Netanyahu Speaks Before Joint Session of Congress
Today in Washington, D.C. - March 3, 2015:
This morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress, in which he outlined his opposition to a possible deal with Iran over its nuclear program. Neither the President, the Vice President attended, or key cabinet members attended. While many democrats Threated to not attend, and some absented themselves from the Joint Session of Congress both Senate Minority Leaders Harry Reid and House Democrat House Leader Nancy Peloisi attended.
Video of Speech:
The Senate reconvened at 9:45 AM today and began a period of morning business.
At 10:30 AM, the Senate recessed to allow for a Joint Meeting of Congress.
At 11 AM, Senators gathered in the House chamber for a Joint Meeting to hear an address by Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
The Senate is scheduled to return from recess at 2:15 PM and began voting on the motion to proceed to consideration of S.J. Res. 8, a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act of the National Labor Relations Board’s recent ruling allowing ambush union elections.
Yesterday, Senate Democrats filibustered a motion to go to conference with the House on H.R. 240, the Homeland Security appropriations bill.
The House reconvened at 10 AM today. At 10:05 AM they recessed to prepare for a Joint Session of Congress which convened at 10:48 as a Joint Session with the Senate to receive His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
After the Joint Session, the House reconvened at 12:32 P.M. It will debate a resolution to take up H.R. 749 "To reauthorize Federal support for passenger rail programs."
Yesterday, Speaker Boehner addressed the following House bills passed related to the care of Veterans by the Veterans Administration, “Dozens of our veterans died waiting for care, and the VA has no way to go after bonuses collected by bureaucrats who fell down on the job. That has to change – and quickly. Meanwhile, we must continue doing all we can to deliver the 21st-century health care system our veterans deserve. That’s why the House has also acted to expand the options available for addressing the long-term care needs of our veterans.”
The bills were: H.R. 280 (Voice Vote) — "To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup bonuses and awards paid to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs."
H.R. 294 (405-0) — "To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the transfer of veterans to non-Department medical foster homes for certain veterans who are unable to live independently."
Today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on Prime Minter Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel sppech regarding the threats posed by radical Islam and Iran.“This was a speech the American people needed to hear, plain and simple. It addressed the gravity of the threats we face and why we cannot allow a nuclear Iran, or any semblance of a path to a nuclear Iran. It demonstrated why there is such deep-seated – and bipartisan – concern about the deal that is being made. I thank my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, who took the time to hear the Prime Minister’s address on behalf of their constituents, and I hope all Americans will have the chance to see it for themselves. "Let me take this moment to personally thank Benjamin Netanyahu. With his presence here, he demonstrated that politics can never come before our commitment to do what’s right for the future. And he again revealed himself to be a leader of principle and deep conviction. It all speaks not only to the kind of leader he is, but to the bonds between America and Israel – bonds that will, with work and sacrifice, long outlast us.” In a video welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the U.S. Capitol today, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The Prime Minister’s visit comes at a critical moment in U.S.-Israeli relations. Iran’s campaign to expand its sphere of influence across the Middle East threatens the interests of both of our countries; and Prime Minister Netanyahu is singularly capable of explaining the threat Iran’s nuclear capability poses to Israel, America, and the world.”
Speaking on the Senate floor later, Leader McConnell added, “. . . This leader is a great friend of our country, and his visit comes at a critical moment in the relations between our countries. The Prime Minister’s address coincides with an increasingly aggressive Iranian campaign to expand its sphere of influence across the Middle East. It represents a threat to both our countries. It represents a threat to moderate Sunni allies. And it represents a threat to the international community at large. . . .
“I hope the Obama Administration will be listening too, because this visit isn’t about personalities. It’s about doing what’s best for both our countries. . . . Israel’s leaders wake every morning knowing that, with just one wrong decision, it could be their last in an open and tolerant democracy. . . . But Americans should understand that it’s not just Israel that needs to worry. We should be concerned by a nuclear Iran. The whole world should be concerned by a nuclear Iran."
Note that the Obama administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have generated serious bipartisan concerns. In January, 10 Democrat senators wrote to the president, “We remain deeply skeptical that Iran is committed to making the concessions required to demonstrate to the world that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful by March 24 – the deadline agreed upon for a political framework agreement.”
Last month, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “A nuclear Iran is an unacceptable scenario. I believe the only way Iran will voluntarily stop their march for nuclear weapons is if they know that tougher and tougher sanctions will be enacted if they fail to come a strong agreement that prohibits them from obtaining nuclear weapons. The only thing that brought Iran to the table were strong sanctions, not the goodness of their hearts.”
And in November, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said, “The only successful outcome is where Iran is no longer a nuclear threat, where Iran has dismantled its nuclear infrastructure, limited its nuclear research and submitted to verifiable inspections without notice.” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said, “With the security of the United States, Israel, and our allies on the line in the P5+1 negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, I believe that no deal is better than a bad deal. In any agreement, Iran must fully submit to intrusive inspections of its illicit nuclear program, fully disclose its past military work, and dismantle any capacity to develop and build a nuclear weapon in the future. . . . We cannot be afraid to walk away from the bargaining table if Iran does not agree to these basic terms.”
These are all key points made by Prime Minister Netanyahu in his address to Congress today.
Leader McConnell contrasted the Obama administration’s decision-making on foreign policy with that of more sober actors. “It formulates policy with two objectives in mind: fulfilling political campaign promises made in 2008, and pursuing politically expedient solutions to whatever stands in the way of the first objective . . . . For me, there are two bookends that really define President Obama’s foreign policy. The executive orders that attempted to close Guantanamo — without a credible plan for what to do with its detainees — and to essentially end our ability to capture, detain, and interrogate terrorists — regardless of the threats that remained for our country — represent one bookend. The President’s push to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq and Afghanistan by the end of his term, irrespective of threats posed by the Taliban or the senior leadership of Al Qaeda, represents the other.
“This politics-above-policy approach mystifies allies like Israel.”
And, It should be troubling to all Americans. Is the Obama administration making deals that will "really" make us safe now and in future generations? Germany's Hitler promised British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain peace. In truth, the World got war and 10s of millions dead. We should take the Iranians at their word, they wish both Israel and the United States ("the Great Satan") dead and the world enslaved to their belief system. The Obama administration should not assist Iran's death wish for America and Israel.
Tags: Joint Session of Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu, speech, Threat of Iran, Obama administration, House, veterans bills To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
This morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress, in which he outlined his opposition to a possible deal with Iran over its nuclear program. Neither the President, the Vice President attended, or key cabinet members attended. While many democrats Threated to not attend, and some absented themselves from the Joint Session of Congress both Senate Minority Leaders Harry Reid and House Democrat House Leader Nancy Peloisi attended.
Video of Speech:
At 10:30 AM, the Senate recessed to allow for a Joint Meeting of Congress.
At 11 AM, Senators gathered in the House chamber for a Joint Meeting to hear an address by Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
The Senate is scheduled to return from recess at 2:15 PM and began voting on the motion to proceed to consideration of S.J. Res. 8, a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act of the National Labor Relations Board’s recent ruling allowing ambush union elections.
Yesterday, Senate Democrats filibustered a motion to go to conference with the House on H.R. 240, the Homeland Security appropriations bill.
The House reconvened at 10 AM today. At 10:05 AM they recessed to prepare for a Joint Session of Congress which convened at 10:48 as a Joint Session with the Senate to receive His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
After the Joint Session, the House reconvened at 12:32 P.M. It will debate a resolution to take up H.R. 749 "To reauthorize Federal support for passenger rail programs."
Yesterday, Speaker Boehner addressed the following House bills passed related to the care of Veterans by the Veterans Administration, “Dozens of our veterans died waiting for care, and the VA has no way to go after bonuses collected by bureaucrats who fell down on the job. That has to change – and quickly. Meanwhile, we must continue doing all we can to deliver the 21st-century health care system our veterans deserve. That’s why the House has also acted to expand the options available for addressing the long-term care needs of our veterans.”
The bills were: H.R. 280 (Voice Vote) — "To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup bonuses and awards paid to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs."
H.R. 294 (405-0) — "To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the transfer of veterans to non-Department medical foster homes for certain veterans who are unable to live independently."
Today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on Prime Minter Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel sppech regarding the threats posed by radical Islam and Iran.
Speaking on the Senate floor later, Leader McConnell added, “. . . This leader is a great friend of our country, and his visit comes at a critical moment in the relations between our countries. The Prime Minister’s address coincides with an increasingly aggressive Iranian campaign to expand its sphere of influence across the Middle East. It represents a threat to both our countries. It represents a threat to moderate Sunni allies. And it represents a threat to the international community at large. . . .
“I hope the Obama Administration will be listening too, because this visit isn’t about personalities. It’s about doing what’s best for both our countries. . . . Israel’s leaders wake every morning knowing that, with just one wrong decision, it could be their last in an open and tolerant democracy. . . . But Americans should understand that it’s not just Israel that needs to worry. We should be concerned by a nuclear Iran. The whole world should be concerned by a nuclear Iran."
Note that the Obama administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have generated serious bipartisan concerns. In January, 10 Democrat senators wrote to the president, “We remain deeply skeptical that Iran is committed to making the concessions required to demonstrate to the world that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful by March 24 – the deadline agreed upon for a political framework agreement.”
Last month, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “A nuclear Iran is an unacceptable scenario. I believe the only way Iran will voluntarily stop their march for nuclear weapons is if they know that tougher and tougher sanctions will be enacted if they fail to come a strong agreement that prohibits them from obtaining nuclear weapons. The only thing that brought Iran to the table were strong sanctions, not the goodness of their hearts.”
And in November, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said, “The only successful outcome is where Iran is no longer a nuclear threat, where Iran has dismantled its nuclear infrastructure, limited its nuclear research and submitted to verifiable inspections without notice.” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said, “With the security of the United States, Israel, and our allies on the line in the P5+1 negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, I believe that no deal is better than a bad deal. In any agreement, Iran must fully submit to intrusive inspections of its illicit nuclear program, fully disclose its past military work, and dismantle any capacity to develop and build a nuclear weapon in the future. . . . We cannot be afraid to walk away from the bargaining table if Iran does not agree to these basic terms.”
These are all key points made by Prime Minister Netanyahu in his address to Congress today.
Leader McConnell contrasted the Obama administration’s decision-making on foreign policy with that of more sober actors. “It formulates policy with two objectives in mind: fulfilling political campaign promises made in 2008, and pursuing politically expedient solutions to whatever stands in the way of the first objective . . . . For me, there are two bookends that really define President Obama’s foreign policy. The executive orders that attempted to close Guantanamo — without a credible plan for what to do with its detainees — and to essentially end our ability to capture, detain, and interrogate terrorists — regardless of the threats that remained for our country — represent one bookend. The President’s push to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq and Afghanistan by the end of his term, irrespective of threats posed by the Taliban or the senior leadership of Al Qaeda, represents the other.
“This politics-above-policy approach mystifies allies like Israel.”
And, It should be troubling to all Americans. Is the Obama administration making deals that will "really" make us safe now and in future generations? Germany's Hitler promised British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain peace. In truth, the World got war and 10s of millions dead. We should take the Iranians at their word, they wish both Israel and the United States ("the Great Satan") dead and the world enslaved to their belief system. The Obama administration should not assist Iran's death wish for America and Israel.
Tags: Joint Session of Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu, speech, Threat of Iran, Obama administration, House, veterans bills To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
2 Comments:
Netanyah's speech was exceptional! Couldn't believe all the irresponsible comments after the speech by C-SPAN viewers – if they even actually listened to the speech.
I agree. Sad to hear the Democrats make excuses while ignoring the obvious about Iran. Liberals hate reality.
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