{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/unanimous-consent-request-s1899-stop-taxpayer-funding-hamas-act", "UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S.1899, Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act", "2021-06-16", "2021", "2021-06", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 105\n\n(Senate - June 16, 2021) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Madam President, I join my colleagues today in\n\ndefense of our longtime friend and trusted ally, Israel, and to argue\n\nthat absolutely no American taxpayer dollars should be spent to benefit\n\nterrorist organizations.\n\nIsrael has no greater friend than the United States, and the Israeli\n\npeople have long relied on assistance from the American people and\n\nother allies. It is an unshakeable bond based on mutual respect, shared\n\ndemocratic values, and common interests that existed long before the\n\nmodern State of Israel was founded. We must continue to support and\n\nfoster that relationship with everything we have as Israel faces\n\ngrowing threats from Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region.\n\nAs the annual appropriations process moves along, I am concerned, as\n\nare many of my colleagues, that foreign aid--U.S. taxpayer dollars--\n\ncould end up in the hands of those who have boldly proclaimed that\n\ntheir intent is to do harm to Israel and our interests in the region.\n\nThe most recent wave of violence in the Middle East makes it clear\n\nthat our resources must be responsibly spent and kept out of the\n\ncoffers of terrorist organizations and bad actors whose violence can be\n\nbankrolled by commandeering U.S. foreign aid.\n\nThe Biden administration admitted recently \"there are no\n\nguarantees\" our humanitarian assistance will reach the intended\n\nrecipients. I believe it is our duty to guarantee this. It is\n\nimperative that we are certain that not a single cent of taxpayer money\n\nis spent to fund Hamas and its military arsenal.\n\nIn this effort, my colleagues and I have teamed up to ensure that\n\nsafeguards are in place to make sure anti-American and anti-Israel\n\ngroups do not continue down this dangerous path of radicalization and\n\nindoctrination at the expense of hard-working Americans.\n\nThe Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act, introduced by my friend\n\nSenator Scott of Florida, is commonsense legislation. It protects\n\nAmerican assets and allies, while ensuring that not a penny of foreign\n\naid is spent indoctrinating students abroad and bankrolling terrorist\n\nactivities.\n\nThis is a nonpartisan issue. Americans do not support terrorism, so\n\nthey certainly should not have to subsidize terrorism. We must take a\n\nstand against this barbarism and the harm it poses to most innocent\n\ncivilians.\n\nI simply cannot imagine why any of my colleagues--Republican,\n\nDemocrat, or Independent--would oppose legislation that is fiscally\n\nresponsible, morally sound, and in the best interest of our allies,\n\nservicemembers, and our future generations.\n\nFinally, I believe we should recognize that American citizens feel\n\nthe painful effects from the recent flareup of violence toward Israel.\n\nIn tandem with the global unrest, we have witnessed the significant\n\nrise in anti-Semitic attacks largely fueled by old prejudices and\n\naccelerated by harmful political rhetoric. It is my fervent hope that\n\nwe would dedicate ourselves to stopping anti-Semitic violence, to\n\nfortifying our determination to protect the State of Israel, and to\n\npromoting peaceful relations in the Middle East.\n\nThank you.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:57:00Z"]], "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.hydesmith.senate.gov/unanimous-consent-request-s1899-stop-taxpayer-funding-hamas-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8318169750273228, "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"}