National Security Act, 2024
Floor Speech
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, it is my understanding that the Senate has received a message from the House of Representatives to accompany H.R. 815.
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Mr. SCHUMER. 815.
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Mr. SCHUMER.
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Mr. SCHUMER. 815, with an amendment.
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Mr. SCHUMER. 815 to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions to report back forthwith with an amendment.
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the Senate convenes at a moment nearly 6 months in the making.
A few days ago, the House of Representatives, at long last, approved essential national security funding for Ukraine, for Israel, for the Indo-Pacific, and for humanitarian assistance. Today is the Senate's turn to act.
For the information of Senators, at 1 p.m. this afternoon, the Senate will hold two rollcall votes related to the supplemental: one on a procedural motion and then a vote to invoke cloture.
The time has come to finish the job to help our friends abroad once and for all. I ask my colleagues to join together to pass the supplemental today as expeditiously as possible and send our friends abroad the aid they have long been waiting for. Let us not delay this. Let us not prolong this. Let us not keep our friends around the world waiting for a moment longer.
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Mr. SCHUMER. 815 be waived.
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today, the Senate sends a unified message to the entire world: America will always defend democracy in its hour of need.
We tell our allies: We will stand with you.
We tell our adversaries: Don't mess with us.
We tell the world: We will do everything to defend democracy and our way of life.
In a resounding bipartisan vote, the relentless work of 6 long months has paid off. Congress is sending the supplemental to President Biden's desk.
Getting this done was one of the greatest achievements the Senate has faced in years, perhaps decades. A lot of people inside and outside Congress wanted this package to fail. But, today, those in Congress who stand on the side of democracy are winning the day.
To our friends in Ukraine, to our allies in NATO, to our allies in Israel, and to civilians around the world in need of help: Help is on the way.
To our friends in Ukraine: America will deliver more ammo and air defenses and basic supplies that you need to resist Putin on the battlefield.
To our friends in Israel: America will soon deliver aid to help you fight the scourge of Hamas and stand up to Iran.
To innocent civilians in the midst of war, from Gaza to Sudan: America will deliver food and medicine and clothing.
To our friends in the Indo-Pacific: We will stand with you to resist the Chinese Communist Party.
And to the whole world: Make no mistake, America will deliver on its promise to act like a leader on the world stage, to hold the line against autocratic thugs like Vladimir Putin.
A few months ago, Putin made a bet that American aid would sooner or later come to an end. We are showing Putin that betting against America is always--always--a grave mistake.
Over the past few months, I have spoken repeatedly and at length about the supreme importance of getting this supplemental package done. Starting in October and through Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's and into the spring, I said again and again that we had to work in a bipartisan way, Democrats and Republicans alike, if we wanted to pass this bill.
When we succeeded in getting the supplemental through the Senate the first time in February, it was for two reasons above all: persistence and bipartisanship. At certain points, it might have seemed hard to see how we would reach our goal, but we never lost hope that if we persisted, we could finish the job.
Today, thank God, our persistence has been validated, and the bill sent to us by the House is largely the same as the bill in substance as what the Senate has championed all along.
It wasn't easy to reach this point, but today's outcome yet again confirms another thing we have stressed from the beginning of this Congress: In divided government, the only way to ever get things done is bipartisanship. I am very pleased that in this moment, when it mattered most, both parties found a way to work together even when it wasn't easy.
Again, persistence and bipartisanship are what saved the day. Leader McConnell and I, who don't always agree, worked hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder to get this bill done. Together, we were bipartisan and persisted.
Now, it is troubling that a very small minority within the hard right tried desperately for months to prevent Congress from doing the right thing. These isolationists have now secured their ignominious place in history as the ones who would see America stick its head in the sand as our enemies sought to undermine us. Had they won, they would have presided over a declining America. I am glad that today we will see that effort fail.
This is an inflection point in history. Western democracy faces perhaps its greatest test since the end of the Cold War. The conflicts we see right now in Europe, in the Middle East, and the tensions of the Indo-Pacific will go a long way in shaping the balance of power between democracy and autocracy in the decades to come, and the consequences for America's long-term security will be profound.
If Putin is allowed to seize the territory of a neighboring sovereign nation, if the Chinese Communist Party is allowed to consume the Indo- Pacific, if Iran is allowed to dominate the Middle East, and if America were to stand by and do nothing, it is the United States that would suffer the consequences most of all in the long run.
Failure to act now could not only undermine the legitimacy of our democratic values, it would have impacts across American life. It would hurt us politically, economically, militarily, and socially. It would harm the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, endanger the safety of our troops, cripple America's innovative potential, and make the world a more hostile place for our civic values--individual liberty, freedom of expression, equal justice under law, and opportunity for all. We always try to live up to these ideals, but they will not survive if autocratic powers like Putin and the Chinese Communist Party overtake America in this century.
That is what is at stake in the war in Ukraine, where we face Putin. That is what is at stake in the Indo-Pacific, where we face Xi. That is what is at stake in conflicts in the Middle East, where we face Iran. Nothing less--nothing less--than the future of American security and the future of the democratic order that has survived since the end of the Second World War.
So we have a choice. We can either make a downpayment on defending our security or find ourselves on the back foot, facing much graver threats in years and decades to come. The only answer is the right one: We must act now.
We have learned in recent years that democracy is a fragile and precious thing. It will not survive the threats of this century--the new threats--if we aren't willing to do what it takes to defend it. And if America will not lead the way to protect democracy in this age, no other nation will. That is the burden, that is the duty of a nation as great as ours.
There are so many people on both sides of the aisle who deserve credit for this immense accomplishment.
I thank President Biden for his stalwart leadership. He never flinched or winced. He knew how important this was and was always working with us and importuning us to move forward.
I thank Leader McConnell, as I have mentioned before, for working hand in hand with us, not letting partisanship get in the way.
I thank Speaker Johnson, who rose to the occasion. In his own words, he said he had to do the right thing despite the enormous political pressure on him.
I thank Leader Jeffries, who worked so well together in his bipartisan way with Speaker Johnson.
Let me say this once again about my friend the Republican leader: We were of one mind to get this bill done. It was our bipartisanship, our linking of arms together, that got this large and difficult bill through the Congress despite many political ideologues who wanted to bring it down. Bipartisanship once again prevailed, and I thank him for his leadership.
I want to thank my Senate colleagues, particularly in my caucus. The dedication and unity and strength you have shown have made this possible. I was able, as leader, to work with the Republican leader in the House, the Speaker, the minority leader in the House, and the President because I knew I had our full caucus behind us--strongly, fervently.
The speeches that we heard at our Tuesday lunches, made by many who are sitting here, would make every American proud, and I thank you, thank you, thank you for that.
For the past 6 months, our friends and allies across the world have been watching what has been going on in Congress and asking themselves the same thing: Will America stand by her friends to face down the forces of autocracy? Will America follow through on its commitment to be a leader on the world stage and safeguard the cause of democracy? Will America summon the strength to come together, overcome the centrifugal pull of partisanship, and rise once again to meet the magnitude of the moment? Today, with both parties working together, the Senate answers these questions with a thunderous and resounding yes.
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, finally, finally, finally, tonight, after more than 6 months of hard work and many twists and turns in the road, America sends a message to the entire world: We will not turn our back on you.
Tonight, we tell our allies: We stand with you.
We tell our adversaries: Don't mess with us.
We tell the world: The United States will do everything to safeguard democracy and our way of life.
This bill is one of the most consequential measures Congress has passed in years to protect America's security and the future--the very future--of Western democracy. And after overcoming a lot of opposition, tonight, Congress finishes the job.
To our friends in Ukraine, to our friends in Israel, to our friends in the Indo-Pacific, and to innocent civilians caught in the midst of a war from Gaza to Sudan: America hears you. We will be there for you.
And to the whole world, rest assured. Rest assured that America will never shrink from its responsibilities as a leader on the world stage.
Tonight, we make Vladimir Putin regret the day he questioned American resolve.
I thank President Biden for his unflinching leadership. I thank Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries for working together valiantly to pass this bill. I thank Chair Murray and Vice Chair Collins for their excellent work.
And I particularly want to thank my caucus for standing firm. We were always united. You gave us strength to get this job done. I salute you.
And, particularly, I want to thank Leader McConnell. We worked on this bill arm in arm, together, shoulder to shoulder. Without that kind of strong bipartisan leadership, this difficult bill would never have passed.
We now come to the end of a long, difficult, and Herculean effort. Our allies around the world have been watching Congress for the last 6 months and wondering the same thing: When it matters most, will America summon the strength to come together, overcome the centrifugal pull of partnership, and meet the magnitude of this moment? Tonight, under the watchful eye of history, the Senate answers this question with a thunderous and resounding yes.
For a little more good news, for the information of Senators, the Senate will not be in session on Monday, April 29. The next rollcall vote will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30.
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Mr. SCHUMER. 1842 be withdrawn.
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