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Floor Speech

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Mr. BUDD. Madam President, over the weekend, our Nation lost three servicemembers in a drone attack in Jordan. Responsibility for this attack rests with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sadly, what happened over the weekend, it is not a surprise. It has been happening for months.

Iran and their proxies have launched more than 165 attacks against U.S. troops across the Middle East and countless more against commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea.

There has been a consistent drumbeat of Iranian-backed proxy attacks since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

A few things are clear about this situation. First, Iran and its proxies, they do not currently fear the United States.

Second, Iran is intent on harming the United States, our servicemembers, and our interests.

Third, Iran is aiming to push the United States out of the Middle East in a bid for complete regional power. We can't let this takeover happen.

Iranian dominance in the Middle East would jeopardize the free flow of international trade; it would endanger important energy resources as well as damage America's counterterrorism efforts. And in the shadow of October 7, if we were to abandon our Middle East allies, it would be open season on Israel and the Jewish people.

I have heard the views of many in this Chamber, ranging from those who favor an immediate military offensive inside Iran to those who want the United States to leave the region altogether. Instead of beginning another ``forever war'' or succumbing to isolationism, I would submit that there is a better way. And we don't have to go back very far in history to find it.

After a single American contractor was killed at the hands of Iran in 2019, President Trump ordered a strike that eliminated the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani. We didn't start a war, and we didn't withdraw. We simply sent Iran's leaders a very clear message; that is, if you kill Americans, you will forfeit your life. And Iran pulled back.

That is deterrence, when all nations know for certain that we are willing to act in defense of our people. It is that clear understanding that actually prevents a wider conflict, and it is a breakdown in clarity that is provoking the Iranians to continue taking more dangerous--and ultimately deadly--shots at U.S. forces abroad.

We must end the failed Biden policy of appeasement toward Iran. We must also stop telegraphing U.S. responses so Iran and its proxies can move personnel, weapons, and equipment out of the target area. Weakness only invites further aggression.

We must reestablish deterrence, and we must respond with the strength that this moment requires. No more half measures, hesitation, or muddled messages. Iran and their proxies must know that when the United States of America tells them to stop, we mean it, and we are willing to do something about it. Without a strong response, the risk of escalation only increases and, with it, the danger to America.

They are one of our closest friends and allies. That is why it is highly disturbing to read reports that the Biden administration is reviewing options to reward the extremism and barbarism of Hamas by unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state. This would represent a major reversal of longstanding U.S. policy and would be a betrayal of our friend and ally Israel. The Biden administration must abandon any consideration of such a dangerous and foolish proposal.

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