View Video of Senator Rosen’s Questioning HERE
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) called on the Administration to continue providing unimpeded security assistance to Israel as it faces imminent threats from Iran and ongoing attacks from Iranian proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah. She also asked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin how Congress can best support the Department of Defense’s efforts to help Israel defend itself. In her questioning, Senator Rosen highlighted the need for the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan Senate-passed supplemental security package that would assist Israel in its objectives to free the hostages, defeat Hamas, and defend against threats from Iran and its proxies.
Below is an excerpt from Senator Rosen’s questioning:
Senator Rosen: The October 7th terrorist attack on Israel must never be allowed to take place again. The U.S. security assistance to Israel must therefore continue unimpeded. But Israel’s security has only become more complicated in recent weeks and months, as it not only works to defeat Hamas and free the hostages, but also faces frequent threats and attacks by Iran and its proxies like Hezbollah and of course so many others.
So, Secretary Austin, beyond the House finally passing the Senate-passed supplemental security package – which I am fighting for – what more can be done to help Israel defend itself, including from what are reportedly imminent threats from Iran?
Secretary Austin: We’re doing a lot, senator, and first of all, thank you for your support for the supplemental. And I, like you, I hope, sincerely hope, that we can get this across the goal line in the near future here. The Chairman and I talk to our counterparts frequently and assess what additional things that we could be doing to help Israel [and] try to understand, you know, what their priorities are and their direction of travel is. And, again, we do in those conversations talk about the necessity to protect civilians, as you would expect, and to provide humanitarian assistance. But we are doing everything we can to make sure that we get them what they need as quickly as possible. And again, I would expect that things would, as the nature of this fight begins to change to become a more precision fight, then their requirements will, should change a bit. And so, we will stay abreast of their needs, and we will continue to provide security assistance as quickly as we can. We remain committed to helping Israel defend itself. But, we expect that they would execute operations responsibly. And again, these are constant conversations that we have.
###
