WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor discussing the national security crisis underway in Israel and what Congress should do to support our Israeli allies.

In his remarks, Wicker delivered a “message of unwavering support” for Israel as they undergo the worst terror attacks they have suffered in their national history. 

“We have all seen the devastation from Hamas’ brutal attacks. We need to send this clear signal from both sides of the aisle, and both sides of this building: Israel has a right self-defense, just as we in America have a right to our self-defense. And Israel is entitled to our full support,” Wicker said.

Wicker, as lead Republican on the Armed Services Committee, called for renewed attention to American defense industrial capacity, suggesting that the crisis in Israel underscores the need for a strong military. Wicker requested that the Biden administration provide Israel with Tamir missile interceptor systems for the Iron Dome as well as precision-guided munitions.

“This episode again highlights that our national defense is far behind where it needs to be,” Wicker said. “Some of us have been raising this point for a long time. I have been making this point long before I became the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. The administration must send Congress a funding request that fully resources the U.S. military for a rapidly worsening threat environment in Israel, in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Europe, and the Western Pacific.” 

Wicker also highlighted Biden administration officials’ connections to an Iranian government operation, mentioning a letter he led alongside 30 colleagues to demand accountability.

The Mississippi senator concluded with a message of overwhelming support for Israel from the people of his home state.

“I can say with confidence that the people of my state are with Israel. My office has received a remarkable outpouring of support for Israel from people across Mississippi,” Wicker said. “They express that support in word and in deed. The 3 flagship Navy corvettes of the Israeli battle fleet were built by the skilled craftsmen of our Mississippi shipyards. Think about that – Mississippi-made hulls carrying the flag of the Star of David are being used to protect the Israeli people from further attack. This is just one example of our common cause. With the people of Mississippi – and the overwhelming majority of senators on both sides of the aisle – I call upon all of us to stand united in support of Israeli victory.”

Read Senator Wicker’s full remarks below or watch them here.

Madam President, I join with my overwhelming bipartisan majority of Senators and House colleagues in delivering a message of unwavering support for our friends in Israel. And I want to congratulate my friend, the senior senator from Oklahoma, for his very fine speech just now and to associate myself with every single remark that he made. And I congratulate him on making it so eloquently.

We have all seen the devastation from Hamas’ brutal attacks. We need to send this clear signal from both sides of the aisle, and both sides of this building: Israel has a right self-defense, just as we in America have a right to our self-defense. And Israel is entitled to our full support.

Madam President, the weeks ahead will require decisive action from Congress and the White House. We must ensure our allies are armed to the teeth as they enter what amounts to a Hamas fortress across the border in Gaza. They also must receive the tools they need to keep Hezbollah in the north, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad at bay. Finally, we must stand united against Hamas’ patron, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Israel needs more Tamir interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome system. They need them immediately. We have several hundred in inventory, and the administration should use its drawdown authority immediately to send these missiles without delay. We need to pass a supplemental appropriations bill to accelerate Tamir production in Israel, even as the U.S. builds our own Tamir factory – here in the United States – by 2025. Congress should also support the delivery and production of more precision-guided munitions and ammunition for Israeli ground forces, as well as expansive intelligence sharing. And there are many questions, Madam President about intelligence failures and shortcomings leading up to this attack.

This episode again highlights that our national defense is far behind where it needs to be. Some of us have been raising this point for a long time. I have been making this point long before I became the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. The administration must send Congress a funding request that fully resources the U.S. military for a rapidly worsening threat environment in Israel, in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Europe, and the Western Pacific. 

For over seven and a half decades, Israel has made every effort simply to be a peaceful democracy in a dangerous area of the world. Hamas wants to end the nation of Israel. That is part of their charter. It’s in writing. That is part of their goal. And our fellow citizens are also victims of this violence. We have lost more than 20 fellow Americans to these terrorists, and of course we know that some are held captive. Millions of Americans pray so that they come home.

The people of Israel know that there can be no return to the pre-war status quo. The pre-war status quo – the October 7 status quo – is over. Israel must destroy Hamas, no matter how long it takes. As it pursues this goal, no nations should give Hamas terrorists safe haven. Iran must not give Hamas terrorists safe haven.

Tehran’s support for this war makes one thing clear: We successfully deter bad actors only through unmistakable signals of American strength. 

We need to return to the “maximum pressure” policies of the previous Trump administration. And we can match that financial pressure with a heightened defense posture in the region. We must also examine why Iran and its proxies believed that they could get away with this heinous massacre. 

We know, for example – and it brings me no pleasure to say this Madam President – we know that the Biden administration’s Iran policy was led by individuals who were actually part of an Iranian government information operation. One of those individuals has been relieved. Another of these individuals –Dr. Ariane Tabatabai – remains in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Thirty senators have joined me in a letter asking for answers on this. We need answers – now – on why this is still allowed to happen, and what steps the administration will take to remediate it. 

We should support the continued Arab-Israeli peace efforts, which President Trump initiated through the Abraham Accords. While I disagree with many aspects of the Biden administration’s Middle East policy, I strongly support the recent Saudi-Israeli peace initiative. Hamas clearly hopes their terrorist attacks will grind this progress to a halt. I am grateful that many of our Arab partners – even in the face of extreme pressure and hardship – still see the true nature of Hamas today. They understand that it is an Iranian-backed terrorist organization who wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Many of our Arab partners have fought and defeated similar organizations in their own borders.

So, I urge the Biden administration to emphasize this shared Arab-Israeli interest in Hamas’ defeat so that Arab-Israeli peace efforts can continue to progress.

And finally, let me this Madam President. I can say with confidence that the people of my state are with Israel. My office has received a remarkable outpouring of support for Israel from people across Mississippi.

They express that support in word and in deed. The 3 flagship Navy corvettes of the Israeli battle fleet were built by the skilled craftsmen of our Mississippi shipyards. Think about that – Mississippi-made hulls carrying the flag of the Star of David are being used to protect the Israeli people from further attack. This is just one example of our common cause.With the people of Mississippi – and the overwhelming majority of senators on both sides of the aisle – I call upon all of us to stand united in support of Israeli victory.