{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=6D4195C4-60BF-4720-A153-1487828B3250", "McConnell: Growing Nat\u2019l Security Challenges Require Comprehensive Response", "2023-11-08", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding supplemental national security priorities:\n\n\u201cThe challenges facing America and our allies today are not an a la carte menu of projects we can address at our leisure.\n\n\u201cNo \u2013 the most dangerous threats we face are linked together.\n\n\u201cTake it from the author of the last administration\u2019s National Security Strategy.\n\n\u201cRussia, Iran, and China, \u2018see the U.S. as weak and in decline,\u2019 and are willing, \u2018to put aside their differences to collude against American interests.\u2019\n\n\u201cSo, Mr. President, they\u2019re extraordinarily willing.\n\n\u201cFinland is investigating a case of suspected sabotage by a Chinese ship against an undersea communications cable and gas line connecting the newest member of NATO to Estonia, one of the alliance\u2019s most stalwart backers of Ukraine.\n\n\u201cPutin\u2019s Russia is reportedly helping Iran develop a space launch vehicle \u2013 a critical step toward building intercontinental ballistic missiles.\n\n\u201cIn return, Iran isn\u2019t just sending Russia kamikaze drones to kill Ukrainians. It\u2019s helping build an entire drone factory on Russian soil.\n\n\u201cA Russia state energy company is reportedly providing China with highly enriched uranium.\n\n\u201cChina is swarming social media platforms with pro-Hamas propaganda and protecting both Iran and Russia in the UN Security Council.\n\n\u201cAmerica doesn\u2019t have the luxury of facing these threats individually. Our ability to contend with complex, simultaneous threats is exactly what our adversaries are testing.\n\n\u201cRussian war in Europe, Chinese aggression in Asia, Iran-backed terror in the Middle East, and a southern border that\u2019s dangerously lacking in credible enforcement. This is the reality we face. Right now.\n\n\u201cThe Biden Administration\u2019s supplemental request falls short of adequately addressing these linked threats. So let me explain again what this moment actually requires:\n\n\u201cIn Europe, the Administration needs to provide a clear strategy for Ukrainian victory.\n\n\u201cThat means prioritizing the lethal military capabilities Ukraine needs right now. No more half-measures. No more hesitation.\n\n\u201cAs former Secretary of State Pompeo put it last week, America should be, \u2018accelerating the flow of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv,\u2019 because abandoning Ukraine would bolster our adversaries.\n\n\u201cWe should be empowering agency inspectors general to continue the unprecedented oversight and accountability work we\u2019ve built into U.S. assistance since the beginning of Putin\u2019s escalation last year.\n\n\u201cAnd we should continue to invest in expanding America\u2019s defense industrial base \u2013 both to replace capabilities Ukraine is using with newer for our own use, and to ramp up production of the ones Israel, Taiwan, and our Indo-Pacific allies and partners need.\n\n\u201cIn Israel\u2019s case, it\u2019s especially important that we take stringent measures to ensure no humanitarian assistance bound for to the people of Gaza can be intercepted by Hamas terrorists.\n\n\u201cAnd as I\u2019ve said before, for any of this supplemental security funding to pass the Senate, we will also need to implement serious policy changes at the southern border. Senate Republicans will not rubber-stamp the Biden Administration\u2019s bailout for a problem it created. We\u2019re focused on policies to slow the flow of illegal migration and secure the border.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s strategic goals are crystal clear:\n\n\u201cDegrade Russian military strength and prevent major war in Europe. Re-establish credible deterrence against Iran and its terrorist networks. Grow our defense industrial base to equip our military and our allies in the Indo-Pacific to raise the costs of Chinese aggression. And restore real border security right here at home.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what the Senate should be focused on.\u201d\n\n###", 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.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=6D4195C4-60BF-4720-A153-1487828B3250"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3989820145070553, "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"}