Diaz-Balart Remarks at FY25 Budget Hearing for the Department of State (As Prepared)

The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs will come to order.

Before we begin, I want to take a moment to welcome our new full committee Chairman, Tom Cole. He is a tremendous leader and cares deeply about the issues in the State-Foreign Operations bill. 

Mr. Secretary, good morning and welcome back to the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee. We appreciate you being here today to discuss the fiscal year 2025 budget request for the Department of State.

I want to start by thanking you for your service, as well as the men and women of the Department. 

I was prepared to discuss the budget request today, but I am so greatly concerned by the dangerous policies being pursued by this Administration, most notably toward Israel, in this critical moment in history, that I scrapped my remarks. 

Instead, I’m going to use my time during opening statements to focus on this alone—this Administration is playing a dangerous, dangerous game with Israel’s security and, by extension, our own national security.

Here's what we know. The Biden Administration is withholding certain weapons to Israel in its time of greatest need, as it faces a threat to its very existence as a nation-state. We also know that apparently, that wasn’t enough because then President Biden said during an interview with CNN that he will withhold all offensive weapons to Israel if they go after Hamas in Rafah. Stunning!

In just that one moment he made it harder for hostages, which includes Americans, to be freed; he emboldened Hamas, Hezbollah, and the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism—Iran; and let’s be honest, gave a green light to the International Criminal Court.

That one statement was likely viewed around the world as a defining moment, creating even greater doubts about the strength and reliability of the United States as a security partner. 

Communist China and Russia must have been overjoyed by the President’s pronouncement, as I’m sure it will be their talking point of choice when wooing foreign leaders to their corner. Despite the Biden Administration’s grand rhetoric about countering the malign influence of China and other adversaries, their policies are doing the exact opposite.

Of course, this is not in isolation. After the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, there is example after example of this Administration treating allies like enemies and enemies like allies.  Condemn your partners, even publicly, for any number of issues where you think you have the moral high ground, and then turn around and appease your enemies, even the most brutal dictatorships. It is hard to imagine a more damaging foreign policy to the national security of the United States. 

Mr. Secretary, I have heard you say that Hamas embeds itself with civilians, within hospitals, schools, apartment buildings, refugee camps. You have also said it is Hamas’ responsibility to stop those practices in order to avoid harming civilians, and that the war could be over if Hamas would lay down its arms, surrender the leaders who are responsible for the slaughter, the torture, and the rapes of October 7. And, you have, on occasion, noted the lack of other voices making those same claims among the vocal protests against Israel.

It is truly unfortunate that every statement made by officials from this Administration does not start with this very premise. How can you ensure the protection of innocent civilians? By Hamas releasing the hostages and surrendering. Period. It is not that difficult. 

How do you increase pressure on Hamas? Not by publicly rebuking and shaming Israel and withholding weapons. Not by letting sanctions expire on the terrorist state of Iran, which funds Hamas. Not by planning to restart aid to UNRWA, which cannot be untangled from Hamas. Not by sending condolences after the death of the “Butcher of Tehran,” when thankfully he will no longer be able to torture and kill innocent Iranians for simply demanding human rights and freedom.

It is pretty simple, Mr. Secretary. We must let Israel do its job and destroy Hamas. We cannot stand between Israel and their fight against terrorists for survival. We must do what we say and demonstrate a real ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. By doing so, we can begin to reverse this Administration’s damaging foreign policy disasters, which have emboldened our enemies and weakened the credibility of the United States.

I wish it were not the case, but the comments made by former Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, still hold true today – That Joe Biden has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy issue. We need to be better Mr. Secretary before it is too late.

You have an incredibly difficult job, and as I mentioned at the start, I really do have great respect for your service to our country, but as Chairman of this Subcommittee, which provides the funding for your Department, you need to know how deeply concerned I am about this Administration’s lack of strong and consistent foreign policy.

With that, I’ll yield to the Ranking Member for her opening remarks.