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Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, last week on this very floor, the Democratic leader of the Chamber, Senator Schumer, delivered an unprecedented speech that clearly, in my mind, crossed a line, wading into the electoral process of a free and fair democracy and one of our greatest friends--not just any democracy but one of our most steadfast allies, Israel, who is currently in a war for their survival against a terrorist organization that wishes to remove their country from existence.

The remarks by Leader Schumer calling for a new election in Israel and the replacement of Prime Minister Netanyahu were many things--I thought irresponsible, ill-advised, and misguided--but above all else, it is hypocritical and sends the wrong message to the world and our allies during a vacuum of American leadership on the international stage.

My Republican colleagues were quick to draw contrast to these remarks and affirm our support for Israel and for the leadership they have duly elected in their democracy.

But don't just take my word for it. Michael Herzog, Israel's Ambassador to the United States, called these comments ``counterproductive to our common goals.'' Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett noted that he is opposed to any ``external political intervention in Israel's internal affairs.'' Even political opponents to Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly condemned this rhetoric, saying that any interference in Israel's electoral process is ``unacceptable.''

So not only are these remarks unacceptable, but they come at a time when we should be displaying our unwavering support of our friend Israel, not calling their leadership into question.

It is important that we identify this situation for exactly what it is: an attempt by the opposite party to appease the progressive wing of the left that wishes to vilify Israel and abandon them when they need us the most. I can assure you this is something that Senate Republicans will not stand for.

Can you imagine if the roles were reversed here, if the leaders of another country called for new elections in the United States and named our leader an ``obstacle to peace'' and claimed that our government was not serving the needs of our people? The calls claiming election interference from this Chamber would be deafening.

Just like those in the United States, where the American people decide who leads their country, the people of Israel are the only ones who can decide which leader meets their needs. Prime Minister Netanyahu said himself: ``We're not a banana republic.'' They are not. They are a democracy.

My Democratic colleagues here in the Senate have said quite a bit about foreign election interference and attacks to democracy in recent years, with Senate leadership saying in 2019 that ``foreign election interference cannot be ignored'' and that our government ``must make clear that the cost of trying to interfere with American elections will be dear'' or, from another leader, calling it ``reprehensible'' . . . ``that the American people would not have the last word, that there would be other factors and other people, other countries engaged in our election.''

That is exactly what was called for last week. The words of my colleagues ring as true then as they do now. No one but the American people should have a say in our democracy and how our country is run. But that same protection needs to be applied to our allies in free and fair democracies and the rights of their citizens to choose the leaders that guide their country and represent their interests. That is especially true when it comes to an ally at war such as Israel.

My Republican colleagues and I recognize this as hypocrisy, and it is shocking to me that our President, President Biden, would support these comments.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time we have seen this level of hypocrisy from the other side of the aisle. Let's talk about energy policy debates. We saw the other party praise the EPA's electric vehicle mandates just yesterday without recognizing that they are the ones who are forcing closures of powerplants through policies like Clean Power Plan 2.0, cutting off the very baseload power that these supposed electric vehicles are going to need to operate.

I mean, there is a bit of hypocrisy. We have not enough power, and we are telling people when and how to run their heat, yet we are going to tell them what types of cars they need to have by 2032. As a data point, 7.6 percent of cars sold in the United States last year were electric vehicles. The goal is to get almost 70 percent of those cars by 2032.

In the State of West Virginia, new vehicles, electric vehicles: 1.1 percent. They kind of don't do so great on those hills in the middle of the cold. I am just saying.

On issues regarding the economy, we have seen the passage of trillions of dollars in reckless spending and increased taxes by the Democrats that lead to high inflation, only for the President to establish a Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing to blame others for the impacts of their policies. He is also worried about how many chips are in a bag. We got that at the State of the Union. Or even regarding the foundation of the rules that this body stands on. We have seen Senate Democrats wage war to remove the filibuster in recent years--the same rule they fought tirelessly to protect while they were in the minority. Now many of them signed on to the letters.

Perhaps one of the greatest hypocrisies we have seen on display was when the President delivered his campaign rally disguised as a State of the Union Address a few weeks ago.

When he was sworn into office, one of the biggest promises he made was to unite this country. Instead, in that speech, he alienated us, disparaged us--anybody who disagrees with his policies.

This continued hypocrisy and these political games are not lost on the American people. They want election officials to stand for their interests and to deliver on what they are going to do. This is a central tenet to effective government and something that guides my work on behalf of West Virginians every single day.

I, along with my fellow Senate Republicans--and I see my colleague from Nebraska here--will continue our efforts to lead our country toward a stronger future and to call out these pretenses when we see them.

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