WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) issued the following statement:

“As the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and now as a Member of Congress, I know how important it is to be intentional with our words when discussing Israel and the Israeli government. While I respect an individual’s freedom to criticize those in positions of power and influence, we need to be careful to not criticize Israel’s right to exist – intentionally or not. I will continue to work with the Israeli government to ensure they are pursuing policies that bring a lasting peace to Israelis and Palestinians. The State of Israel and the Israeli government are two different entities, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to recognize and articulate that distinction.”

Rep. Houlahan spoke about the importance of the relationship between the United States and Israel on Bloomberg TV. Watch the segment of her interview here and read the transcript below.

Anchor 1: Democratic Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania. Thank you for joining us. This visit by the President of Israel has not come without controversy. There are members of the Democratic Caucus in the House, the Democratic conference, who are planning to boycott his speech to a joint session. Are they sending the wrong message?

Rep. Houlahan: I think what you will see here is an overwhelmingly large number of Members of Congress, [some] in the minority perhaps might not, attend this joint address. But I think as the President said, our relationship with Israel is unbending. I myself am the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and I think it is really important that we make sure that we articulate our support for Israel. I think you can disagree with governments, but you don't necessarily need to do it by disagreeing with the entire reason and right to exist that Israel has.

Anchor 2: As a daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, what is your reaction to your colleague who called Israel a "racist" state?

Rep. Houlahan: So again, an enormous amount of disappointment. I feel like that we relive this every few months or so and it becomes a political hot potato. I am heartened to hear that my colleague did apologize. I think that apologies really do matter. But I do think words also matter, and I think it is important that as members who represent our communities and who represent this nation that we are thoughtful about the ways we articulate our disagreement with one another. And as I mentioned, you can disagree with an Administration, but you don't necessarily need to say it is about the country's right to exist, and I think that’s a differentiating point that I’m glad to see my colleague has apologized for.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.