releases: https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=6B3B6979-5410-4B54-9027-3335E6B78656
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| 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 | “We’ve Been Asleep to Changes in the Global Threat Environment for Too Long — Now Is the Time to Wake Up.” WASHINGTON, D.C. – 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’s national security supplemental funding request and the importance of U.S. military aid for Israel. During 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’s two peer nuclear competitors, China and Russia. Click the image above to watch video of Sen. Fischer’s remarks Click here to download audio Click here to download video Following is a transcript of Senator Fischer’s remarks as prepared for delivery: We’ve heard story after story this past month about Hamas’s brutal ground attacks on Israel. Hamas militants murdered Israelis and Americans alike as they stormed places from border towns to music festivals. Hamas didn’t just attack from the ground. They continue to rain rockets upon Israel. These rockets have destroyed people’s homes, ruptured their livelihoods, and taken their lives. Throughout this conflict, Israel’s 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. The United States has stood by Israel — our closest ally in the Middle East — since the country’s inception. We’ve always pledged our support in times of crisis. So it’s critical that my colleagues and I on the Senate Appropriations Committee work together to ensure that Israel receives the defensive and offensive capabilities it’s requested from the United States. That includes replenishing the Iron Dome system so that Israel is able to protect its people from rocket attacks by terrorist groups. It includes replenishing Israel’s David’s 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. We must provide Israel with the time and resources its government needs to eliminate these threats. But 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? A few days after the heinous attacks on Israel, a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission released its report on the strategic posture of the United States. This report — based on the consensus of respected national security experts from across the political spectrum — concluded that the United States will be woefully underprepared for the threats we’re facing. Our 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. Meanwhile, the United States is barely keeping up with modernizing our nuclear forces. The report emphasized the need to grow our nuclear and conventional forces, and above all else, to expand our production capacity — including our workforce, supply chain, and infrastructure. As Senators, we regularly receive briefings and intelligence reports that clearly outline the threats we face from actors like Russia and China. I’ve 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. These events — the release of a disquieting defense report and the assault against our ally Israel — should serve as a wake-up call for the United States. We must expand our production capacity to meet the needs of our country. And if we don’t expand our production capacity, we also won’t be able to effectively support our allies and partners or supply them with the lethal aid they desperately need. Building out our capacity, so we can meet future threats — that will take time and resources. But we can start now by making targeted investments in munitions production. The administration’s supplemental request includes $25 billion just to replenish our own weapons stockpiles and expand critical munition production capacity — initiatives that, frankly, should already have begun. Including this funding in the supplemental will be a step in the right direction. The 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. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the supplemental includes these priorities. We’ve been asleep to changes in the global threat environment for too long — now is the time to wake up. Thank you, M. President, I yield the floor. | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T18:49:58Z |