Anti-Israel protesters interrupt Secretary Antony Blinken in today's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, prompting Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) to call for their removal.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Well, Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.
00:02To you, Ranking Member Risch, all the members of the committee, it's always good to be back
00:06before this committee.
00:07And as you said, I was on the other side of the dais behind where you are for six years,
00:14so I always appreciate the opportunity to be back here among colleagues.
00:17And thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
00:21More importantly, thank you for the partnership that I think we've been able to manifest together
00:27to advance American leadership in the world.
00:29That is so essential for delivering on the priorities that matter to the people we represent.
00:35The need for U.S. global leadership and for cooperation with allies and partners has never
00:41been greater.
00:42The People's Republic of China, pursuing –
00:46Raja was six years old when Israelis killed him.
00:50His mother was six years old.
00:53Lincoln, you will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza.
00:57You will be remembered for murdering innocent Palestinians.
01:01You will be remembered for murdering innocent Palestinians.
01:06You will be remembered for murdering innocent Palestinians.
01:12The person – will the officer please remove the person who's making these comments?
01:23If anyone is speaking, please be removed.
01:27Ma'am, you don't – I'm not arguing with you.
01:30I command you to go to jail.
01:32You see, I'm not – this is a public hearing.
01:35This is a public hearing.
01:37This is a public hearing, ma'am.
01:39Stop the fight.
01:40Stop the genocide.
01:41Stop the genocide.
01:44Mr. Secretary, you may proceed.
01:58Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
01:59As I was saying, the People's Republic of China –
02:01He is a war criminal.
02:02He is a war criminal.
02:04The blood of 40,000 people is on his hands.
02:07The blood of 40,000 Palestinians is on his hands.
02:11He is a war criminal.
02:13He is a war criminal.
02:15He is a war criminal.
02:17The blood of 40,000 people is on his hands.
02:20The blood of 40,000 people is on his hands.
02:24He is a war criminal.
02:26He is a war criminal.
02:33Mr. Secretary, you may continue.
02:37The People's Republic of China is pursuing military, economic, and geopolitical preeminence,
02:42challenging our vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous international order.
02:47Russia is committing aggression not only against Ukraine,
02:50but against the principles at the heart of the United Nations Charter –
02:54sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence –
02:57that are the building blocks for global peace and security.
03:00In the Middle East, we're standing with Israel in its efforts to ensure
03:04that what happened on October 7th never happens again,
03:07as we do everything we can to bring an end to the terrible human suffering in Gaza
03:11and prevent the conflict from spreading.
03:14U.S. leadership is needed to address humanitarian crises elsewhere around the world,
03:18including in Sudan and Haiti, where millions have been displaced and many killed,
03:23and to address global issues that no country can solve alone,
03:27including food security, a changing climate, transnational corruption, the fentanyl crisis.
03:33But with the support of Congress, we can and we are approaching these challenges
03:39from a position of strength.
03:41Because of the actions we've taken, the United States is stronger economically,
03:45diplomatically, and militarily than we were three years ago.
03:49We've made historic investments at home in our own competitiveness, innovation, infrastructure.
03:55We've renewed our alliances. We've built new ones.
03:58We've secured unprecedented alignment with key partners in Europe, Asia, and beyond.
04:04We've delivered essential American aid to Ukraine.
04:07And we've rallied the international community to share the burden with us.
04:10For every dollar that we've sent in economic and development assistance,
04:14others collectively have invested three more.
04:18Now, many doubted whether bipartisan support for Ukraine
04:21and other urgent national security priorities could endure.
04:24Last month, Congress demonstrated to the world that we will not pull back
04:29when you pass President Biden's supplemental funding bill by an overwhelming margin.
04:34Our investment abroad does not come at the expense of our strength at home.
04:37Far from it.
04:39Most of the supplemental is being spent here in the United States,
04:42building up our defense industrial base, creating and supporting thousands of American jobs.
04:48We need to keep up this momentum.
04:50That requires a State Department budget that we fully resource
04:53in order to meet the challenges of our time.
04:56The President's FY25 budget –
04:58There have been seven mass graves outside of hospitals.
05:03This is sick. This is deranged.
05:05You are a war criminal. Shame on you.
05:11You may continue.
05:13Thank you.
05:15The President's FY25 budget, requesting $58.8 billion for the State Department and USAID,
05:21does this in two key ways.
05:23It funds the essential missions of our Department and USAID.
05:27The budget will ensure that the United States continues to be the partner of choice
05:30that countries turn to when they need to solve big problems.
05:34In an era of renewed great power competition, we must present the strongest possible offer,
05:39one that's relevant and responsive to countries' needs,
05:42and that advances our security and economic interests.
05:46That's why we're requesting $2 billion for a new fund
05:48to build high-quality, sustainable infrastructure around the world.
05:52Crucially, investments like these create jobs for Americans.
05:56They expand markets for our businesses.
05:59We're requesting resources for the World Bank.
06:01With $1 billion in U.S. funding,
06:03we can unlock another $36 billion in development fund capacity
06:07to direct to the top priorities of emerging economies.
06:10That is an enormous return on our investment
06:12and essential for competing with China around the world.
06:15The budget also includes $1.7 billion for the World Bank.