Rep. Summer Lee Statement on the House Floor on Benjamin Netanyahu’s Address to Congress

**For Immediate Release**

Vaibhav Vijay, Vaibhav.Vijay@mail.house.gov 

Kyla Gill, Kyla.Gill@mail.house.gov 

Rep. Summer Lee Statement on the House Floor on Benjamin Netanyahu’s Address to Congress

Washington, DC – July 24, 2024 – Rep. Summer Lee spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives on her decision not to attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.

Watch the full remarks here:

Full Speech::

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage. Gaza has been decimated by the Israeli military using weapons provided by the United States. Over 39,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and more are being killed every day. Most homes, most infrastructure – destroyed. And yet what do we do… we welcome Netanyahu, the person responsible for this, to address Congress with open arms.

As a student of history and as a Black woman in this country, I’m keenly aware of the role that this very body has played in marginalizing Black and brown folks, domestically and abroad. This is why I refuse to remain silent.

When Putin commits war crimes, we condemn him. When Netanyahu commits war crimes, we give him excuses and bombs.

This hypocrisy is not lost on the world. Americans are less safe and our standing in the world is greatly diminished because of our inability to remain morally consistent. 

Years from now, this body will be ashamed of its actions. The large majority of our constituents are ashamed today. 

It’s well past time that we stop this moral inconsistency and start working towards a just and lasting peace for all in the region. 

Thank you, and I yield my time.

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Since taking office in January 2023, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1.85 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 2,300 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.