Foreign Policy

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution Thursday that says the United States should help Israel militarily and economically if it’s forced to act in self-defense.

“We have no better friends in that part of the world than Israel,” Graham said. “Last year President Obama told the people of Israel, ‘We have your back.’ Our resolution builds upon that statement and makes it clear that if Israel is one day forced to protect themselves we will stand with Israel.”

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said the United States should lead a coordinated effort to stop the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from killing his own people.

Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday after Cardin visited the region during last week’s recess, Cardin said leaders in Israel and Turkey expressed frustration “that there hasn’t been a more unified humanitarian response to what Assad has done to his own people.”

The Senate passed a bill Monday to prevent nuclear proliferation in North Korea.

Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced the North Korea Nonproliferation and Accountability Act, which passed by unanimous consent Monday evening before the Senate adjourned for the day.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on Russia to allow American families who have already begun the process of adopting a Russian child to complete the adoption.

At the end of last year, Russia banned all U.S. adoptions of Russian children, but the law allows Russian officials and courts to allow pending adoption to be finalized. Schumer said Tuesday that until a long-term agreement is reached to lift the ban, that the Russian government should allow the few pending adoptions to go through.

A bipartisan delegation of House members called on the Obama administration Tuesday to ensure the safety of thousands of Iranian prisoners in Iraq, and to see them as an alternative to Iran's current political leaders.

The delegation, led by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), issued this call after meeting with Iranian dissidents in Paris over the weekend.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the sponsor of the bill, says the government must end its "no contact" policy with Iran.

The House easily passed a resolution Friday morning condemning the nuclear test North Korea conducted on Tuesday.

"This test, which is the third time that North Korea has exploded a nuclear device, is a stark reminder that Kim Jong Eun is determined to develop his nuclear arsenal while depriving North Koreans of their most basic human rights," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said on the House floor in support of the resolution.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced a gun-control measure Thursday that would clarify that Congress does not authorize persons convicted of dangerous crimes in foreign courts to legally have firearms in the United States.

The No Firearms for Foreign Felons Act, S. 261, would ensure that people convicted of foreign felonies and crimes involving domestic violence cannot possess firearms.

The Senate passed a measure by unanimous consent Monday evening that would allow the Department of State to increase security at U.S. embassies and other overseas posts.

The Senate tried to pass the similar legislation at the end of the last Congress as an amendment to the Hurricane Sandy supplemental bill, but because the House never took up that bill the amendment died with the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) congratulated Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) Wednesday on his confirmation as the new U.S. secretary of State.

“No one is better qualified than John Kerry to continue the work of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,” Reid said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “He’s really a brilliant man.”