“This funding package provides not just concrete support, but also embodies our shared values and the resolve to uphold them against all odds,” said Chair Cardin
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement following Senate passage of the national security supplemental funding package, including the Chair’s reauthorization of a key provision of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, which in 2018 codified into law the prevention of atrocities as a national security interest.
The reauthorization of section 5(a) of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act continues the important work of institutionalizing U.S. efforts to prioritize prevention of mass violence, including requiring the federal government to provide an annual report to Congress on current U.S. efforts to prevent and respond to atrocities, recommendations to further strengthen U.S. capabilities, a global assessment of ongoing atrocities and countries at risk of atrocities, and efforts to implement previous recommendations. It also reinforces the implementation of the Biden Administration’s 2022 U.S. Strategy to Anticipate, Prevent and Respond to Atrocities led by the Atrocity Prevention Task Force.
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“In a major victory for democracy and international unity, the U.S. Congress has finally passed a crucial federal funding package to help our allies in Ukraine, Israel, and across the Indo-Pacific. This critical support, however, arrived tragically late due to a relentless partisan campaign of obstructionism and misinformation, which had profound consequences for those on the front lines of conflict and those in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Fortunately, help is now on the way.
“In addition to supporting our global allies, this historic funding package also includes my reauthorization of a key provision of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act – legislation that has helped shape and strengthen our country’s atrocity prevention framework. Despite meaningful progress, mass atrocities persist around the world, fueled by impunity and armed conflict. Through this reauthorization, Congress has once again demonstrated a clear, bipartisan commitment to strengthening our efforts to prevent and respond to these horrors around the world. It is imperative that we apply lessons learned from our past efforts and do more to substantively invest in early prevention.
“Wiesel said ‘action is the only remedy to indifference: the most insidious danger of all,’ a stark reminder of the moral imperative to act swiftly and decisively in the face of hardship. As the sun sets on this hard-fought legislative win, let us heed Wiesel’s words and appreciate the gravity of this moment. This funding package provides not just concrete support, but also embodies our shared values and the resolve to uphold them against all odds. Let us recognize this effort as a testament to our unwavering commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies when they need us most.”
Click HERE to watch the Chair’s floor speech from earlier today urging passage of the supplemental funding package.