Transcription: Senator Jeanne Shaheen in

The next is the transcription of an interview with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, who was broadcast on “Fac The Nation with Margaret Brennan” on August 24, 2025.

Margaret Brennan: And now we are back with the main Democrat in the Foreign Relations Committee, New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen. She joins us from Amman, Jordan. Good morning, senator. I know we have a little delay here, so I will launch directly.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: Good morning, or in the afternoon here.

Margaret Brennan: Yes, exactly. He also sits in the Armed Services Committee. Here in Washington, there was a sudden round of shooting that we learned on Friday. There was Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He was fired, the Pentagon did not explain why. In addition, the head of the Navy Reserve, Vice President Almirante Nancy Lacore, was fired. The Navy Seal that supervises the Naval Special War Command, Rear Admiral Milton Sands, was fired. Has the Congress been informed about why these leaders are being fired by Secretary Hegseth?

Sen. Shaheen: I am not aware that Congress has been informed about any of these layoffs, and come immediately after the shots earlier this year, from the president of the Joint Chiefs, the Head of Naval Operations, Admiral Franchetti and a series of other military leaders. And it is unfortunate, because one of the things, one of the strengths of the United States Army, are the professional military leaders who have risen through the ranks, who have training, experience, to be able to do the jobs. And what we do not want is political people in those works, that they will not give honest evaluations of the military situation wherever we are. Then it is very worrying.

Margaret Brennan: I think our food froze there, and we will try to recover it, if we can. The senator joins us from Amman, Jordan. So I’m going to take a break while we restore that connection.

Sen. Shaheen: The food froze.

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Margaret Brennan: And now we are back with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who joins us, at the distance of Amman, Jordan. We got lost there, but we are very happy that you have returned with us now, senator. Let me ask you why you are in the Middle East at this time. We listen to Friday, this internationally recognized body, backed by the UN, the IPC. Hunger tracks. And they confirmed, technically confirmed, there is a famine -made famine in Gaza. This is a very rare designation, only four times have been designated. The country in which you are, Jordan, called it a “shameful failure of humanity” that Israel is hungry for Palestinians with impunity, called a war crime. Would you say that this three -month block of Israel de Gaza is a war crime?

Sen. Shaheen: I think it is a shameful black brand in humanity that the world has allowed this to happen and that Israel is allowing this to happen. One of the: we had a very good meeting today with King Abdullah in Jordan, and one of the places we visit is Jordan’s humanitarian assistance program that is trying to get help to Gaza. This is and financed trucks and warehouses and food to which the United States has contributed as part of this administration. They are trying to reach 150 trucks a day in Israel. And Israel has prevented these trucks from entering in a way that provides the nutrition that gazanes need to prevent hunger. It is unacceptable. Netanyahu Prime Minister is the point where obstruction is happening. You need to look at what you are doing and change your position.

Margaret Brennan: The Office of the Israeli Prime Minister on Friday had a very hard statement about the designation of the famine. They called him, they cited, “a defamation of modern blood, which extends as a forest fire through prejudice.” That suggests that it is hate Antijudío instead of hunger. How does Israeli defense make sense?

Sen. Shaheen: I don’t think it’s a good defense. The fact is that it is not about anti -Semitism, which I approach, and the position of the United States is against anti -Semitism, and we need to do everything possible to prevent it. But the reality is that we have people who die because they are being systematically hungry to death, because Israel is refusing to allow humanitarian aid that people need to keep alive. Not only that, they are preparing to make another or, they have already begun, planning another important incursion in Gaza so that it kills more people. So this is not acceptable. The world needs to speak. I think it is very important that we allow that humanitarian aid, to people who starve.

Margaret Brennan: I- I understand your criticism at this time. However, I want to ask you a little about the policy of staying, because this has been a problem even during the Biden administration. In fact, the former National Security Advisor for President Biden Joe-Jon Finer, has just written an article in the Atlantic, and said that, although he supports the decision to embrace Israel after October 7, he believes that “we did too little, too late to limit the truly catastrophic civil damage that inflated Israel’s response.” “. Do you agree with him and want to speak more strongly before?

Sen. Shaheen: I don’t think this is a partisan position. With me on this trip to Jordan is the congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina. He agreed with me that we need to ensure that these humanitarian aid trucks enter Israel. We need to do our best to ensure that Netanyahu Prime Minister is stopping obstacles that prevent humanitarian aid from entering. I think it is something that, I hope, that both Democrats and Republicans can hug.

Margaret Brennan: But, but do you agree with this criticism of this key Democrat? Do you think the Democrats should have said more before?

(Diaphony begins)

Sen. Shaheen: We should be doing more and we should have done more. Absolutely.

Margaret Brennan: Yes. I also want to ask you

Sen. Shaheen: I think everyone …

Margaret Brennan: Continue.

Sen. Shaheen: -I should have said more before, not only Democrats, but Republicans.

(Final of the diaphony)

Margaret Brennan: Why are you now?

Sen. Shaheen: We had the opportunity to be here today to meet with those Jordans who are working very hard to try to obtain humanitarian aid in Gaza, who are being hindered in that effort for bureaucratic obstacles that make no sense. When a truck has been scanning for hours, what can be done in two or three, and deviates the aid when it costs hundreds of dollars per truck, and reject those trucks, and when they return the next day, it costs another hundreds of dollars more for the same truck, when they find an excuse why it stops at the border. That is, that is not a legitimate effort to obtain humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza who dies of hunger. And that can be changed. All that is needed is to say Prime Minister Netanyahu, we will allow that help.

Margaret Brennan: Jeanne Shaheen senators joining us from Amman, Jordan. A little delay there. We will return.