Sen. Rick Scott on Senate Floor: I Don’t Trust Biden to Stand with Israel & Won’t Support Aid to Hamas-Controlled Gaza as Americans Remain Held Hostage

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Rick Scott, a staunch supporter of Israel, spoke on the Senate floor slamming the Biden administration and Senate Democrats for playing politics with the foreign aid package the Senate plans to vote on this evening. For years, Senator Scott has fought to support Israel and pass his Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act which would ensure that zero U.S. taxpayer dollars benefit terrorists that wish to destroy Israel and eliminate the Jewish people. Shockingly, Democrats have not allowed a vote on his bill as the Senate considers the foreign aid package. Since the October 7th attacks by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists on Israel that killed 1,200 innocent people and resulted in hundreds being held hostage in Gaza, including Americans, Senate Scott has tried to pass his bill to stop aid from going to Hamas and pass standalone aid to Israel, but both have been repeatedly blocked and voted down by Democrats.

Earlier today, Senator Scott wrote an op-ed for The Hill making clear how Joe Biden's decisions to appease Iran and cede his party to radical pro-Hamas extremists have shown that the American people cannot trust his administration, and outlining his concerns that without proper safeguards, the Biden administration will use this aid package as leverage against Israel.

In his speech, Senator Scott said:

"I have voted for the Israel aid in this bill, only to see it fail in the Senate with all Democrats voting against it. For years, I have voted for significant funding for the Iron Dome, David's Sling and other key military assets that help Israel defend itself from Iran-backed terrorism and I am leading the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act, to condition aid to Gaza on the releases of hostages and ensure that we don't send a single dollar of American taxpayer money to Gaza unless the president certifies that it won't end up in the hands of Hamas terrorists. Senate Democrats have blocked this bill from consideration or passage in the Senate three separate times, including when I tried to include it in the Senate-passed foreign aid supplemental in February. It should not be difficult to say that we won't risk even one dollar of American taxpayer money going to Hamas, and pass commonsense legislation to stop that from happening. That shouldn't be hard.

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"Here's what makes me so angry and worried about our country: we have a president that is a fool who is stuck in a war that is raging, not overseas, but within the Democrat party here in America. Joe Biden has ignited a civil war within the Democrat Party because he is allowing, and in some cases actively encouraging, the takeover of his party by Hamas-loving terrorists sympathizers. Thankfully there are still some Democrats that oppose this takeover and continue to stand with Israel - but they are very few and their voices are being drowned out by the scream of anti-Semitic hate from the radical Hamas-lovers in Michigan and New York.

"We cannot avoid the hard truth here: Joe Biden is destroying U.S. foreign policy in an attempt to pacify Democrats who support terrorism. They have changed 'death to America' in Iran for years. But now Democrat activists are chanting it in New York and Michigan.

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"I know I said this before but I won't stop saying what Hamas did: these monsters beheaded children and babies, raped girls and burned innocent civilians alive. They dragged innocent people through the streets and are now holding them as hostages in Gaza - which these terrorists absolutely control. It is UNIMAGINABLE that the United States would ever consider sending money to a place where we KNOW that it will be used to help terrorists who are holding Americans hostage but that is exactly what this bill does. Mr. President, I want to make sure everyone understands exactly what I am saying here, which is a fact: EVERY DOLLAR THAT GOES TO GAZA DIRECTLY BENEFITS HAMAS.

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"Since its first days, the Biden administration has emboldened Iran with appeasement, freeing billions of dollars to fuel Iran's support of terrorism and turning its back on Israel. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and one of America's strongest allies, but it took President Biden months to meet or speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu after he took office, and the world took notice. Since October 7th, President Biden and Democrats in Washington have continued to undermine Israel's fight against Iran-backed Hamas terrorists, further isolating our ally in its greatest time of need. America and the freedom-loving nations of the world are less safe and secure because of President Biden's weakness and appeasement of evil regimes and the terror each support. And now, the Senate wants to AGAIN pass legislation that gives billions of dollars to Gaza which is 100% run by Hamas. I am not opposed to humanitarian aid for the people of war-torn places like Gaza. But I am not okay with giving aid that has even the slightest possibility of going to terrorists that want to destroy Israel and the United States. I am especially disturbed by the idea of giving aid that could go to terrorists that want to destroy Israel and the United States and who are ALSO holding Americans hostage.

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"I will not leave anything to chance when it comes to preventing U.S. taxpayer money from being sent to the brutal terrorists that have slaughtered so many Israelis and Americans. Senate Democrats have made clear that they are so terrified of losing the votes of radical Hamas-loving leftists that they cannot even bring themselves to support something that simply makes sure we aren't sending money to the thugs that brutally murdered 1,200 innocent people, INCLUDING MORE THAN 30 AMERICANS, on October 7^th, and who are still holding Americans hostage. It's hard to imagine that this is where we are today and the bill that is before us does NOTHING to address this while approving BILLIONS in aid for Gaza that we know will go straight to Hamas. NOTHING in the bill text says that money WILL NOT go to Hamas because there is NOTHING in this bill that prevents that. Again, there is NOTHING in this bill that prevents your taxpayer money from going to Gaza where it will directly benefit Hamas.

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"While it is extremely important to continue to fund Israel's defense efforts, as I have fought to do for years, I fear that President Biden will use this as the leverage he needs to advance his radical, anti-Israel foreign policy to appease the anti-Semites in his own party. I was just in Israel and I clearly understand the urgency in delivering aid to Israel, but without safeguards in place to ensure that no money goes to Hamas or that Biden cannot say 'strings attached,' this aid doesn't protect Israel from being forced into an unacceptable compromise with the Biden administration while it's at war.

"Too often in Washington, compromise means that everyone gets what they want so nobody has to make a tough choice. The bill before the Senate today is a perfect example of this broken way of doing business that has become the norm in Washington.

"If given the opportunity to vote on these issues independently, as the House did, I would vote to support aid for Israel with strong safeguards, as I have in the Senate multiple times - all of which have been blocked by Democrats prior to this vote. I would vote to ban TikTok unless we see a total divestment from it by entities controlled by Communist China. I would vote to sanction the evil regime in Iran. I would vote to support aid for Taiwan so it can fend off threats of invasion by Communist China. And I would vote for the REPO Act, which allows for the confiscation of Russian assets and I am proud to cosponsor, while opposing the fact that this bill allows President Biden to send billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in unaccountable aid to Ukraine, including billions to pay the salaries of Ukrainian politicians.

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"But the Senate won't have the chance to take multiple votes or change this bill. It's a sad day for our body to be shut out of the process like this. While some politicians will claim that the bill before the Senate today is some magic bullet that will restore order and protect democracy across the world, we know that's a lie. Most bills have some good policy, this one is no different. However, I cannot bring myself to look the other way and vote for policies that will in many ways prolong the suffering that Biden's weakness and appeasement have caused for Americans and our friends and allies around the world every day.

Read more regarding every action and statement Sen. Scott has done in support of Israel following the October 7th Iran-backed Hamas terrorist attack: https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/israel.

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