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Floor Speech

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Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, over 290 days ago, Iran-backed Hamas brutally murdered more than 30 Americans and took a dozen more hostage. Today, eight of those kidnapped on October 7 remain in the Gaza Strip, held captive by an inhumane terrorist group that wants nothing more than the death and destruction of Israel and the United States: Edan Alexander, Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Gadi Haggai, Judith Weinstein Haggai, Omer Neutra, Keith Siegel.

Eight of our fellow Americans, five of whom we believe to still be alive, are being held hostage right now--today--and yet too many people are seemingly unaware of this reality. It is shameful. Today, I am working to help change that and refocus the attention on our hostages and their families.

As a mom, my heart aches for our hostage families. I simply cannot imagine the pain and the fear of waiting to hear if my daughter is alive and if I will ever be able to see her again and utter two simple but warm words: ``Welcome home.''

These families, whom I have repeatedly met with here in DC and in Israel, have waited far too long to be reunited with their loved ones. Every day that passes puts our fellow citizens at greater risk and diminishes our chances of bringing them home safely.

I am grateful for the opportunity to honor and rightly recognize our U.S. hostages. This is an issue that I have gained support for from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats alike. We all want to see each and every one of our countrymen released and have consistently urged the administration and those negotiating on behalf of the families to use every tool possible in our toolbox.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen born in Berkeley, CA. When he was 7, his family moved to Israel. His parents, Jon and Rachel, describe Hersh as funny with a dry sense of humor. He was a lover of soccer, music, reading, and travel.

Hersh even turned his passion for soccer into an opportunity to build bridges between Arab and Israeli students. Days after turning 23, Hersh and his close friend attended the Nova music festival along with thousands of other young people. Before Hersh left his house, his mother recalls his last words:

I love you. See you tomorrow.

Two hundred ninety-one days, and tomorrow has still not yet come for the Goldberg-Polin family.

On October 7, while at the peaceful music festival, Hersh and his friend were forced to flee for their lives as Hamas terrorists opened fire, killing more than 364 attendees.

Put yourselves in their shoes for just a second. One minute you are at a concert, enjoying live music, maybe dancing to the beat, and in an instant, your life changes. Rockets are flying overhead; guns blasting right and left; smoke, fire, chaos, and total confusion follow.

Hersh and his friend escaped the festival and ran into a nearby bomb shelter, a place to seek refuge from the attacks. After likely breathing a very temporary sigh of relief, Hamas threw a grenade inside that very shelter to maim and kill more innocent Israelis. Tragically, Hersh lost part of his arm due to the shrapnel from that grenade, and even more gut-wrenching: His dear friend lost his life.

Recent footage released by the Israeli Government showed Hersh being taken that day, with his arm wrapped in a tourniquet that he fashioned himself out of part of the shirt he was wearing, as Hamas fighters threw him into the back of a pickup truck and lifted his head up by his hair, as he sat there dazed and bleeding, in order to take selfies with him, and drove him and the other hostages into Gaza.

Sagui Dekel-Chen. Sagui is a 35-year-old dual Israeli-American citizen who grew up in Bloomfield, NJ, and is the grandson of Holocaust survivors. For the past 10 years, he worked on a project to convert old buses into mobile classrooms for underserved communities in southern Israel.

Sagui was working near his Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7 when he noticed the Hamas terrorists entering the kibbutz. After ensuring his wife, who was pregnant with their third daughter, and children were safe, he joined the kibbutz security team to defend his community. His wife heard Sagui fighting off the terrorists, but despite their efforts, Sagui was taken captive. We know from hostages who have returned that Sagui has been seen in Gaza, and we pray for his immediate and safe return.

Since being held by the Hamas regime, his wife gave birth to their new daughter and named her Shachar, which in Hebrew means ``dawn.'' We pray that the hope of this new life continues to bring light to Sagui's family as they wait in great anticipation for the day when they can all be reunited and a father can meet his precious daughter for the very first time.

Sagui and Hersh's stories are unthinkable for many Americans, but they are true. It is no myth; it is reality--one that no one should turn a blind eye to.

Hamas is a brutal regime--one that rapes women and children and preys on innocent civilians and one that we cannot trust to provide our fellow citizens who remain in Gaza with proper medical care and attention.

While the hostage families remain ever hopeful, as I am, that they will one day be able to embrace their loved ones again, it is incumbent upon the administration--especially at this crucial time--to remain focused on freeing our American hostages. At a minimum, President Biden and Vice President Harris should say their names, share their stories, and be unafraid to tell the truth about Hamas and the need for Israel to fully destroy this Iran-backed terror regime.

Today, my colleagues and I are standing up for these hostages and standing with their families and our friends in Israel. We remain committed to bringing our American citizens home now. This goal should not be diminished. Every second counts.

Joining me today on the floor are many of my colleagues, and at this time, I would like to yield the floor. I will yield the floor, Mr. President, to my colleague from Iowa, Senator Grassley.

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Ms. ERNST. Thank you to the Senator from Iowa for joining our colloquy.

I will yield the time now to a very, very good friend and fellow colleague of the Abraham Accords Caucus, Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada.

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Ms. ERNST. Thank you, Senator Rosen.

Joining our colloquy now is the senior Senator from Maryland, Ben Cardin.

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Ms. ERNST. Thank you, Senator Cardin. Thank you for your leadership.

Senator Ted Budd represents the great State of North Carolina. He is unable to join us, but he did want to make sure we read his constituent's bio.

Eight of these remaining hostages are Americans. Our final American hostage is a native of the State of North Carolina, and his name is Keith Siegel.

I have joined North Carolina Senator Ted Budd in meetings with the families of hostages, as well as former hostages, like Keith's wife, Aviva. Keith and Aviva have four children, alongside five grandchildren.

We have heard their stories, and I can attest that Senator Budd and I look at their photos every single day. We have heard the stories, and these families must absolutely live with horrible pain, and they have an uncertainty that is absolutely unacceptable. The fact that we stand here after 291 days and the fate of these eight innocent souls is not the primary topic of conversation on our national media and from the current administration is shameful.

Now is the time for all nations to rally together and use all available pressure to force Hamas terrorists to release all of our hostages.

I do want to thank my colleagues--Senator Rosen, Senator Cardin, and Senator Grassley--for coming to the floor and joining in this colloquy to ensure that the American people don't forget that we have eight Americans that are still being held. Let's bring them home now.

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