RELEASE:
COCHRAN: NETANYAHU SPEECH UNDERSCORES SECURITY RISKS TO KEY ALLY, U.S. INTERESTS
Miss. Senator Attends Israeli Prime Minister’s Speech to Joint Meeting of Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, issued the following statement after hearing the speech delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint meeting of Congress:
“It was an honor to hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu, whose remarks affirmed the importance of his country’s strategic alliance with the United States and the mutual threats to the security interests of both our nations. The Prime Minister’s speech served as a stark reminder of the dangers our nations must be ever-vigilant against. We share common interests in fighting against terrorist activities perpetrated by Islamic radicals and preventing Iran gaining nuclear weapon capabilities.”
Cochran, the chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, is a cosponsor of the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015 (S.269), which would strengthen Congressional oversight of the ongoing P5+1 negotiations with Iran.
Cochran has consistently supported policies and funding to support the ability of Israel to defend itself, including the effective Iron Dome rocket defense system. The Senator was the primary author of the historic National Missile Defense Act of 1999, which set the stage for the development of complex suites of protocols, sensors and interceptors to defend against rocket and missile attacks against the United States and Israel. Cochran has since been one of the Senate’s chief advocates for cooperation between the U.S. and Israel on missile defense technologies, and views missile defense as a tool both for saving lives and for opening the door for diplomacy by preventing combat escalation.
3/3/15
Magnolia Tribune
