On December 7, NORPAC, along with other pro-Israel groups, co-sponsored a Manhattan meet-and-greet with Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL). At the event, which was hosted by Seth Siegel and Yana Lukeman, Kirk shared his perspective on current issues that affect the United States and Israel, and took questions from some of the more than 120 guests in attendance at the Excelsior Hotel.

Mark Kirk was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and served five terms until being elected to the Senate in 2010. He is the ranking Republican member on the Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.

“I have dedicated my life to making sure Israel survives in the 21st century,” said Kirk during the event. Senator Kirk, alongside Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), co-authored the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013 (S. 1881), a bi-partisan bill designed to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. It is the strongest such sanctions bill proposed yet by Congress.

Kirk discussed plans to reintroduce a similar bill in the Senate to further sanctions against Iran, with a focus on garnering the necessary number of votes to make it veto-proof. “Israel is the United States’ greatest ally in the Middle East,” stated Senator Kirk toward the close of his presentation.