Representative Tom Kean Jr. (R, 7th District), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he is firmly behind the country’s efforts to support Israel and Ukraine during their battles in the Middle East and Europe.
“I think we should allow Israel to use every resource necessary to defeat the evil that is Hamas, the evil that is Hezbollah, the evil that is Iran,” he told ROI-NJ. “They were invaded nearly a year ago, and people are still being held captive as hostages.
“When we look at what the IDF is doing in the Gaza strip, they’re responsibly trying to get rid of the terrorists as well as find hostages that are still being held there.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that we stand with Israel in this fight.”
Kean on N.J. issues
Tom Kean Jr.: On SALT, transportation – and his relationship with media | ROI-NJ
Kean, in a 20-minute interview with ROI-NJ late last week, said he also stands tall in the fight against antisemitism.
“We need to make sure we stand up against antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head, whether it’s on local college campuses, in urban, suburban or rural places in this country or anywhere on the globe,” he said.
Kean, the chair of the European subcommittee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said his support for Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is just as strong.
“I support giving Zelensky all of the tools necessary and money necessary to defeat (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in his illegal invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
Kean said he is working to help Ukraine with funding – efforts that have drawn the ire of Putin, he said.
“I have been working to ensure that we allow Zelensky to beat and to defeat the war criminal that is Vladimir Putin,” he said. “Putin has actually sanctioned me because of my efforts in support of Ukraine.
“I have been pushing to have frozen Russian sovereign assets in the U.S. be used for Ukrainian restoration and redevelopment.
“I also support allowing Zelensky to get the weapons ranging from rifles to 300-kilometer ATACMS (short for Army Tactical Missile System) and everything in between and be able to use those to defend his population.”
Kean fought back against the idea that money going to Ukraine is not being spent judiciously.
“There are over 20 different agencies that look through the money that being sent to Ukraine, and there is no corruption or no diversion of those funds,” he said. “I’m confident it’s all being spend as the donor intended.”
In light of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, Kean also fought back on the idea that Congress has to choose whether it wants to provide funding for natural disasters or international aid.
“We can do both,” he said. “We can fund local disaster relief, whether it’s Helene or Sandy or any other natural disaster, and we can also support our foreign policy and strategic objectives internationally.”
