{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom-news-releases-barrasso-calls-on-leaders-to-affirm-americas-unwavering-commitment-to-israel/", "Barrasso Calls on Leaders to Affirm America\u2019s Unwavering Commitment to Israel", "2024-07-24", "2024", "2024-07", "Republican", "Senate", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", "barrasso", "https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom/news-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke today on the Senate floor following Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s speech to a Joint Meeting of Congress.\n\nSenator Barrasso affirmed his unwavering support for Israel in their effort to defeat Hamas and to bring the hostages home.\n\nSen. Barrasso\u2019s Remarks:\n\n\u201cThe Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, just delivered a historic speech to Congress.\n\n\u201cThis was the fourth time the Prime Minister has spoken to the United States Congress. That\u2019s more than the late Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill.\n\n\u201cLike Prime Minister Churchill, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke of a battle between freedom and evil. He shared with us welcome news. And that news is that freedom is winning.\n\n\u201cIsrael is committed to bringing home the hostages, to protecting its citizens from the atrocities that occurred on the October 7th attack.\n\n\u201cMeanwhile, the Hamas terrorist network is under more pressure than ever. Half of its senior leadership is dead. Its military chief has likely been eliminated.\n\n\u201cRemember, Hamas is a terrorist group. It governs through fear and violence.\n\n\u201cHamas violently rejects the right of Israel to exist and the right of Jews to live in Israel.\n\n\u201cHamas hides behind civilians. It uses them as human shields.\n\n\u201cHamas stores its military weapons designed to kill in hospitals, in schools, and in homes.\n\n\u201cHamas has stolen billions of dollars of humanitarian aid to build its terror tunnel all around the area of the Gaza Strip. This is the same tunnel network where for 9 months and counting 116 hostages, including 8 American hostages, are being held by Hamas terrorists.\n\n\u201cI stand firmly with Israel as Israel fights to finish the war and defeat Hamas.\n\n\u201cSadly, supporting Israel has grown more divisive in this country than I\u2019ve ever seen. Today\u2019s Democrats are abandoning our greatest ally in the Middle East. They are calling to put conditions on aid to Israel.\n\n\u201cThe Biden-Harris administration has delayed the delivery of war-winning weapons. The Senate Democrat Leader meddled in Israeli politics. He proclaimed in no uncertain terms on the floor of this body that Prime Minister Netanyahu should step down.\n\n\u201cThe senior senator from Vermont went even further. Last month, he declared that Prime Minister Netanyahu is a \u2018war criminal.\u2019 That accusation is disturbing, it is damaging, and it is dishonest.\n\n\u201cIf that weren\u2019t bad enough, Vice President Harris skipped the Prime Minister\u2019s speech entirely. The Vice President typically presides over joint sessions of Congress. With her snub to Israel, Vice President Harris is leading the Democrats\u2019 Bibi Boycott.\n\n\u201cCatering to the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party is not serious leadership. Not at all.\n\n\u201cThe vice president now wants to be the Commander-in-Chief, yet she refuses to put politics aside and work with our indispensable ally. Her actions send a defeatist message to our enemies and a defeatist message to our allies alike.\n\n\u201cThis is a time when it is so critical for us to restore confidence in America. Here\u2019s what we need to do and how to do it: We do it through Peace through Strength. With strong, steady, and serious support for Israel and for Israel\u2019s right to exist.\n\n\u201cWhat is the approach of President Biden today? What is the approach of Vice President Harris? And what is the approach of the Senate Democrats, members of this body? Is it to continue to appease our adversaries and abandon our friends?\n\n\u201cThis is a dangerous world. It is more dangerous under the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration. America cannot continue down Democrats\u2019 path of war and weakness. Keeping America safe requires America and Israel working together. We heard that today in the joint session of Congress.\n\n\u201cRepublicans believe in Israel\u2019s mission to defeat Hamas. We understand fully what is at stake, and our support is firm. We must unite and bring back Peace through Strength.\n\n\u201cNow more than ever, the American people need to stand with Israel. And I\u2019m one of those people that will continue to stand with Israel.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:32:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom-news-releases-barrasso-calls-on-leaders-to-affirm-americas-unwavering-commitment-to-israel/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4551403000950813, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}