Top Republican Sen. Jim Risch says deterrence and ‘strong alliances’ are critical to dealing with China, Russia, Venezuela and other ‘No Good Nicks’: He also warns border security MUST be included in a Ukraine-Israel aid package or it won’t pass
Top Republican Senator Jim Risch says deterrence is critical in the fight against adversaries China, Russia, Venezuela and other “bad names” on the world stage.
Risch, who is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke to DailyMail.com exclusively at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, DC.
He said the United States’ first line of defense is “always deterrence” as it faces multiple threats around the world because it does not want to “interact kinetically.”
It is critical that US allies, including the UK and NATO countries, “know that we take national security seriously” and protect themselves and our strategic partners, continued Risch, R-Idaho.
“The rest of the world, I think, knows that our strength and our deterrence are based on the many alliances that we have with other countries around the world.”
Risch, who is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke to DailyMail.com exclusively at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, DC.
Asked about Venezuela’s recent aggression towards neighboring oil-rich country Guyana, Risch told DailyMail.com that the US is “trying not to get involved”.
“Venezuela is not our only concern,” he continued. There is a group of aggressors that the senator calls the “bad names” of the world that are causing concern.
“They have a club – this is North Korea, this is Iran, this is Russia, this is China, this is Venezuela and this is Cuba. And some other candidates for this club, but they always cause problems and have to be dealt with as they arise,” Risch explained.
“We have a long history of doing this over many centuries, and we have done well.”
Republican senators on Wednesday blocked President Biden’s request for $110 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as the GOP pushes to include stronger security measures on the southern border.
The vote was 49–51, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance. The package included $61 billion for Ukraine in addition to aid to Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists, humanitarian aid to Gaza and funds to support US partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Risch told DailyMail.com there were ongoing “political discussions” about how to move forward with the security package.
He said that while “each side” has different priorities, border issues are “top of mind” for Republicans.
The senator said aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan is important moving forward and “we want to do it” but “we need worry about our southern border first.”
“The reason the whole package was not passed is because we did not come to an agreement on that part of the package,” he explained.
“This has the highest priority for us — our border, our national security, our constituents.”
He continued: “No one ever said the democratic process was easy, smooth or beautiful. But we’ll get through this.
Aspen Security Forum in DC. Panel discussion with General Anthony Cotton, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, and Senator Jim Risch, U.S. Senator from Idaho.
Risch said that while “each side” has different priorities, border issues are “top of mind” for Republicans.
The senator also says he is confident the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will be passed by Christmas.
Lawmakers are locked in negotiations over rolling back Biden’s “woke” Defense Department policies.
The text of the bill was officially published this morning. Congress has passed the NDAA for 62 consecutive years.