Congresswoman Torres Statement on Vote Against Partisan Conditions on Aid to Israel
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today released the following statement after voting against H.R. 6126 to reject partisan conditions on aid to Israel:
“I unequivocally support the people of Israel, their right to defend themselves, and the commitment of the United States to stand by our strongest ally in the region, but I could not in good conscience support the cynical, partisan aid package that Speaker Johnson presented. Today, I voted to reject any conditions on aid to Israel and urge my Republican colleagues to immediately bring the President’s emergency package to the floor — aid to Israel, Ukraine, and humanitarian funds for the region – without delay or conditions.
“Our aid and our commitment to Israel must be prompt, significant, and unconditioned. It is a moral imperative and in the best strategic interests of Israel, the United States, and the global community writ large.
“On his 7th day as Speaker, Mike Johnson is relegating the security of the Israeli people and our global credibility to the whims of partisan politics. Forcing conditions on aid to Israel is a dangerous, unconscionable precedent that President Biden, Senate Majority and Minority Leaders Schumer and McConnell have all collectively dismissed.
“As a man of faith, I would have expected Speaker Johnson to recall the words of Luke, that we must, “do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return,” but instead Speaker Johnson is trying to score political points at the expense of millions of lives.
“Let me be clear — we must support Israel’s fight to eradicate terrorist Hamas, ensure innocent Palestinian civilians are able to seek safety and receive the humanitarian assistance they need, and that Russia does not destroy democracy in Ukraine or Eastern Europe. As the most powerful nation in the world, it should be without question that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We must do the business of the people and simultaneously protect and defend democracy and our allies abroad.
“The House must urgently bring a clean aid package to the Floor without any partisan poison pills — now is not the time to force partisanship into the life-saving aid millions desperately need.”