Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

Floor Speech

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Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for once again working so hard to put together a national defense authorization that we can all be proud of to secure our common defense.

As co-chair of the bipartisan and bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus, I rise in support of Mr. Panetta's and my amendment No. 102, which establishes an exchange program for U.S. and Middle Eastern experts on AI, cyber, counterterrorism, air defense, and more.

The U.S.-Israel relationship is the linchpin of Middle Eastern security. The stability and prosperity our partnership brings to the region convinced Arab nations to take the courageous and unprecedented step of normalizing relations with Israel.

China, Russia, and Iran, the new axis of evil, see this achievement as a threat. They want to undo the Abraham Accords, and they will plunge the region into further chaos to do so. We cannot let this happen.

For a peaceful, prosperous future for the region, Israel and its friends must draw closer together. The U.S. must strengthen ties between Arab partners and Israel.

This amendment builds on the success of the DEFEND and MARITIME Acts, important laws that our caucus championed which kick-started cooperation between the United States, Israel, and our Middle Eastern partners on maritime, security, and air missile defense.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support amendment No. 102.

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