Hoyer Floor Remarks Calling for the Release of All Hostages Held by Hamas
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered the following remarks on the House Floor tonight during a Special Order Hour, organized by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), that highlighted the urgent need to rescue all those being held captive by the terrorist organization Hamas. Below is a transcript of his remarks and a link to the video:
Click here for a link to the video.
“It is my solemn duty, Mr. Speaker, to speak on this Floor today about a courageous, talented, and generous young man, Itay Chen. His family is in the gallery. I had the opportunity to speak to them just a few minutes ago. As any family, knowing that their child is at great risk and not knowing his present welfare, they're grieving—but determined. Itay is an American-Israeli dual citizen bravely serving his nation in the IDF. That's probably incorrect—this is his nation. IDF is the land of his forbearers and of his ancestors, and a land that offers sanctuary and safety to the Jewish people who have been savaged, hated, killed, maligned for millennia.
"On October 7th, Itay was taken hostage during Hamas's brutal, criminal, and savage attack on Israel and on innocent civilians in the land that is not contested by anybody. Itay is only 19 years old. Now, Mr. Speaker, I have not met Itay, though I hope to do so in person in the near future. But I've met with his father, Ruby, who is with us in the gallery today. As I said, his mother, Hagit, is joining us as well.
"Mr. Speaker, everything I've heard about their son has only reinforced my resolve to help bring Itay home—and the other hostages home as well. Itay was raised in New York City, the city in which I was born, Mr. Speaker. He was always a precocious kid and a kindhearted young man. Like his dad, he's an avid lover of basketball. Unlike his dad, however, he's a diehard Lakers fan. So there's a little conflict in the family, but that has not affected the deep love and concern that his family has for him.
"I want to assure them, Mr. Speaker, that that is shared by the 435 Members of this body—not a partisan issue, but a human issue. Itay may not have inherited his father's basketball loyalties, Mr. Speaker, but he did inherit his New York grit. Itay also developed a calling for service at a very young age, participating in Boy Scouts and serving his community. That commitment to serving others drove Itay to join the IDF. I know his experience in captivity, as awful as it is—and very frankly, Mr. Speaker, the Red Cross that has seen the horror of how these hostages are being kept, [and] ought to tell the world that truth.
"But we know that his experience will not break his generous spirit and his dedication to the sacred Jewish principle of tikkun olam: repairing the world—to doing good so that others may do better. He, his parents, Ruby—who I've referenced, Hagit—his mother, his brothers—Roy and Alon, and the rest of his family and friends continue to show tremendous resilience and courage. And we can do no less in the Congress. We can do no less in the White House. We can do no less in America, than make sure we bring this American home alive and healthy.
"I think, Mr. Speaker, how I would feel if one of my three daughters or one of my three grandchildren or one of my four great-grandchildren were in some tunnel or crevice—illegally, criminally. I would do everything I could to get them back. And we must do everything to get not only Itay, but all those pictures that we will see of innocent people killed, maimed, and taken hostage by a criminal group we call Hamas. I want Itay and his loved ones to know that we're going to make sure this Congress does everything it can to bring him and the other hostages home as quickly as possible.
"Mr. Speaker, as a symbol of that promise, I'm wearing a dog tag that Ruby gave me just weeks ago. Until they return safely to our shores, we'll continue to stand strong with their families. Their grief is our grief. Their hope is our hope. And that hope grows as hostages are relieved or released. But it will not end until they are all home—safe in the arms of their families and loved ones.”