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Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I traveled last week to visit with over 150 members of our Wyoming Army National Guard. They are stationed in Jordan and in Syria, and they are a long way from home--nine time zones away from Wyoming. They are there to keep our country safe and free.

One year ago, our adversaries were growing bolder, stronger, and more aggressive. That was a year ago. Today, America is stronger, safer, and much more secure. President Trump is restoring peace through strength. This is a dramatic change from what we saw in the previous administration.

Within days of taking office, President Trump began freeing American hostages--Marc Fogel, Keith Siegel. Almost a dozen former hostages who were held by our adversaries are now safe on American soil. President Trump is bringing American citizens home.

He is also bringing America's enemies to justice. Let's look at the recent precision strike in Yemen against the Houthi terrorists. Remember who the Houthis are. They are Iran-funded terrorists. Their official slogans say ``Death to the United States'' and ``Death to Israel.'' They are a direct threat to the American people and specifically to our servicemembers and to American trade.

Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have attacked U.S. Navy ships 174 times. They have attacked U.S. commercial ships 145 times. Iran provides them with high-tech missiles and precision-guided drones.

These attacks continue. Why? Because Joe Biden and the Democrats were weak, and Joe Biden, their President, projected weakness. President Trump is strong, and he projects strength. President Trump responded firmly with overwhelming strength.

I am grateful for our servicemembers who carried out the attacks.

President Trump sent a clear message to the terrorists: Stop or get destroyed. He also sent a clear message to Iran: You will not escape accountability.

This is a remarkable change from his predecessor. Joe Biden appeased Iran. His administration gave Iran $100 billion in sanctions relief. President Trump is keeping up maximum pressure on Iran, and the Houthi strike proves it.

President Trump knows that Iran is responsible for the chaos in the Middle East. Since taking office, President Trump rightfully has hit Iran with 94 new sanctions. President Trump also placed sanctions on Iran's so-called ghost fleet. These are the oil smugglers who move Iranian oil to China. These sanctions against Iran help put communist China on notice. These fleets are moving Iranian oil and selling it to China at a discount, making Iran richer and making China more powerful. Remember, 90 percent of Iran's exports of oil go to communist China. We saw a lot of it under the last administration. As the Wall Street Journal editorial board recently wrote, ``[T]he Iranian oil-export problem is really a Chinese import problem'' because they are getting the cheap oil. President Trump is responding firmly to this new axis of evil.

Here in the West, President Trump is taking historic action against the killer cartels. He recently designated killer cartels as ``foreign terrorists.'' With this designation, he can move more aggressively to deport illegal immigrant criminals who are members of these deadly groups.

The President of the United States is our Commander in Chief, and President Trump takes the role seriously. He is reestablishing our military as the most lethal and intimidating force in the world. Under the Trump administration, recruitment has surged to its highest level in 15 years. This is important because history teaches us an important lesson. And what is that lesson? Weakness invites conflict. Strength deters war. When our military is prepared, America is strong and projects strength.

President Trump is also the best chance for peace between Russia and Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine must come to an agreement on a longlasting cease-fire. President Trump and his administration are pursuing an end to the killing and to the bloodshed.

In the Middle East, peace and prosperity are also necessary. That begins with American support for Israel. The Senate should confirm Governor Mike Huckabee to be America's Ambassador to Israel.

Overall, President Trump is off to a strong start. His swift actions are making America safer and stronger. Fully restoring peace through strength, however, requires congressional action as well. In the Senate, Republicans are preparing legislation to do just that. Republicans will rebuild our military, improve military readiness, expand shipbuilding, and invest in the newest technologies to keep America safe, and that includes an Iron Dome for America. All of this makes our military more lethal.

Americans strongly support these policies. They know that this is the path toward safety and security. Republicans are going to bring back peace through strength. We will get America back on track.

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