carrying out a slower but no less brutal campaign in the West Bank. As of last month, the U.N.--the United Nations--has documented more than 1,400 incidents of settler violence this year alone, affecting some 260 Palestinian communities. The U.N. says this violence has reached unprecedented levels.

Settlers cut villagers off from their wells and their orchards. They burn homes and cars. They beat people who cannot defend themselves. And too often, Israeli security forces stand by or even join in. Families who have farmed the same land for generations are being driven out. Former Israeli generals have called it what it is: ethnic cleansing.

Meanwhile, the Netanyahu government keeps expanding illegal settlements, including the E1 project designed to cut the West Bank in two. And the Trump administration, rather than confronting this violence, has lifted sanctions on violent settlers.

This violence does not even spare American citizens. Since January of 2022, nine Americans have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers or security forces. Not one of those killings has led to real accountability.

This resolution is also about Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. Last year, Save the Children surveyed 165 children who had been held by Israeli authorities: 99 percent reported physical assault; 94 percent reported being denied medical care. These are children. For some 50 years, the Foreign Assistance Act has said that U.S. military assistance cannot go to a government that engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights. Section 502B(c) of that law gives Congress the right to ask the State Department for information on the human rights record of any country receiving our aid.

Enough is enough. The United States cannot continue to bankroll this violence and look the other way, whether in Gaza or in the West Bank. It is time to end our complicity. I urge a ``yes'' vote and thank Senator Van Hollen for his leadership.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and thank Jim Macrae for his extraordinary career of public service and for his contributions to expanding access to primary care for all Americans. As he retires from the Health Resources and Services Administration after decades of dedicated leadership, he leaves behind a legacy that has made our healthcare system stronger.

Throughout his career, Jim has been a tireless champion for community health centers and the millions of patients who rely on them for high- quality, affordable primary care. As Associate Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Primary Health Care, he oversaw a huge expansion of community health centers, leading and strengthening one of our Nation's most successful healthcare programs and ensuring that community health centers can continue providing high-quality care in underserved communities across this country.

Primary care is the backbone of our healthcare system. Community health centers make up a major portion of that backbone. While we have made great progress towards ensuring all people have access to the primary care they need, there is much more to be done.

Community health centers provide affordable, quality primary medical, dental, and mental health care as well as access to low-cost prescription drugs to over 32 million people. In Vermont, nearly one out of every three people receive their primary healthcare through a community healthcenter across over 90 sites--something that I and my fellow Vermonters are very proud of. I thank Jim for his support of Vermont's work to build a vibrant network of community health centers across our State.

Over my years in the Senate and as chair and ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I have worked hard to expand community health centers. Jim has been an effective partner in these efforts throughout the years. As Jim begins this well-earned retirement, I extend my deepest gratitude for his dedication to improving our healthcare system and the health of millions of Americans. We owe him our thanks and respect.

Mr. President, I would like to recognize the accomplishments and service of Becky Pringle as she concludes her final term as the president of the Nation's largest labor union, the National Education Association, NEA. Throughout her tenure, Becky's passion and purpose has united 3 million educators and their allies across the country to use their collective power to fight for the respect and dignity our educators deserve and to protect the promise of public education for all students.

Becky has worked with the national union for more than 30 years. She first joined the NEA in 1981 as an eighth grade science teacher from Philadelphia and began her leadership journey as a local union president. She then served on the board of directors for NEA and the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

During her tenure as NEA president, she helped focus the Nation's attention on how the pandemic impacted our students, schools, teachers, education support professionals, and school leaders. Becky's determination also strengthened the labor movement and expanded worker power, fighting to grow NEA membership at a time when workers and public sector unions are under attack. She has been recognized for her leadership by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Action Network, American Association of University Women, and President Barack Obama's Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

Becky understands that public education is the backbone of American democracy, where all people come together to learn and grow. Thank you, President Pringle, for your tireless dedication to our Nation's teachers, students, and school leaders across the country.