Members on the Record (Automated) for Mon March 20, 2023

Israel - Palestine

Miller (R-OH-7) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “Prayers for this brave Marine who was attacked by a Palestinian terrorist. He took a bullet and still brought down his attacker. David, thank you for your service and your courage. Wishing you a swift recovery! #SemperFi Link to quoted tweetOnce a Marine, always a Marine. David Stern, an Israeli-American citizen and a former Marine, was wounded by a Palestinian terrorist who fired 20 bullets at him as David was driving in Samaria through Huwara with his wife and 3 children in the back of the car. David, who was… (Link to twitter.com) (Link to twitter.com)”

Omar (D-MN-5) 03/19/2023: Retweet of @mehdirhasan – ““Bought by George Soros” So much more blatantly and crudely antisemitic than Ilhan Omar's AIPAC/Benjamins tweet but it'll get less than 1% of the attention and outrage that Omar's tweet got and won't cost Vance any GOP committee assignments. Link to quoted tweet”

Syria

Risch (R-ID) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “On top of its concerning relationship with #China, the #UAE continues its dangerous outreach to the #Assad regime. Assad's red carpet reception in Abu Dhabi this weekend is an affront to the victims of Assad's atrocities in #Syria.”

Iran

Doggett (D-TX-37) 03/19/2023: Twitter thread – “Ben Barnes deserves praise for disclosing that GOP skullduggery is not new as discussed in this fascinating article about efforts to delay Iran's release of American hostages to undermine President Jimmy Carter's reelection. A Clandestine Trip and a Four-Decade Secret: An Untold Story Behind Jimmy Carter's Defeat... | nytimes.com Americans suffered longer as hostages for GOP political gain.”

Lee (R-UT) 03/20/2023: Retweet of @JDVance1 – “Twenty years ago we invaded Iraq. The war killed many innocent Iraqis and Americans. It destroyed the oldest Christian populations in the world. It cost over $1 trillion, and turned Iraq into a satellite of Iran. It was an unforced disaster, and I pray that we learn its lessons.”

Levin (D-CA-49) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “Wishing all who celebrate a happy #Nowruz. This holiday represents renewal and hope for the year ahead. I will continue to support those seeking a more peaceful future, including those standing up for freedom and justice in #Iran.”

McCormick (R-GA-6) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “Today is Nowruz, a Persian New Year celebration observed by millions across the world. Let us take a moment to pray for the people of Iran, that they may soon enjoy the same freedoms as we do in America, with families and friends reunited in peace. @iacogeorgia @OrgIAC”

Raskin (D-MD-8) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “The axis of authoritarianism linking Russia, China, and Iran also runs through Florida where Trump and DeSantis compete to see who can better toe the pro-Putin, anti-Ukraine line set by Tucker Carlson. The enemies of democratic freedom announce themselves. . . Link to quoted tweetAs Xi visits Russia, Putin sees his anti-U.S. world order taking shape (As Xi visits Russia, Putin sees his anti-U.S. world order taking shape... | wapo.st)”

Stefanik (R-NY-21) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “WATCH 📺 I joined @TGowdySC on @FoxNews last night to discuss the heinous human rights abuses happening in Iran and Communist China's dangerous regime all under Joe Biden's feckless weakness on the world stage. Link to video”

Vance (R-OH) 03/19/2023: Twitter thread – “Twenty years ago we invaded Iraq. The war killed many innocent Iraqis and Americans. It destroyed the oldest Christian populations in the world. It cost over $1 trillion, and turned Iraq into a satellite of Iran. It was an unforced disaster, and I pray that we learn its lessons. As an 18-year-old kid, I supported the war. I enlisted in the Marines a month after we invaded, and left for bootcamp a few months after I graduated from high school. Even though I was just a kid, I still feel guilty for supporting the war. I think often of what led me to go wrong in 2003, and more importantly, what led so many smart people to support a world-historic disaster. Very few of its cheerleaders show any remorse or willingness to rethink what made them so wrong. There are many reasons I changed my mind on Donald Trump, but Iraq is perhaps the most important. Not that he was an early critic of the war, but that the people in the conservative movement who hated him most were the most wrong, and the most proud, about foreign policy in 2003 Bill Kristol, David Frum, and on an on. I once admired these men. Then I got to know them. And the more I knew them, the more I realized their hatred of Trump, like Pat Buchanan and others, was a form of projection. We are still living in the ideological cage created by that projection. Our foreign policy is still held hostage by men so desperate to avoid looking in the mirror that they will support the next war, and then the next one, until their country is hollowed out. I hope we do better in the future. And I know that we won't until the people who led us into Iraq are scorned and ignored across the spectrum. Iraq was a disaster, yes, but the best way to do justice to the honored dead is to learn the lessons purchased by their blood.”

Iraq

Duckworth (D-IL) 03/20/2023: Twitter thread – “Today marks 20 years since the start of the Iraq War—a war that changed countless lives, mine included. Many of our troops now weren't even alive when the AUMF that keeps them overseas was signed. I'm proud the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently acted to change that. Ahead of this solemn anniversary, I look forward to voting to finally repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. Because we are long, long overdue to have a thorough and honest reckoning about responsibly exercising Congressional war powers. For decades, administrations of both parties have kept these outdated authorizations on the books to justify military action in that region without coming to Congress first. Enough. It's time we return these war powers to Congress and formally end the Gulf and Iraq Wars.”

Duckworth (D-IL) 03/20/2023: Retweet of @1a – “We're live, reflecting on the war in Iraq 20 years later. @SenDuckworth, @GhaithAbdulahad, @sinanantoon, and @KnickmeyerEllen are with us. Marking 20 years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq... | the1a.org”

Gallego (D-AZ-3) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “I have been asked for thoughts about the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War. Nothing I can say will ever fully cover what I feel. What I can say is that I hated the war. I am proud of my service, not because of war but because I served with the best men this country ever made.… Show more”

Gallego (D-AZ-3) 03/20/2023: Retweet of @jaketapper – “The children of troops lost to Iraq War are all grown up - The Washington Post The children of troops lost to Iraq War are all grown up... | washingtonpost.com”

Green (R-TN-7) 03/20/2023: Twitter thread – “20 years ago, the United States launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. I want to thank the 1.5 million servicemembers who enlisted, knowing they were headed for combat. /1 Our hearts are also with the families and loved ones of the thousands of soldiers who never came home. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. /2”

Hawley (R-MO) 03/20/2023: Twitter thread – “John Bolton says to stand up to China we must do more in … Ukraine? Come on. I have a better idea. Today I'm introducing legislation to strip China of Most Favored Nation status for good. If you want to stand up to China, stand up for America's workers China's global diplomacy undermines Josh Hawley's security strategy... | washingtonexaminer.com Btw, this new line that we must fight in Ukraine to defeat China sounds an awful lot like what heard about Iraq for years - they have WMD; wait no, it's about the terrorists; wait no, it's about global democracy … a new rationale every month for 20 years”

Lee (D-CA-12) 03/19/2023: Retweet of @CNNOpinion – “"By repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF, lawmakers can demonstrate their commitment to the constitution and to reining in endless wars," write @RepBarbaraLee and @BridgetMoixFCNL. Opinion: Twenty years after the invasion of Iraq, Congress still has unfinished business | CNN”

Lee (D-CA-12) 03/20/2023: Retweet of @FCNL – ““Let this 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq… serve as… a reminder that [Congress] can still join hands for the sake of our constitution and country.” @BridgetMoixFCNL and @RepBarbaraLee for @CNNOpinion #Iraq20YearsOn Opinion: Twenty years after the invasion of Iraq, Congress still has unfinished business | CNN”

Moulton (D-MA-6) 03/19/2023: Tweet – “Serving as a Marine in Iraq changed my life and has shaped everything I've done since. As we mark 20 years since the war started, I'm thinking about everyone who served — especially the lives lost. We must keep asking the hard questions about how the U.S. goes to war and when. Link to quoted tweetTwenty years after the start of the Iraq War, Seth Moulton reflects on a generation shaped by the conflict (Twenty years after the start of the Iraq War, Seth Moulton reflects on a generation shaped by the conflict - The Boston Globe)”

Moulton (D-MA-6) 03/19/2023: Tweet – “Tomorrow marks 20 years since the start of the Iraq War. Serving in the Marines there changed my life forever. Today, it guides my work in Congress. The legacy of this war is hard to grapple with. Yet there's one very clear lesson: leadership matters. Twenty years after the start of the Iraq War, Seth Moulton reflects on a generation shaped by the conflict - The Boston Globe”

Moulton (D-MA-6) 03/19/2023: Retweet of @BostonGlobe – “In today's paper: When only affluent fans can afford concert tickets, there's a price to be paid; Twenty years after the start of the Iraq War, Seth Moulton reflects on a generation shaped by the conflict, and more Today's Paper - The Boston Globe   Link to image”

Paul (R-KY) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “It's been 20 years since the Iraq War. War is sometimes necessary, but going to war should not be the decision of one person. Ending congressional authorization for the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War returns the war power to the American people and their representatives. Link to video”

Ryan (D-NY-18) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “Speaker McCarthy has never worn the uniform and never spent a day on the receiving end of bad foreign policy written by Washington politicians. If he wants to stand in our way, he better come out with a damn good reason. Link to quoted tweet.@PunchbowlNews PM: Rep. Pat Ryan, an Iraq War veteran, slammed McCarthy's non-committal response on whether he will hold a vote on repealing the 1991 and 2002 Iraq AUMFs. (Why Premium? - Punchbowl News)”

Steube (R-FL-17) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “I answered the call to serve after the 9/11 attacks. It was a defining moment for my generation. As we mark 20 years since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I think of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. May God continue to bless America and our troops around the world. Link to image”

Jewish, Anti-semitism

Burchett (R-TN-2) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “God bless the greatest generation. Link to quoted tweet‘I have everything in my life because of him.' Holocaust survivor Joshua Kaufman reunites with Daniel Gillespie, the American soldier who rescued him. 70 years later, the two men reconnected in California, where they have lived only one hour's drive from each other, but neither… (Link to twitter.com) (Link to twitter.com)”

Cardin (D-MD) 03/19/2023: Tweet – “The @FBI's latest data on Jewish hate crimes is sickening. I believe in the goodness of humanity, which is why it's so important to call out hate wherever you see it. We can't let antisemites and white nationalists think that this behavior is tolerable. Updated FBI hate crimes statistics show 20% increase in antisemitic hate crimes ... | jewishinsider.com”

Mace (R-SC-1) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “Last night I attended the annual gala for Addlestone Hebrew Academy. Enjoyed celebrating all the work they're doing for Jewish students and children in the Lowcountry. My mom taught at AHA for a period of time when I was growing up. So many are connected to this wonderful school. Link to image”

Roy (R-TX-21) 03/20/2023: Retweet of @HumansOfJudaism – “‘I have everything in my life because of him.' Holocaust survivor Joshua Kaufman reunites with Daniel Gillespie, the American soldier who rescued him. 70 years later, the two men reconnected in California, where they have lived only one hour's drive from each other, but neither… Show more   Link to video”

Roy (R-TX-21) 03/20/2023: Tweet – “Incredible. Link to quoted tweet‘I have everything in my life because of him.' Holocaust survivor Joshua Kaufman reunites with Daniel Gillespie, the American soldier who rescued him. 70 years later, the two men reconnected in California, where they have lived only one hour's drive from each other, but neither… (Link to twitter.com) (Link to twitter.com)”

Schakowsky (D-IL-9) 03/19/2023: Retweet of @RobertJPeters – “It was a packed house at the Jews for Johnson canvass kickoff rally this afternoon. Amazing organizing effort by @jcua_votes! Link to image”

Afghanistan

Shaheen (D-NH) 03/20/2023: Twitter thread – “Tens of thousands of Afghans applied for humanitarian parole and paid a burdensome price just for the chance at safety in the US. It's unconscionable that the US took their money & then stopped reviewing applications, or denied applicants' parole. Link to quoted tweetICYMI: @IRAP & @immcouncil published #FOIA data highlighting the failure of the U.S. government to process humanitarian parole applications for at-risk Afghans seeking safety. We spoke to @project_anar and @Afghan_American about what these findings mean. (“We Were Robbed”: Advocates React to Afghan Humanitarian Parole FOIA Findings | International Refugee Assistance Project) We must stand with Afghans who are fleeing the Taliban's brutal regime. I will continue to do everything I can in the Senate to support Afghans everywhere and deliver on our country's promises to them.”