Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) discussed their legislative effort to establish a joint partnership with Israel against COVID-19 during the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Advocacy Anywhere webinar on June 24.
Coons said that he and Cruz are looking to include an amendment in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act that allocates $12 million toward a bilateral program with Israel to fight COVID-19 during fiscal years 2021-2023.
“The purpose of our amendment together is to invest in that partnership, to look for a partnership from Israel and investment by the people of the United States in joint work to develop the therapeutics, the vaccines and the responses to this pandemic that will contribute to the security of Israel and to the United States,” Coons said.
The amendment has 26 cosponsors — 13 Republicans and 13 Democrats.
Cruz said the amendment is important because it decreases the U.S.’ dependence on China for medical and pharmaceutical supplies. “The Chinese communist government has systematically targeted the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, working to drive U.S. manufacturers out of business,” Cruz said, adding, “We saw in the midst of this pandemic that one Chinese state-owned newspaper explicitly threatened to cut off lifesaving pharmaceuticals to the United States as a tool of economic warfare. That is a vulnerability that is deeply, deeply concerning.”
Coons echoed Cruz’s concerns, noting he was unable to refill his blood pressure medication because a key ingredient was unavailable from China for a period of time. Coons didn’t specify when this occurred.
“Our relationship with the PRC [People’s Republic of China] is going through a reexamination in Congress as a result of this pandemic in this particular moment, and I think what Senator Cruz and I are trying to do is to focus a little bit of that attention on the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Coons said. “Israel, I think, needs to see its relationship with the United States — both its economic and its security relationship — is strong, is bipartisan and is durable.”
“Israel, I think, needs to see its relationship with the United States — both its economic and its security relationship — is strong, is bipartisan and is durable.” — Sen. Chris Coons
The Delaware senator lamented, “We should be able to do big, bold legislating on important issues of the day with this kind of strong bipartisanship,” Coons said. “It has gotten harder and harder. There are more and more partisan players all across the political landscape. Frankly, I find some refreshment, some joy, in working on something with Senator Cruz.”
Cruz similarly said that there should be more bipartisan bills, particularly as it relates to Israel.
“It is concerning seeing the U.S.-Israel relationship drawn into partisan conflicts,” he said. “Some of that may be inevitable, but I do think maintaining a bipartisan commitment to stand with Israel is very, very important regardless of who is in the White House.”
Coons said that he hasn’t received any pushback from his party on cooperation with Israel regarding public health and innovation. He added that he is concerned that the Israeli government may take measures that could worsen U.S. relations with Israel. “My hope,” Coons said, “is that we can get through the debate and deliberation about our security partnership, our public health and research partnership without it being needlessly thrown into divisive and partisan fights.”
