The Middle East

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday evening, Democrats blocked the Senate from proceeding to important foreign policy legislation. This bill, which was blocked last night, included measures of which they have been outspokenly supportive and even cosponsored, but then they decided that getting anything done at all this week would clash with their new political brand.

To be clear, the legislation I am referring to would have addressed several serious challenges to U.S. interests in the Middle East. It would have reaffirmed our commitment to the security of Israel, our closest regional ally. It would have reauthorized defense cooperation with Jordan, a critical partner, and it would have taken a vital step toward bringing the perpetrators and the enablers of the Assad regime atrocities in Syria to justice. Frankly, it would have delivered on promises to which my Democratic colleagues appeared to be firmly committed.

In their own words, Senate Democrats have discussed ``the continuation of America's unshakeable, seven-decade commitment to Israel's security'' and doing ``everything in our power to fight the BDS movement,'' but, alas, instead of proceeding to this legislation, Senate Democrats voted to block it.

My friend the Democratic leader chose to take this partial government shutdown that he is prolonging and add his very own Senate shutdown on top of it. They want to shut down the Senate as well--no progress, no bipartisan work, not even on urgent and pressing matters, nothing that might take the spotlight off his unreasonable showdown with the President.

Just as an example, during the 2013 government shutdown, the Senate kept right on chugging through the people's business. We passed 5 bills, 13 resolutions, appointed conferees on the farm bill, the budget resolution, and confirmed 28 of President Obama's nominees. The Senate was not shut down during the last government shutdown. This time, the Democrats want to hold everything hostage--everything?

Here is more inconsistency. Senate Democrats were for border security, including billions for physical barriers, before they were against it, and they were for the Senate working hard during government shutdowns on other business before they were against it.

Until our Democratic colleagues agree to get back to work--until they agree to get back to work--the Senate can't make much progress. Rest assured, Assad has not pressed the pause button on the Syrian civil war simply because it doesn't suit the Democratic leader's political strategy this week, Israel's enemies haven't stopped either, and until Democrats prioritize the public interest ahead of political spite, our border will not be secured, and the Federal Government will remain partially closed.

I cannot urge my Democratic colleagues more strongly to get past this purely partisan spite, rediscover their own past positions on border security, and negotiate a fair solution with the President to secure our Nation and reopen all of the Federal Government.

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