Our Return to Strong Foreign Policy

It has been a spectacular week for our nation’s foreign policy. On Wednesday, President Trump and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, negotiated the return of Americans Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim, and Kim Hak Song from North Korea. These Americans were falsely imprisoned and then tortured. I join every American in celebrating their return. It represents just one step forward towards the ultimate goal of ending the Korean war and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

Just one day earlier, President Trump kept his word and ended the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal that the Obama Administration put in place without Congressional approval. I opposed this agreement from day one. This dangerous arrangement has allowed Iran to self-inspect, self-report and keep their nuclear infrastructure in place while receiving billions of dollars in sanctions relief. These actions, left unchecked, represent a direct threat to the United States and our allies, especially Israel. The Iran Nuclear Deal was a bad deal from the start, and I'm heartened that this misguided agreement has come to an end. 

While the deal was disastrous for many reasons, one of its worst consequences is how Iran has used the $150 billion that they received from the Obama Administration when the deal was signed. They immediately used it to finance their global terror network and their aggressive ballistic missile development program. The cash infusion has allowed Iran to expand its destabilizing presence all across the Middle East. Evidence of this was on display this past week as Iranian forces in Syria launched a sustained rocket attack on our Israeli friends. 

Israel is the only nation on the face of the earth that can say they’ve stood by the United States 100% of the time for 100% of their existence. As the only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel’s strength and devotion to the rule of law is a powerful, stabilizing influence in a dangerous, turbulent region, and we must do everything to protect our nation’s closest friend. I am proud to see President Trump strongly stand with Israel during this time of great danger. To further show our commitment to our strongest allies, like Israel, the President is following through on his promise to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. You can view the dedication ceremony, live from the United States’ new Jerusalem Embassy, here.