Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, it is our duty to afford the American people the assurance that their tax dollars are spent fulfilling the needs of the American people, not funneled to terrorist proxies that threaten our very existence.

My amendment would ensure that not a single taxpayer dollar would be sent to the Lebanese Armed Forces, a military force riddled with Hezbollah sympathizers that acts as yet another proxy of the Iranian terror regime.

To say that Hezbollah and its allies do not have any control over the Lebanese state is just categorically false. Hezbollah and other terror groups that operate freely throughout the country have launched countless attacks on our ally Israel.

In the past year alone, Hezbollah has indiscriminately launched nearly 2,000 missiles into Israeli territory, attempting to replicate the horrific atrocities that occurred on October 7, yet the Lebanese military has consistently failed to take any substantive action to eliminate Hezbollah from its control over the Lebanese state.

Not only do Hezbollah and its allies control dozens of seats in Lebanon's Parliament, but they literally sit at the helm of the military force that the American taxpayer has been propping up since 2006.

As a matter of fact, Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, is a Hezbollah sympathizer himself. As the head of the Amal Movement, his group joined Hezbollah in their war against Israel and launched attacks upon the IDF. Like Hezbollah, Amal is just another proxy of the Iranian terror regime.

Why should we trust the Lebanese Government that our assistance to their military wouldn't be funneled to terrorism when their own speaker of parliament is a terrorist supporter himself?

While the Lebanese military alleges a willingness to disband and disarm Hezbollah, their actions prove otherwise. The Lebanese military is conveniently absent in Hezbollah strongholds and is far too reluctant to take any meaningful action to eliminate Hezbollah once and for all.

That is why I introduced legislation providing for an eight-point plan to condition aid to the Lebanese military, including provisions that would disband Hezbollah, eliminate all coordination with and support from the Iranian regime, and end persecution of American citizens who have advocated against Hezbollah's influence over the Government of Lebanon.

This bill, the PAGER Act, offers a clear roadmap to strategically realign the Lebanese Government to no longer threaten the United States or our allies and interests in the Middle East.

In fact, a significant portion of Lebanon's military expenditures don't even go toward its defense. Over 70 percent of its budget has consistently been allocated for personnel salaries and excessive benefits, including domestic servants and drivers for high-ranking officers. American taxpayers expect their hard-earned tax dollars to be spent on American interests, not armored Mercedes and other luxury goods for Lebanese generals.

This really should be a bipartisan issue. Where are the Democrats complaining about Lebanon's human rights atrocities?

The Democrats were silent when the Lebanese military shot protesters, silent when they forcibly repatriated Syrian refugees, and silent when the Lebanese military failed to prevent Hezbollah from indiscriminately targeting our ally Israel. Yet, they tell us to turn a blind eye and let the Lebanese military abuse the generosity of the American taxpayer.

We cannot, in good conscience, continue sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to Lebanon when they are complicit in empowering a terrorist organization whose primary mission is to destroy America and Israel.

Money is fungible, and every dollar funneled to Lebanon is another resource aiding Hezbollah's operations, undermining regional stability, and threatening Israel's security.

Until they finally eliminate Hezbollah and stop reporting to their handlers in Tehran, any more funds to the Lebanese military are simply unjustifiable.

I encourage my colleagues to recognize the pressing danger that still exists within the Lebanese military and vote for my amendment.

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.
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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, this is a headline from 2 days ago: ``Israeli military attacks Hezbollah sites in eastern Lebanon.''

``The Israeli military on Tuesday said it attacked Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Fighter jets targeted military sites in the eastern Bekaa Valley, which the Iran-backed militia used for training purposes.''

I include in the Record this Yahoo News report.

Israeli Military Attacks Hezbollah Sites in Eastern Lebanon July 15, 2025

The Israeli military on Tuesday said it attacked Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.

Fighter jets targeted military sites in the eastern Bekaa Valley, which the Iran-backed militia used for training purposes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

``The military compounds that were struck were used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization for training and exercising terrorists to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,'' the IDF stated.

``As part of the terrorists' exercises and training at these military sites, the terrorists carried out drills for gunfire combat and the use of various weapons,'' it added.

The Israeli military said ``the storage of weapons and the activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization at these sites constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.''

Lebanese security sources said that Israeli warplanes flew more than 10 attacks in several eastern locations early on Tuesday.

According to residents, loud explosions could be heard in the region. The area is known as a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed on a ceasefire November 2024 after more than a year of mutual shelling.

Nevertheless, the Israeli military continues to attack targets in Lebanon. Both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement.

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, I also include in the Record another one from 2 days ago: ``12 said killed as Israel hits elite Hezbollah force deep inside Lebanon.''

``Israeli jets carried out a wave of airstrikes deep inside Lebanon aimed at stopping an elite Hezbollah unit from regrouping and rebuilding . . .''

``The military camps that were targeted are used by the Hezbollah terror organization for training and preparing terrorists for the planning and execution of terror operations against IDF forces and the State of Israel.' '' 12 Said Killed as Israel Hits Elite Hezbollah Force Deep Inside Lebanon (By Emanuel Fabian)

Military says targets in northeastern Beqaa Valley include Radwan unit facilities, where military activity was taking place in `blatant violation' of November ceasefire.

Israeli jets carried out a wave of airstrikes deep inside Lebanon aimed at stopping an elite Hezbollah unit from regrouping and rebuilding its strength, authorities said Tuesday.

Lebanese state media reported that 12 people were killed.

``Enemy warplanes launched raids on the Wadi Fara area in the northern Beqaa Valley, one of which targeted a camp for displaced Syrians, resulting in the deaths of 12 martyrs, including seven Syrians, and eight wounded,'' the country's state-run National News Agency reported.

The strikes in Lebanon's northeastern Beqaa Valley were aimed at military facilities belonging to the Hezbollah terror group's Radwan force, where operatives and weapon depots had been detected, the Israel Defense Forces said.

``The military camps that were targeted are used by the Hezbollah terror organization for training and preparing terrorists for the planning and execution of terror operations against IDF forces and the State of Israel,'' the military said in a statement.

The weapons stored at the sites and Hezbollah's activity ``constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, and pose a future threat to the State of Israel,'' the statement added.

Defense Minister Israel Katz called the strikes ``a clear message to the Hezbollah terror organization, which is plotting to rebuild its invasion-of-Israel capabilities through the Radwan force, and also to the Lebanese government, which is responsible for upholding the agreement.''

``We will strike every terrorist and thwart any threat to the residents of the north and to the State of Israel, and we will respond with maximum force against any attempt [by Hezbollah] to rebuild,'' he added.

Israel has carried out dozens of strikes in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah operatives and arms since reaching a ceasefire with the group in November following several weeks of intense fighting, while attacks deeper inside Lebanon are less common.

There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese government about Tuesday's strikes, though the official National News Agency reported that ``enemy warplanes launched a raid'' southeast of Baalbek, the main city in the region.

The rugged Beqaa Valley is seen as a stronghold for Hezbollah, and had been considered a key conduit for smuggling weapons into Lebanon via Syria before Hezbollah ally Bashar al-Assad was ousted from the leadership of Syria late last year.

On Sunday, the IDF said Israeli troops had raided military facilities of the deposed Syrian regime last week, seizing some three tons of weapons. It indicated that the arms had been intended to be smuggled into Lebanon.

According to Israel, the Radwan force had in recent years planned to carry out a large-scale invasion of northern Israel, but was forced to shelve the scheme after Hamas attacked southern Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, plunging the region into war.

A day after the attack, Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones, and anti-tank missiles at northern Israeli communities, carrying out attacks on a near-daily basis in solidarity with Hamas.

The rocket fire displaced some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. In a bid to ensure their safe return, Israel stepped up operations in Lebanon in September, leading to two months of open warfare with Hezbollah in which the terror group's leadership and arsenal were decimated.

A ceasefire in November largely stopped the fighting, but Israeli strikes against Hezbollah operatives have continued on a regular basis. The agreement allows Israel to strike imminent threats, though Jerusalem is required to bring less urgent concerns to an international committee.

Hezbollah is currently under pressure from Lebanon's Western-backed government to disarm as part of an arrangement that could reportedly see Israel halt attacks and pull its troops south of the border.

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Mr. STEUBE. We should put America first, not Lebanon first and America last.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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