horizon of uncertainty, i remain optimistic, and so should you. that is because for all of the challenges we face here and around the globe, one thing, one final thing remains constant -- our unbreakable alliance with israel. [ applause ] so i want to say a final thank you. thank you for being here. thank you for using your voice for good. and on behalf of congress, thank you for sending a clear and unequivocal message to the world that the united states stands with israel now, tomorrow, and always! god bless you. god bless the united states of america. god bless israel. good night. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] ♪

♪ please welcome aipac managing director for policy and politic, awni christianson. >> good evening. our next guest are two leaders in congress who show how democrats and republicans can cooperate to strengthen u.s.-israel relationships. they work closely on pro-israel legislation in the house of representatives and just last week they co-sponsored new legislation to impose sanctions against iran for its ballistic missile program. [ applause ] they also make time to travel to israel every two years with new members of congress to see firsthand the challenges israel

faces, and they continue to join us on this stage for which we are very grateful. please join me in welcoming house majority leader kevin mccarthy and democrat whip dstey hoyer. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> welcome. >> thank you. good to be here, as always. >> with everything you have to manage, it must be a relief to be in front of an audience that just wants you to bring peace to the middle east, huh? >> it's a good thing to be with this audience, whatever they want.

[ applause ] >> absolutely. >> you know, two years ago, the three of us were in israel together. and we had lunch together. i remember it clearly with over 40 members of congress, most of them freshman, and with a bunch of young israeli soldiers, many of whom to come from america -- >> i have my phone with me and i have a picture of a young idf woman who was with us, and i want to thank kevin mccarthy. we've done these trips a lot. that was really the first trip we had done them together. we overlapped. and we had the opportunity to show what i think is critically important to show, and that is that as paul ryan just said, it's the congress. it's not republicans, it's not democrats, it's the congress. and kevin and i worked together very closely to make sure that happened. [ applause ]

>> when i first became leader, the first thing i did was go see steny. you may watch us on tv, we'll debate a lot, but we're still friends when the debating is over. and is there one issue that strengthens our friendship, it's israel. we make sure that is a bipartisan issue. [ applause ] but so many times on these trips where we bring freshman to israel, democrats go one week, republicans go the other. i said let's overlap a few days. and we started that last year, and i will tell you what, it's refreshing, because they see the exact same thing, but they bond together, just as we bond together in our vote and we're going do it again this summer, as well, with all the freshman. >> that's outstanding. >> congressman, tell us a little bit about what it means to have freshman there in israel, for them to understand the issue and for building the bipartisan support for israel.

>> well, you can hear all about it and they understand the challenges of israel. but you do not know it until you see it. until you look of, you're sitting with the iron dome and r and sitting there. when you look at the iron dome and looking into gaza. it is a life changing event, and when we sit there the night before the departing, there is not a dry eye in the place. they were passionate before, but as we have fiscal challenges, i guarantee to you i will take my most conservative budget and they will not touch the one to israel because they know the important. >> the two of you are lead cosponsors on legislation to push back on iran, to sanction the ballistic missile program. tell us about the outlook of that legislation. >> you heard that kevin and i

cosponsor it and we have mrmr. mr. royce who is the ranking on the committee, and we think one of the positive things for all of you must be on the foreign affairs committee you see a lot of controversy, disagreement, philosophical and political disagreement in almost every committee, but you do not see that with mr. elliott and mr. royce. and they are working together. and kevin and i are glad to work with them. i've had the opportunity to work with a lot of leaders through the years, it seems to me i stayed there, and the others come and go. but roy blunt and i, tom and i have worked together. and erik cantor and i work closely together. and i'm glad that kevin is keeping that tradition up and we

are working together on behalf of issues that clearly we have an agreement on, clearly we believe are critical to the national security of the united states of america, as well as to israel. the partnership that has maintained now since 1948 is one that's going to continue. i know if kevin and i have anything to say about it, as long as we're in the congress and working together. >> yeah. [ applause ] >> yeah, there is a good point too. and i miss not being in the round too. iran has tested 14 times ballistic missiles. no other country has spent that much money without trying to pursue the nuclear weapon. that's why this bill is so critical at this juncture. and i missed it. i didn't come in. but how refreshing is it to have nikki haley? [ cheers and applause ] i love it when she tells the

u.n. human rights council they need to change, they need to focus on human rights and stop punishing israel for being a democracy. this is so refreshing for so many people inside congress. >> absolutely right. >> arnie, one of the messages we need to say. the jcpo has been obviously been controversial. it's in place and being followed as paul -- the speaker has pointed out. and what we need to do is send a clear message and this sanctions legislature will do that that notwithstanding the agreement that all that you do on a nonnuclear basis we're going to step in quickly. the administration is going to do it, congress is going to do it to send the message that that activity is unacceptable and we will respond and respond

appropriately, vigorously and toughly. [ applause ] >> and all of these activists will be showing up at our offices tuesday morning to make that case as well. >> good. >> we're talking about the reset with iran, but there are other ways that the relationship with israel continues to develop. congressman mccarthy water is so important to your state. sometimes too little, lately too much every now and then. tell us about the possibility of the u.s. and israel working more closely together on water. >> this is key. there are so many cases we can bond on with israel, yes, when it comes to security, technology, innovation, and especially water, how precious that is. look, i'm from california -- [ applause ] -- yeah, we should applaud that. >> a little larger than maryland. but we've got a good crowd there. >> you don't see many californians from -- republicans from california.

that's why it's more important. [ applause ] california has actually gone into a pact with israel because they know how precious water is, but look at the innovation they've been able to do, bringing saltwater to make fresh water. not to waste the water when we send it to the ocean. from the ag community, and drip irrigations, we bond together and it only makes our two countri countries stronger when we're able to have the innovation, and finding the preciousness of water and what does water do? it grows so much. it grows our crops and our relationship stronger. >> absolutely. [ applause ] >> arnie, california, and the world as well, has an extraordinary need for potable, healthy, drinkable water. so that's extremely important. in maryland what we do is

cybersecurity. and we work a lot on cybersecurity, and we have cybersecurity center in university of maryland and we hope that the fbi will come to our state. but we have seen how important cybersecurity is. we've seen it in this past election but we've known about it for a long period of time and the partnership we have with israel, which is, of course, one of the leading cybersecurity technology proponents in the world, is, we think, very critically important. so there are so many areas, as kevin points out, where not only are we from a security standpoint partners, but we have so much in common from technology, from business, from are culture, that we cooperate in as well. and that strengthens that relationship every day. >> let me close by asking something we bring up almost every year. and that's the assistance to

israel. the 3.9 billion, the missile defense, cooperative missile defense. and there is a lot of talk this year of budget constraints and competing demands. what's the temperature right now on aid to israel and more broadly on american role in the world and funding of american role in the world. >> i agree that kevin pointed out earlier the most conservative member, and the house of representatives and the united states senate agree that investing in israel is an investment in america's security. america's values. america's future. [ applause ] now, i want to caution, though,ing everybody here. there has been a proposal, i do not know whether that will be followed through, of cutting very severely our foreign aid. i do not believe that that will

adversely affect israel, but what i do believe to the extent that it's further and further cut and israel becomes a larger and larger percentage, it will then be a focus and may well raise controversy not that we don't need to support israel, but that we have so little going to other places where we need to maintain security. general mattis has pointed that out. kevin, and i know you've discussed it as well. so we've got to make sure that not only do we meet our obligations which we have agreed to under the obama administration agreed to with the congress of the united states, and the 3.3 and the half a billion for the missiles, i think paul said about iron dome being so spectacular, he's absolutely correct. what a success we had there. what a great investment that was. but we need to make sure, not only does israel's support remain strong but we remain strong with other nations not only in the middle east but

around the world to make sure that we maintain our alliances that will be good for israel and good for us. [ applause ] >> congressman mccarthy. >> it's true we have a financial challenge. but if we all create peace in the middle east, why don't you help the only democracy in the middle east that believes in freedom, gives people their rights? that's the place we need to be. what's more importantly and look at our budget why don't we fund our friends first. that's why israel will always win and always be the first investment of where we go? thank you. thank you. >> congressman mccarty and congressman hoyer. i know that kevin and i want to thank about all of you because what you do every day, week, month and year is to make sure your neighbors and friends and country and mechanimbers of the congress know exactly what the issues are, how critically

important they are and give us good advice and counsel to make sure how we can ensure that the united states and israel will remain strong, free and successful. thank you very much. >> thank you very [ applause ] ♪ ♪ live tuesday the head of u.s. strategic command testifies before the armed senate services community. discussing russian and china vents. live 9:30 eastern on c-span 3. on c-span 2 the nomination of supreme court justice neil gorsuch. members are expected to start debating on tuesday with a final confirmation on friday. live on c-span 2. in case you missed it on c-span clinton watts of the foreign policy research

institute at the senate intelligence hearing. >> through the end of 2015 and start of 2016 the russian influence system began pushing themes and influence seeking to influence the election. the covert trolls south to sideline both sides with adversarial views against the kremlin. it may have helped sink the hopes of candidates long hostile to russians. lieutenant general gina corso on the shortage of officials. >> we were short 1,155 pilots across all mission areas. of this amount we were short 1,211 fighter pilots. it should be noted that a cost to train fifth generation fighter pilot is approximately $11 million. nfl wide receiver bolden at

a congressional forum on policing and minorities. >> there are a lot of police officers that aren't involved in the communities that they're serving in or supposed to be serving in. so i have this crazy theory that if i know you, i'm a lot more likely to treat you a lot better than if i don't. so if i have a relationship with you, with that relationship, i'm not going to be so quick to look you up. general joseph votel on security challenges in the middle east. >> while we consider and establish accountability over our actions in this incident it is important to clearly recognize that the enemy does use human shields, has little regard for human life, and does attempt to use civilian casualty allegations as a tool to hinder our operations.

martha mcsally at the american israel policy committee conference. >> today the state of israel is a modern day david and the goal eye agent is the arsenal missiles by terrorist and hezbollah and hamas. this time israel has a major upgate in technology that will help it take down the major giant. [ applause ] >> amen. the david sling defense systems and the american defense contractor raytheon. c-span.org on our home page and by searching the video library. in the supreme court oral argument in mur versus wisconsin a case on private compensation for private land owners t