Left-wing protesters disrupted a congressional hearing on Tuesday regarding President Joe Biden‘s request for roughly $106 billion to assist with national security matters related to Israel‘s war against Hamas, Ukraine’s fight against Russian invaders, border security, and more.
Cameras in the chamber showed more people sitting behind the hearing’s witnesses, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, holding signs and raising into the air their hands, which appeared to have been painted to make them look bloody.
Protesters have now completely derailed the Blinken/Austin hearing, chanting "ceasefire now" and "from Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go" @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/lt7FYltjT8
— Dylan Housman (@Dylan_Housman) October 31, 2023
Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) repeatedly paused the proceeding as police officers removed demonstrators shouting for a ceasefire and chanting, “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go” from the room as Blinken tried to deliver his opening remarks. At least some of the protesters appeared to be affiliated with the leftist activist group Code Pink.
30 minutes into a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing… pic.twitter.com/t7jzJnje3U
— Nolan D. McCaskill (@NolanDMcCaskill) October 31, 2023
Blinken, the Biden administration’s top diplomat, took a moment to acknowledge the cries of the disrupters.
BLINKEN & AUSTIN HAVE BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS!
This morning in the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing where @SecDef & @SecBlinken were asking for more money to fund Israel's genocide of Palestine: pic.twitter.com/KU8ly1m2Q4
— CODEPINK (@codepink) October 31, 2023
“I also hear very much the passions expressed in this room and outside this room. All of us are committed to the protection of civilian life. All of us know the suffering that is taking place as we speak. All of us are determined to see it end,” Blinken said.
“But all of us know the imperative of standing up with our allies and partners when they’re security — when their democracies are threatened. That’s what’s happening now,” Blinken added. “We stand resolutely with them even as we stand resolutely for the protection of innocent civilians.”
Blinken: "I also hear very much the passions expressed in this room and outside this room. All of us are committed to the protection of civilian life. All of us know the suffering that is taking place we speak. All of us are determined to see it end." pic.twitter.com/E01UCf24HY
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 31, 2023
Biden made the so-called national security supplemental request earlier this month after Israel launched a new war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the group’s deadly terrorist attacks on Israeli soil that killed an estimated 1,400-plus people, including 33 Americans, and led to more than 200 hostages being taken.
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The request of Congress sought $14.3 billion for Israel, $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $13.6 billion for border security, $9.15 to $10 billion for humanitarian aid, and $7.4 billion for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific — totaling about $106 billion.
In the Democrat-led Senate, debate got underway about whether to link Israel aid to more funds to assist Ukraine in its bloody conflict against Russia. House Republicans, who control the lower chamber, have introduced a proposal that would give $14.3 billion to Israel while rescinding the same amount of funds made available to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
A statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested the House Republican proposal was a “nonstarter,” adding that “demanding offsets for meeting core national security needs of the United States — like supporting Israel and defending Ukraine from atrocities and Russian imperialism—would be a break with the normal, bipartisan process and could have devastating implications for our safety and alliances in the years ahead.”