Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Senate Democrats’ Commitment To Passing A Bipartisan National Security Supplemental

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on Senate Democrats’ continued commitment to passing a bipartisan national security supplemental. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

As the New Year begins, Senate Democrats remain committed to working with our Republican colleagues on passing a national security supplemental package.

This work has not been easy, but it’s a matter of the highest national urgency that we act. At stake is the security of our country, the security of our friends including Ukraine and Israel, and nothing less than the future of Western Democracy. We must address these issues.

Negotiators have been hard at work for weeks, and worked straight through the New Year’s break in hopes of reaching an agreement.

The key word in these negotiations has been persistence – persistence – and I remain hopeful that we’re going to get something meaningful done.

At times progress has been slow, and sometimes progress has been immensely encouraging. But either way, the important part is we’re making progress and we are closer now than we have ever been to getting an agreement. Congress has not acted on immigration in a comprehensive way in decades, so it should surprise no one that it’s going to take time. Of all the difficult issues we face in this chamber, immigration is near the top.

But regardless of how difficult passing this supplemental is, so much, so much hangs on our success. The world is still watching how the U.S. will respond this year to the crises in Europe, in the Middle East, and to the growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

Our friends are watching closely too. Most of all, adversaries like Vladimir Putin are watching. I recently read in the press that while the Ukrainians remain determined to defend their country, they are running out of ammunition. According to one observer, they can fire only one salvo back for every five or so the Russians are firing at them. History will not look kindly on this episode if the U.S. fails to act.

So, getting a supplemental done is important right now, important as it ever has been. I know my friend, the Republican Leader, feels the same way. And negotiators are going to keep working till we get this done.

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