Floor Statements

Madam President, since Hamas launched the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel's history more than a year ago, Israel has consistently faced a barrage of threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies. Earlier this year, we all saw how Iran launched two separate missile and drone attacks directly at Israel, and, just this week, Israelis were wounded and killed after Hezbollah launched more rockets at northern Israel.

The resolutions we are debating today would not only hurt Israel's ability to defend itself against these attacks; they would embolden Iran--I will repeat--they will embolden Iran and its terrorist proxies to continue and even to increase their vicious and deadly attacks. In doing so, they could prolong this war even further at a time when we are close to securing a deal in Lebanon.

I know some on my side of the aisle are going to support these resolutions because they disagree with the current Israeli Government, but your decision whether or not to help Israel defend itself is not and cannot be a political one. Government leaders and politicians, well, come and go, but our commitment to Israel's security must be ironclad, and restricting much needed arms to Israel because you don't agree with everything the current government is doing will leave our ally vulnerable to future terror.

I will repeat. Governments and leaders come and go. Will our support for our ally remain?

Israel has an absolute right to defend itself, and the aid provided by America is critical. I know some of you who are planning to vote for these resolutions agree, but you may be worried about the need for these offensive weapons that the resolutions would block. So let me explain.

Israel cannot rely on missile defense alone to protect its citizens. It also

needs to have the ability to destroy enemy threats before they can be deployed and to respond to attacks that have already been launched. It is this strategy that Israel successfully executed in the last few months in Lebanon, where it preemptively destroyed Hezbollah rocket launchers minutes--just minutes, moments--before they were set to fire on Israel. And by providing Israel with these weapons, which are more precise and more accurate, we can actually help it defend itself while also minimizing civilian casualties.

I know many of you here are torn. You want to do the right thing, and I am here to tell you that voting against these resolutions is the right thing. Banning the sale of arms will hurt Israel. It will send the wrong message to Iran and its terrorist proxies that America is abandoning its ally and that the terrorists can now act with impunity.

Let me repeat. The message to terrorists will be, again, that they can continue to act with impunity. Terrorists like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others will continue to receive that message loud and clear, and I can promise you that they will plan accordingly.

So, if we are serious about preventing another atrocity like October 7, if we are serious about limiting civilian casualties, if we are serious about sending a message to terrorists around the globe, I urge all of you to vote no on all three resolutions.

Mr. President, this year will mark 7 years since my community of Las Vegas was forever changed on October 1, 2017.

On that night, we experienced a tragedy on a scale far worse than anyone could have ever imagined. Ten minutes--10 minutes--is all it took for a gunman to open fire on an unsuspecting crowd at a music festival, killing 58 innocent lives, injuring thousands, and leaving a permanent scar on our State.

Sadly, in the years since, two more victims of that night's attack died because of injuries they received during the shooting, bringing the death toll to 60. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

The families of the victims of that tragedy had their world shattered that day, their lives forever changed--the

families who didn't get to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays; and the families who never got to say goodbye to their loved ones.

That night also changed the lives in our city--people who were attending or working at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, the first responders who ran toward danger to save lives. And in the following days, we saw lines of people, lines of people around entire blocks willing to donate blood, willing to help in any way they could.

This kind of selflessness embodies the incredible spirit of our community. It showed the country why we are Vegas Strong. And as we remember and as we reflect on this tragedy, we must also commit ourselves to action so that no community has to experience the pain and suffering like we did.

The 1 October shooter was able to inflict as much pain and carnage as he did by using bump stocks. This dangerous modification allowed his weapon to fire more bullets faster as a way to inflict the most amount of pain on our city. Over 1,000 bullets--1,000 bullets--in just a matter of minutes.

And it was in response to this carnage that then-President Donald Trump issued a Federal rule banning bump stocks. It helped save lives from these deadly modifications.

But, unfortunately, the Supreme Court overturned this commonsense Federal ban, allowing bump stocks to flow into our streets once again. This shameful decision--shameful decision--by the Supreme Court will put more lives at risk, which is why I joined bipartisan legislation to restore this commonsense Federal ban on bump stocks.

And when Members of this Chamber tried to pass this bipartisan legislation, extremists in this body, what did they do? They blocked us. And some even had the audacity to say: This legislation was trying to solve a fake problem--a fake problem.

Should we tell the families who lost a loved one at the hands of a firearm using a bump stock on October 1 that it is a fake problem? A fake problem that they are sad at every holiday and every meal and every Thanksgiving table that their loved one is missing? A fake problem? Their grief is real; their loss is real; and their loss is forever. This is not a fake problem; it is a very real problem. And there are real solutions. But once again, Congress has failed year after year to act.

Las Vegas knows what the real threat of bump stocks are and why we must act. And as we approach the seventh anniversary of this unthinkable tragedy, I ask all my colleagues in this Chamber to remember and to honor the memories of the victims, to honor their families, to honor everyone whose lives are forever changed from the night and the shooting on October 1, 2017.

I also ask that we come together, Republicans and Democrats, in a bipartisan way to save lives by just passing commonsense legislation to ban bump stocks.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, on September 12, 2024, I missed rollcall vote No. 238 while recovering from a kidney infection. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on vote 238, confirming the nomination of Laura Margarete Provinzino to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota.

On September 12, 2024, I missed rollcall vote No. 239 while recovering from a kidney infection. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on vote 239, cloture on the nomination of Kevin Gafford Ritz to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Thank you, Senator Ernst. I appreciate it.

Mr. President, 291 days--that is how long it has been since families of those being held hostage by Hamas have not been able to hug their loved ones--291 days, 9\1/2\ months of not being able to rest, to sleep, to breathe; 9\1/2\ months of heartbreak; 9\1/2\ months of agony beyond imagination.

I have met with these families in Israel and here in the Capitol many times since October 7, and my heart is shattered with each and every single conversation. And each time I met with them, their ask is clear: that we, the United States and the international community, do everything we can to help them reunite with their loved ones. Their resilience, their strength, their perseverance--it is nothing short of extraordinary.

Hostages who survived and have been released have shared stories about their inhumane treatment--being kept in dark tunnels with little to no food to eat, some even being tortured, not knowing if they would live or die, not seeing the light of day, and, surely, not knowing if they would ever see their beloved families again.

We have also seen evidence of Hamas's use of sexual violence both on

and after October 7, including women who were raped in captivity.

While some hostages have been reunited with their loved ones in the last few months, there are still families, including those of eight Americans held hostage by Hamas--still held hostage by Hamas--who have yet to be whole again--yet to be made whole again, and we will not forget them--291 days.

And there are families whose ability to see or hug their loved ones have been taken away forever--forever--by Hamas terrorists, their loved ones having died at the hands of those terrorists, like the family of Itay Chen.

I met with Itay's father, Ruby, just days after the October 7 terrorist attack. As a mother, as a Jew, and as a human being, my heart broke when hearing about Itay's story and the unimaginable pain his parents are carrying. They are with us here in the Capitol today.

I want to apologize. I am sorry I have to give this speech. I know how much you loved your son.

Itay was multitalented, fun-loving, a Boy Scout who played basketball. He was an American who served in the Israeli Defense Forces and was only 19 years old when Hamas launched its brutal terrorist attack on October 7, when Hamas murdered him.

For months, we didn't know about Itay's condition, whether he was held hostage or even if he was alive. We held out hope. We held out hope. But the unimaginable heartbreak of going through this nightmare, it didn't stop Ruby. It never stopped Ruby.

He has come to Congress multiple times to remind us of our responsibility to his son and to all of the hostages being held by Hamas. His strength--your strength, Itay's parents--and resilience is an inspiration to us all.

Earlier this year, we learned Itay was one of the many souls who Hamas brutally murdered--again, beyond imagination. And while it was reported that he was killed 291 days ago, his body--his body--is being held captive by the Hamas terrorists who murdered him, and this has denied Ruby, denied Itay's parents and his family, the right to bury him, to mourn him, and to sit shiva for him.

It matters to the family. He and his wife Hagit and Itay's siblings have just been forced to live in grief and in limbo, and it is a tragedy that no one should ever have to go through.

There is a proposed deal to free the hostages. And with reports of progress in these negotiations, now is the time to see it through to the end. We must free the hostages for Itay, for his family, for the seven other Americans held by Hamas, for the remaining 120 hostages from two dozen countries--hostages who are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist; who are someone's sons or daughters, sisters or brothers, mothers, fathers, loved ones who Hamas refuses to release. These are someone's loved ones. Hamas refuses to release them.

And as we continue to pursue every viable path to bring them home, we will hold them in our hearts and hold Hamas's feet to the fire. We stand with the hostages and their families. They are not forgotten. Our work isn't done until we bring them home.

Thank you again, Senator Ernst, for bringing us all together today.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes and Senator Cardin be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.

Mr. President, the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, it was a wake-up call for all Americans. It demonstrated that a fundamental right, the right of women to make decisions over their own bodies, could be taken away in the blink of an eye--the blink of an eye--by anti-choice extremists.

And since that decision nearly 2 years ago, we have seen countless attacks on women's reproductive freedoms across our Nation. We are seeing anti-choice States enact rigid abortion bans without exceptions for rape or incest. States that are forcing--forcing--emergency room doctors to call their lawyers before treating women who are going through a miscarriage, one of the most awful days of their lives. States like Alabama, they have even threatened IVF.

These restrictive attacks are meant to control what women can and can't do with their bodies. I am going to repeat that. These restrictive attacks are meant to control women, what they can and can't do with their bodies. They are meant to dictate to women their family planning decisions, and they want to put extreme politicians between women and their doctors.

The last 2 years have made it crystal clear: We cannot--we cannot-- rely on the Supreme Court alone to protect our access to care. We know overturning Roe was just the beginning. If extreme anti-choice politicians and activists, well, if they have their way, access to birth control is next.

Contraception has been safely used by millions of women for decades. It has allowed women to take control over their own bodies, to decide when they want to start a family, how many kids they want to have, who they want to start a family with. And for these very same reasons, the right to contraception has been a target of anti-choice extremists for years.

So let me be clear: Overturning the right to contraception would be catastrophic in a post-Roe world. It would mean that women in States with the most restrictive abortions bans would have zero ability--zero ability--at all to make any decisions over their own bodies. They would have no ability to prevent an unplanned pregnancy or get the care they need. Women would have zero ability to get the care they need or prevent a pregnancy.

And this isn't just hypothetical. The Supreme Court has clearly demonstrated that it will not hesitate--they will not hesitate--to reverse landmark decisions and take away women's reproductive freedoms.

That is why my colleagues and I introduced the Right to Contraception Act, to codify women's constitutional right to make family planning decisions.

And this bill will do exactly what is in the name. It will just guarantee the right for women to access and to use birth control. It will guarantee the right for women to have access to contraception.

Later today, we are going to have an opportunity to pass this important legislation. And I urge everyone in this Chamber to allow this bill to move forward and prevent extreme politicians from getting in the way of women's reproductive choices, to prevent extreme politicians from taking control over women's bodies, to prevent extreme politicians from being in your doctor's office.

And if we fail to act, the Supreme Court could roll our rights back once again, and every woman across this country will suffer from our inaction today.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak in recognition of National Police Week.

This week is a time for our Nation to collectively recognize and honor the bravery and dedication of the men and women who keep our communities safe.

I want to give special thanks to the law enforcement officers across my State of Nevada who serve every day with honor, integrity, and courage.

In Nevada, while we are a State that welcomes visitors from around the world, our policemen and women are critical for protecting our communities--not only our communities but also all of those visitors. It is a task that they have proven time and time again that they stand ready for.

More than 6 years ago, Las Vegas experienced the deadliest mass shooting in American history. And in that moment--in that moment--local police and first responders ran toward danger to neutralize the threat, to get people to safety, and to save countless lives. Do you know why? That is what they are trained to do.

Whether it is a major emergency or a domestic dispute or a routine traffic stop, every day they put on their uniform and leave their homes--the brave men and women of Nevada's law enforcement community-- and put their lives on the line. These officers know the risk of the job, but their sense of service is even stronger.

I want Nevada law enforcement to know: I have your back.

As I have met with police officials across my State of Nevada, they have consistently told me one of the biggest challenges they are facing is the dire shortage of officers and support staff. We must tackle this head-on. That is why I am working across party lines to make sure we take action here in Congress to hire and to retain more officers.

I signed on to bipartisan legislation--the Recruit and Retain Act-- which will establish a Federal pipeline between local police departments and schools to help facilitate recruitment activities and encourage young people into these careers.

It is going to also help cover some of the costs associated with recruitment and onboarding, making it easier to bring on these new officers.

I was proud to help pass this bipartisan legislation here in the Senate nearly a year ago, and I call on the House of Representatives to take action on this critical legislation as soon as possible.

I will keep pushing to see that our law enforcement officers have access to resources, training, and recruitment support--the kinds of things that they need to do their jobs safely.

While we work to support our police, we must also remember to honor fallen officers. These are our heroes who left behind families, friends, colleagues, and communities they serve and help to protect.

Earlier this month, my team attended an annual Law Enforcement Officers Memorial ceremony to pay our respects to the memory of the five new officers whose names were added to the memorial this year.

Mr. President, to honor their lives and their bravery, I ask unanimous consent to submit a list of the names of the five fallen law enforcement officers who were added to the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to be printed in the Congressional Record.

These brave officers--these brave officers--they made the ultimate sacrifice for our communities, and they deserve our eternal gratitude.

I promise that I will keep working with my colleagues across the aisle to support our police departments, support the officers who serve, to support our staff, and to support all of their families.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which protected a woman's right to make decisions over her own body, we have heard countless, heart-wrenching stories coming out of anti-choice States. We have heard about the 10-year-old girl from Ohio who was raped and had to travel to Indiana to receive an abortion. We have heard about the case of a 13-year-old girl from Mississippi who was also raped, but because of her State's strict abortion ban, she had to give birth before even starting the seventh grade. Now we have learned of yet another instance where anti-choice politicians have decided that they know better than a woman and her doctors.

Kate Cox--well, she is a working mom from Texas. She and her husband are the young parents of two beautiful kids, ages 1 and 3. They love their children, and they have always wanted a large family. They have always wanted that. That is why they were overjoyed when they learned that Kate was pregnant with her third child. But sadly, tragically, during her pregnancy, the doctors told Kate that the baby girl she was carrying--that baby--had a fatal condition, which meant she would not survive. This was heartbreaking for Kate, for her husband, for her family, but for Kate, as a woman, this was heartbreaking.

What should have been a moment of privacy for Kate and her family has turned into a public tragedy. Because of Texas's restrictive abortion ban, she was barred--barred--from terminating her nonviable pregnancy even though doctors said that continuing it would put her life in danger and--and--risk her ability to have future children, that large family she and her husband always dreamed of. Instead, Kate was forced to go to court to fight for her own medical procedure--the procedure she needs to save her own life. Right before the Texas Supreme Court ruled against her, Kate Cox--well, she was forced to leave her home State of Texas in order to get the lifesaving care she needs.

For the first time in 50 years, anti-choice judges have ruled as to whether or not a woman can have an abortion. Can this really be happening--judges, a panel of judges, deciding your healthcare?

What makes this all the more heartbreaking is that when Roe v. Wade was overturned, we all knew--we knew--cases like this would happen. Now this is the terrifying reality women face in a post-Roe world, where lawyers and judges make the healthcare decisions, not your doctors or your healthcare providers, and it has been made possible by decades of anti-choice extremists who have fought to put politicians-- politicians--between women and their private medical conditions.

The abortion bans passed by anti-choice States are not only cruel but also dangerous and life-threatening to women like Kate--women who are already living through the worst nightmare of being told their babies have no chance to live, and then--then--they are prevented from getting the lifesaving care they need by a legal system. Instead of being able to listen to their doctors to save their lives, the legal system is in charge of their healthcare.

It is not just in Texas, and it is not just at the State level. Last year, Senate Republicans introduced legislation in this very Chamber to enact a nationwide abortion ban, a national abortion ban--one that would strip all women in every State, including our State of Nevada, Madam President, of their fundamental right to control their own bodies.

A nationwide abortion ban would be devastating on a whole new level. It would mean more stories like Kate's, except this time--this time-- there would be nowhere for a woman to go to get the lifesaving care she needs. Let's be clear. If this happens, women will die. Their children, if they have other children, would be left without a mother.

This is exactly what anti-choice extremists want. Their latest attempt is to ban the abortion pill that women have been using safely for decades. Just today, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear that case.

This is why we can't give up. We can't give up. We must continue to fight on to protect a woman's right to choose, to make the decisions that are right for her and her family in the privacy of her doctor's office.

As long as I am here, I will oppose any efforts to enact a nationwide abortion ban--a ban that would punish women for making their own healthcare decisions.

We must do more to protect women living in anti-choice States--women like Kate and the young girls from Mississippi and Ohio and States all across this country. That is why I helped introduce legislation that protects women from prosecution by anti-choice States for crossing State lines to receive the reproductive care they need.

We have to protect women from prosecution for getting the lifesaving care they need.

This is why passing the Women's Health Protection Act and protecting reproductive freedoms under Federal law is critical. If we fail to act, women will continue to suffer, and women will die.

We will not--we cannot--we cannot back away from the fight to protect women's reproductive freedom. I will always stand with women, and I will always stand with our right to choose.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that Rebecca Modiano, my Navy legislative fellow, who has provided tremendous support to my office over the past year, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the week.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled vote.

Mr. President, on October 7, Hamas launched the deadliest terror attack in Israel's history. Hamas's vicious and unprovoked slaughter targeted innocent Israeli civilians and killed 1,200 men, women, children--from babies to Holocaust survivors.

Not since the Holocaust has there been a deadlier day for the Jewish people. Yet some extreme individuals and organizations are trying to minimize, distort, and outright deny what happened that day.

We cannot let that happen. That is why Senator Rubio and I hosted a screening last week for our colleagues to show them exactly what Hamas did on October 7.

The videos, many taken by the terrorists themselves, are disturbing. They are graphic. The images and sounds in those videos, I will never forget. I encourage all Members to see for themselves what Israel is fighting against--pure terror; pure, pure evil.

On October 7, Hamas violated a longstanding cease-fire when they chose--they chose--to start this war. Hamas took deliberate and preemptive actions against innocent civilians, including dismemberment, torture, and mass rape, in what only can be described as barbaric terrorism. As any other nation would, Israel has responded to this unprovoked attack by acting to defend its own population, as they have the absolute right to do.

At the same time, Hamas has stated over and over and over again that they will not stop until there are a thousand more October 7s, until they destroy Israel and all of the people living there, and it is time that the world listens. This is why it is not surprising that at the end of last week, Hamas broke the agreement that was put in place to temporarily pause the fighting, to bring more humanitarian aid into Gaza, and to rescue the hostages brutally taken by Hamas.

Let me be clear. There is no equivalency, no equivalency--zero, none--between the terrorist actions of Hamas and the efforts of Israel to stop them from doing this again or, God forbid, committing a worse attack, as they have repeatedly promised to do. We must all remember this, especially now, as we work to deliver aid to Israel.

It has been nearly 2 months since October 7, and rockets continue to rain down on Israeli cities. More than 130 hostages remain in Gaza. We continue to learn more and more about the violent acts of rape, of torture, of murder committed by Hamas. It is all ongoing. Yet Congress hasn't passed the supplemental security assistance that Israel desperately needs to defend itself.

The security assistance includes support for Israel's lifesaving Iron Dome missile defense system--it protects them from Hamas and Hezbollah, from the rockets that rain down on them night after night after night-- as well as other key defense resources and tools. It also replenishes our own defense stocks that have been drawn down to support Israel in this time of need.

To my knowledge, Congress has never used conditions on security assistance in order to strong-arm Israel, and now is not the time to start. Conditions would undermine Israel's ability to defend itself and would send a signal to the world that America's support for our ally is weakening, which is exactly what Iran and its terrorist proxies--it is what they all want. Our aid could make the difference between whether or not there is another October 7.

Now I turn to Members of my own party. Here we are. We all want the same thing. We all want peace in the region for both Palestinians and Israelis, a two-state solution with a secure State of Israel living side by side with a peaceful Palestinian state.

But let me be clear. Hamas--Hamas--is the one currently preventing this goal. Hamas launched the attack on Israel. Hamas targeted, Hamas murdered, Hamas raped and kidnapped innocent people. Hamas is threatening to do this over and over and over again. Hamas is a terrorist organization. They are terrorists. They must be stopped permanently. It is the only way we will get closer to peace and stability in the region.

I also understand and I share your concerns about the need to minimize civilian casualties and the suffering in Gaza. Every innocent civilian death is a tragedy. To truly end the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians, Hamas must no longer control Gaza.

For nearly two decades, Hamas has stolen resources from the Palestinian people. They have used these resources for terrorist purposes. Instead of building infrastructure to improve Gaza's economy, Hamas built terrorist tunnels. Instead of launching programs to combat poverty, Hamas launches rockets to combat Israel. Instead of shielding their own people and lifting them up, Hamas uses their own people as human shields.

Israel must dismantle Hamas for both Israelis and innocent Palestinians. And while we help Israel, we can and we must continue to work with the Israeli Government to make sure that they are doing everything--everything--in their power to prevent the loss of innocent life.

As we partner with Israel and other nations in the region to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza--food, water, medicine, emergency shelter, sanitation--we must make sure that this aid actually reaches civilians in Gaza. This aid and these resources will save Palestinian lives if they are allowed to reach them.

So, my colleagues, to all of my colleagues, we all agree on these goals. They are reasonable, and we are utilizing existing channels with Israel to make sure they are taking these steps--all without conditioning aid to Israel.

Let's be clear. Providing Israel with aid is not a blank check. As all of my colleagues in this Chamber know--every one of them knows this--all foreign aid is bound by a set of rules. This has been consistent for decades and has not changed. These are different from conditions specifically targeting Israel.

Now is the time to stand with Israel as they work to dismantle Hamas, stop its ability to cause more harm to Israelis and Palestinians, and free all the remaining hostages--all of them.

Conditioning aid to Israel after the worst terrorist attack in history would only embolden Israel's enemies, signal to them the limits of America's support, and open the door to more violence.

This is why I am calling on my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to pass this aid without conditions. If we are serious about preventing another October 7; if we are serious, really serious, about preventing more gruesome images like the ones my colleagues saw last week-- torture, kidnapping, rape, murder, beheading; if we are serious about preventing all of this and serious about a future where the people of Gaza are not ruled by a brutal and barbaric terrorist organization, then we should not delay.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Madam President, I rise today as a Senator, as a former president of a synagogue, as the only Jewish mother in the U.S. Senate, as a steadfast supporter of Israel, and as a person who stands firmly against hate and terrorism around the world.

Since October 7, when Hamas launched a horrific and unprovoked terrorist attack on the Israeli people, our hearts--well, our hearts have been shattered. And over the past week and a half, we have learned that 1,300 innocent Israeli civilians and soldiers have been murdered. Thousands more have been injured. And countless families are grieving for loved ones who have been kidnapped, who at this very moment are being held hostage by Hamas--young children, women, seniors, some of whom even were Holocaust survivors.

This past weekend, I met with these families in Israel as part of a bipartisan Senate delegation, meeting with parents whose children-- their children, their babies--that is how they called them: My babies. They have my babies, a mother said.

They were ripped away from them by terrorists. Hearing those stories, seeing the fear and the pain in their eyes, feeling their heartbreak is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

And there is one story in particular that I am never going to forget. A woman, whose family member was taken from her by Hamas, spoke to us, and in speaking about her pain, she said:

We no longer live in the same world as you.

We no longer live in the same world as you. For her and her family, she said, every moment is an eternity. Just think about that, think about what they feel every single day that they are separated from their loved ones, not knowing how they are doing, not knowing if they are being tortured, if they are in pain, if they are even still alive.

And with each passing day--each passing day--these families, they anxiously await for their loved ones, hopefully, to be returned to them. And these stories, these stories demonstrate why I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that these families are made whole again.

We know that Hamas is currently holding nearly 200 innocent people, including Americans, many of them in dire need of medical attention. So we cannot stay silent. We must speak out until every hostage is released--every single one of them.

And that is why last night, I introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas for its brutal, brutal, premeditated attacks on Israel and demanding that Hamas immediately release the hostages so they can be reunited with their loved ones.

After what I saw, after what I experienced on the ground, I know we need to take decisive, bipartisan, and immediate action to help Israel. Let us take action to free the hostages, pass supplemental funding, aid to our ally in its greatest time of need, and provide Israel with all the support it needs to defend itself from acts of terrorism.

And at the same time, we need to make sure that Palestinian civilians receive humanitarian aid and that it does not ever, ever, end up in the hands of Hamas terrorists. Israelis and Palestinians alike have been victims of Hamas's terror. We have seen how Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields to--which has led to the death of countless--countless--innocent residents in Gaza.

And so we will continue to support Israel's efforts to eliminate Hamas once and for all and limit civilian casualties. And as we do this, let's use the full force of the Senate, both sides of the aisle, to send a clear and decisive message to Hamas.

Let us all tell those cowards who kidnapped children, who kidnapped seniors, that the United States will not stand by and let these crimes occur. We will not rest until the hostages are free, until justice is delivered.

So I urge all of my colleagues to support my resolution and send a clear--and united message to the world.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.