Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I would like to start by saying a few words about the horrific shooting that occurred in Houston, TX, at about 5 o'clock yesterday.

A team of narcotics patrol officers from the Houston Police Department were serving a warrant. As soon as they breached the door at the home in southeast Houston, the suspects opened fire. Four officers were hit; one critically, and one other was injured as a result of an unrelated mishap. Three of these officers were in good condition, and two remained in critical but stable condition in the hospital.

For the case agent, the most senior officer on the narcotics squad, this was the third time he had been shot in the line of duty--once in 1992 and again in 1997. He told Chief Art Acevedo: ``I had to get in there because I knew my guys were down.''

I echo the Houston Police Union President Joe Gamaldi, who said last night that enough is enough. This type of attack against law enforcement is unconscionable and unacceptable. These are dedicated public servants who have taken an oath to serve and protect our communities and who potentially sacrifice their very lives every day to keep our families safe.

Today, with a heavy heart, I want to thank the Houston Police Department and law enforcement officers across the country who put on the uniform each morning, never knowing what the day might bring. We are incredibly grateful for their service and the tremendous sacrifices they make.

I also want to acknowledge the work of the Houston Fire and EMS Department who moved Heaven and Earth to ensure these heroic, wounded officers got the medical care they needed as soon as possible.

I thank my friends Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Chief Acevedo for their leadership during this very difficult time for the city of Houston and our entire State.

My wife Sandy and I are praying for the officers, their families, and their brothers and sisters in blue. S. 1

Madam President, on another matter, the Senate is, of course, considering S. 1, a package of four bills that were considered in the 115th Congress, but the clock ran out before these bills could be voted on, on the Senate floor.

Each of these bills enjoys broad, bipartisan support, and I am glad we have the opportunity to push this legislation over the finish line this week.

The administration recently announced that U.S. troops will begin a conditions-based withdrawal from Syria. While we await additional details on the timeline and extent of this move, we must take action to ensure the stability of the region during the process and reassure our allies of our commitment.

My friend and colleague Senator Rubio, the lead sponsor of this bill, once compared the threat of ISIS to a tumor. He said: If you treat a tumor with radiation, it will get smaller and smaller and smaller, but if you stop before it is completely gone, it will come back. So it is with ISIS.

First and foremost, the Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act supports our allies in the region, including Israel and Jordan. With Israel in particular, the bill authorizes the United States to provide military assistance to support funding cooperative programs to develop, produce, and procure essential military equipment, such as defensive missiles and rockets. This will help Israel maintain its qualitative military edge against increasingly well-equipped, Iranian-backed forces.

This bill also provides U.S. State and local governments with greater flexibility to counter the boycott, divestment, and sanctions, or BDS, movement. This anti-Israel crusade has waged economic war against the Jewish State by pushing companies around the world to boycott any business with Israel or its entities.

This does not outlaw BDS activity but instead provides State and local governments with the same flexibility afforded to private companies. They can decide not to do business with companies that are boycotting or divesting from Israel.

To support our ally Jordan, this bill authorizes legislation to strengthen our defense cooperation. With an estimated 740,000 refugees in Jordan--a very small country--this legislation recognizes the immense impact the ongoing conflict in Syria continues to have on neighboring countries, including Jordan, and it supports that government's effort to provide ongoing humanitarian support.

The final piece of the bill speaks to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Syria, which has claimed the lives of some 400,000 people--400,000 people. It provides aid to impacted communities and condemns the heinous human rights violations committed by the Assad regime. Notably, it imposes new sanctions on anyone who does business with or otherwise financially supports the Syrian regime.

This is certainly not an effort to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Unfortunately, Syria has been broken by the civil war and the fact that Iran, Russia, and terrorist organizations are all vying for space and influence, but it is an important step to protect U.S. interests in the region. That is what this bill represents.

Notably absent are strong measures focused on addressing the region's primary antagonist, the nation of Iran--the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, is a branch of Iran's Armed Forces with an unconventional role. Unlike military operations that promote national security, the IRGC tries to squash democracy movements both at home and abroad by pushing its extreme ideology beyond Iran's borders. This branch wields vast power and influence, and it uses its capabilities to spark turmoil throughout the Middle East.

What I find particularly concerning is that the IRGC, the primary military appendage of the Ayatollah, is the one in control of Iran's ballistic missile system. That is the same program which, unfortunately, only accelerated under the previous Presidential administration of President Obama.

The primary enemy of the IRGC is Israel, which it threatens both directly through its land bridge across Iraq and Syria and indirectly through its support of terrorist groups, such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Palestinian militant groups. The IRGC funds terrorist proxies by providing heavy weapons, training, and funds to advance the Iranian regime's goal of regional domination. It has helped Hezbollah alone to amass more than 100,000 missiles capable of striking virtually anywhere in the State of Israel.

The financial machines that keep these operations afloat consist of a clandestine network of front companies, including energy, construction, telecommunications, banking, and financial sectors. We are not talking about just a handful of small businesses here. It is estimated that the IRGC alone controls one-quarter of Iran's economy.

So, yes, this legislation does take important steps to promote U.S. interests in the Middle East, but actions against the IRGC are desperately needed.

In addition to the threat already posed by this group, we cannot allow our withdrawal from Syria to open up the window to Iran and its terrorist proxies. Today, I am offering an amendment to this legislation that will address the actions of the IRGC. This amendment enjoyed bipartisan support last Congress with 8 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate and more than 220 cosponsors in the House. This amendment is entitled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Economic Exclusion Act, and it will take steps to increase economic pressure on the aggressive actions taken by Iran and executed by the IRGC.

The bill will impose additional sanctions on the IRGC by lowering the threshold to sanction entities supporting these activities. That means the front companies that are bankrolling the IRGC's attacks against our allies can now be sanctioned, effectively cutting off their cash flow. In addition, it penalizes any other person or company that supports the IRGC, including a complete ban on transactions with U.S. businesses or individuals.

Of course, in order to sanction any entity, we first have to know that they are associated with the IRGC. This bill would require that entities for which there is a reasonable basis to believe IRGC owns at least 33 percent be reported and included. It also requires a report analyzing foreign and domestic supply chains that in some way support or aid the IRGC and its activities.

I hope my colleagues will support this amendment, which takes a strong stand against Iran, the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism, and its military arm, the IRGC. This group has supported the genocidal Assad regime and has the blood of countless innocent civilians on its hands.

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