{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=6B3B6979-5410-4B54-9027-3335E6B78656", "VIDEO: Fischer Urges Continued Support for Israel, Stresses Need to Expand U.S. Defense Production Capacity", "2023-11-02", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "NE", "Deb Fischer", "F000463", "www.fischer.senate.gov", "fischer", "https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "\u201cWe\u2019ve Been Asleep to Changes in the Global Threat Environment for Too Long \u2014 Now Is the Time to Wake Up.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke on the Senate floor this week about the Biden administration\u2019s national security supplemental funding request and the importance of U.S. military aid for Israel.\n\nDuring her remarks, Senator Fischer emphasized the need to expand domestic defenseproduction capacity to better address the changing global threat environment. Senator Fischer also cited a recent bipartisan report, which found that the current U.S. strategic posture will not effectively deter America\u2019s two peer nuclear competitors, China and Russia.\n\nClick the image above to watch video of Sen. Fischer\u2019s remarks\n\nClick here to download audio\n\nClick here to download video\n\nFollowing is a transcript of Senator Fischer\u2019s remarks as prepared for delivery:\n\nWe\u2019ve heard story after story this past month about Hamas\u2019s brutal ground attacks on Israel. Hamas militants murdered Israelis and Americans alike as they stormed places from border towns to music festivals.\n\nHamas didn\u2019t just attack from the ground. They continue to rain rockets upon Israel. These rockets have destroyed people\u2019s homes, ruptured their livelihoods, and taken their lives.\n\nThroughout this conflict, Israel\u2019s Iron Dome defense system has played a crucial role. The Iron Dome acts as a shield, detecting rockets and firing missiles to intercept them before they hit the ground.\n\nThe United States has stood by Israel \u2014 our closest ally in the Middle East \u2014 since the country\u2019s inception. We\u2019ve always pledged our support in times of crisis.\n\nSo it\u2019s critical that my colleagues and I on the Senate Appropriations Committee work together to ensure that Israel receives the defensive and offensive capabilities it\u2019s requested from the United States.\n\nThat includes replenishing the Iron Dome system so that Israel is able to protect its people from rocket attacks by terrorist groups.\n\nIt includes replenishing Israel\u2019s David\u2019s Sling system and investing in the development of the Iron Beam system. These defensive systems set Israel up for an effective response to the havoc Hamas and Hezbollah continue to wreak.\n\nWe must provide Israel with the time and resources its government needs to eliminate these threats.\n\nBut as we consider the aid we will provide to Israel, we also consider the question: how do we better position the United States to support our allies, as well as bolster our own defense amid escalating global threats?\n\nA few days after the heinous attacks on Israel, a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission released its report on the strategic posture of the United States.\n\nThis report \u2014 based on the consensus of respected national security experts from across the political spectrum \u2014 concluded that the United States will be woefully underprepared for the threats we\u2019re facing.\n\nOur two peer nuclear adversaries, Russia and China, have dramatically expanded their nuclear forces over decades. They continue to develop novel nuclear weapons and delivery systems.\n\nMeanwhile, the United States is barely keeping up with modernizing our nuclear forces.\n\nThe report emphasized the need to grow our nuclear and conventional forces, and above all else, to expand our production capacity \u2014 including our workforce, supply chain, and infrastructure.\n\nAs Senators, we regularly receive briefings and intelligence reports that clearly outline the threats we face from actors like Russia and China.\n\nI\u2019ve often said that if the American people had access to more of this information themselves, they would better understand the nature and severity of the threats we face. Investment in national security would move to the top of their priority list.\n\nThese events \u2014 the release of a disquieting defense report and the assault against our ally Israel \u2014 should serve as a wake-up call for the United States.\n\nWe must expand our production capacity to meet the needs of our country. And if we don\u2019t expand our production capacity, we also won\u2019t be able to effectively support our allies and partners or supply them with the lethal aid they desperately need.\n\nBuilding out our capacity, so we can meet future threats \u2014 that will take time and resources. But we can start now by making targeted investments in munitions production.\n\nThe administration\u2019s supplemental request includes $25 billion just to replenish our own weapons stockpiles and expand critical munition production capacity \u2014 initiatives that, frankly, should already have begun.\n\nIncluding this funding in the supplemental will be a step in the right direction.\n\nThe supplemental request must bring together our goals of strengthening our own military readiness, supporting our troops in Europe and the Middle East, and providing our allies and partners with lethal aid.\n\nI look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the supplemental includes these priorities.\n\nWe\u2019ve been asleep to changes in the global threat environment for too long \u2014 now is the time to wake up.\n\nThank you, M. President, I yield the floor.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"]], "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.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=6B3B6979-5410-4B54-9027-3335E6B78656"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.4957409370690584, "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"}