***RELOJ: Senator Murray’s floor speech ahead of final passage in the Senate of the national security supplemental***
Washington DC - Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor ahead of final passage of the House-passed national security supplemental—which is nearly identical to the supplemental that Murray and others negotiated and passed through the Senate in febrero. Murray also spoke ahead of Senate consideration of the House-passed supplemental earlier today, her remarks from this afternoon can be found AQUÍ.
“We are finally about to pass a bill from the House that, as many of us have noted: includes every pillar of the package we passed overwhelmingly here in the Senate back in February—essentially identical in the funding we are providing,” said Senator Murray in her remarks this evening. “I think it’s fair to say—thanks to bipartisanship and a shared commitment to doing what’s best for America—that the Senate has made its voice heard in this process.”
In her floor speech, Senator Murray once again underscored the importance of passing a comprehensive national security supplemental as she has emphasized for months, “This package makes clear that Congress understands that the conflict in Ukraine is not disjointed from future aggression by the Chinese Communist Party. From the beginning, I was clear—the challenges we face around the world are interconnected, we have to deliver a comprehensive package—half steps won’t cut it. This package ensures America keeps it word to ALL its allies—and stands by ALL of its commitments.”
Murray also underlined her persistent focus on ensuring that humanitarian aid be included in any supplemental that passes the Senate, “And especially important to me: in passing this package, we do not lose sight of the human reality on the ground—the fact that in the middle of every conflict, are civilians—people displaced from their homes, people facing obstacles getting basic medical services, and kids and families who desperately need food and water. I made certain, at every step, that this bill delivers badly needed humanitarian assistance—for Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and so many other regions caught in conflict.”
Senator Murray has led efforts to extend U.S. support for Ukraine—and as Appropriations Chair, she has pushed at every step of the way to ensure Congress approves a comprehensive national security supplemental with aid for our allies and desperately needed humanitarian assistance. When President Biden submitted his full national security supplemental funding request in October, Senator Murray aclarado Congress must deliver on the urgent priorities in the request, presidido a hearing to discuss those priorities with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, and immediately got to work negotiating a bipartisan package. Senator Murray has obstruido repetido attempts to pass a standalone military assistance package for Israel without humanitarian assistance for innocent civilians in Gaza—or aid for Ukraine—and she has insisted on passage of a comprehensive package to address the interrelated national security challenges. In December, she publicado and pushed to pass a comprehensive package with aid for Ukraine, Israel, and our partners in the Indo-Pacific, as well as humanitarian assistance and resources to address needs at our border—but the comprehensive package was obstruido by Senate Republicans, who initially insisted that border policy changes be tied to funding for Ukraine. After Democrats and Republicans negotiated and released a new comprehensive supplemental which included both border policy and funding provisions, Senate Republicans then obstruido consideration of that comprehensive package in a 49-50 vote. In February, Senator Murray joined her colleagues in passing a bipartisan national security supplemental, without border policy and funding provisions, by a vote of 70-29; in terms of funding, the House-passed supplemental is materially identical to the Senate supplemental in nearly every way.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“It has been no easy task to get us to this point. The world has been watching, the clock has been ticking, but we are finally at the finish line.
“And I’m not just glad, but relieved, we are finally about to pass a bill from the House that, as many of us have noted: includes every pillar of the package we passed overwhelmingly here in the Senate back in February—essentially identical in the funding we are providing!
“I think it’s fair to say—thanks to bipartisanship and a shared commitment to doing what’s best for America—that the Senate has made its voice heard in this process.
“In particular, I want to once again thank my counterpart and Vice Chair, Senator Collins—we don’t agree on everything, but we both had a real appreciation for the seriousness of this work and the importance of negotiating a bill that would pass both Chambers.
“As I have said, this package is not the product I would have written just by myself, it is the result of a difficult bipartisan process. Crafting this package has required serious, sober discussion—not partisanship, not political show. So thank you to her, Leader Schumer, the Minority Leader, and so many others.
“This legislation provides the resources necessary to make the world safer for America and its allies. We are delivering investments to address the challenges of today and investing in our strategy for the future. This package makes clear that Congress understands that the conflict in Ukraine is not disjointed from future aggression by the Chinese Communist Party. From the beginning, I was clear—the challenges we face around the world are interconnected, we have to deliver a comprehensive package—half steps won’t cut it. This package ensures America keeps it word to all of its allies—and stands by all of its commitments.
“And especially important to me: in passing this package, we do not lose sight of the human reality on the ground—the fact that in the middle of every conflict, are civilians—people displaced from their homes, people facing obstacles getting basic medical services, and kids and families who desperately need food and water.
"I made certain, at every step, that this bill delivers badly needed humanitarian assistance—for Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and so many other regions caught in conflict.
“So now, we’re at the finish line, let’s vote to stand by our allies—to say to dictators like Putin that they cannot invade sovereign democracies freely and unchecked, and that America will not ignore the humanity, and the cries for help, from civilians who are caught in the middle of conflict and crossfire who we must protect.
“Tonight, Moscow and Beijing are watching closely to see whether we have the vision to recognize how these crises are related, and the resolve to come together and respond forcefully to them.
“Our adversaries are cheering for dysfunction, so let’s instead show them unity instead. Let’s show them the strength of democracy—and vote yes. "
###
Spanish 
English