Last week, the world witnessed the largest attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hundreds of innocent men, women, and children murdered by Hamas terrorists in their own homes. Young women raped and brutalized, entire families burned alive as they attempted to hide their children from these vicious terrorists. In total, 1,400 innocent Israelis and at least 30 American citizens have been murdered, with hundreds more held hostage in Gaza. 

We can’t look away, we can’t be silent. It’s up to all of us who believe in the dignity of every human life to condemn these atrocities in the strongest possible terms and stand side-by-side with our ally Israel as they confront these Iran-backed terrorists.

The good news is that my colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee responded to these acts of unspeakable evil by passing my bipartisan bill – the MARITIME Act – to strengthen the security cooperation between Israel, the United States, and the Abraham Accords countries to make sure we never let something like this happen again.

But this is just the beginning. Now we need to get this through the full House of Representatives, which I hope we can do quickly. In the meantime, I continued taking action this week to support Israel by:

• Urging President Biden to provide Israel with the resources it needs to combat Hamas and hold Iran accountable for its role in the conflict. 
• Requesting the transfer of two additional Iron Dome air defense systems to Israel.
• Introducing the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act to permanently freeze the $6 billion of Iranian funds released as a part of the Biden administration’s 2023 hostage deal.

The bottom line is this: The United States must lead with moral clarity in this moment. Our support for Israel in their darkest hour must be unwavering, and we must do everything in our power to hold Iran accountable for their role in these despicable acts.

I’m confident we can do it, which is why I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House to provide Israel with the resources it needs. Together, we will show the world that Israel has the full support of the United States of America as it fights to repel these forces of evil from its borders.