If confirmed, I will use OSCE platforms to hold Turkey and other states accountable for their failures to uphold these commitments.

Let's be very clear what we are talking about here and why multiple hearings and concrete action on this topic are absolutely called for.

Well, 'more for longer' is not a phrase I like, Madam Chair. And, you know, 'less for less time' would be a lot better.

the best way to protect student loan borrowers is to forgive student loan debt

So we need to preserve the option of choice in how you pay for retail transactions.

I look forward to working with all of you here today, as well as other stakeholders not present

We always support the Governments solving the problem.

So I gather from this testimony, Mr. Hartwig and Mr. Gordon, that it is your view that the appropriate response right now is for Congress to do nothing and just wait for the next pandemic to strike, and we will deal with it then.

If another pandemic hit, would you feel confident that Congress would respond quickly and effectively to the needs of businesses like yours?

This hearing of the Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment will come to order.

I am concerned about the increasing attractiveness of cryptocurrencies to two types of illicit actors: One, foreign terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and ISIS, and, second, to the use of domestic White supremacists like the…

So I am still not convinced this market in cryptocurrency should even exist, but let's talk about regulation for a moment.

I think if we regulated it, it wouldn't be crypto anymore, and so what would be the point?

I think it is an abstraction, whereas ransomware attacks are not an abstraction. They are hurting people every single day.

I would enjoy a briefing in a Classified setting on that.

cryptocurrencies are being used right now for all kinds of very nefarious purposes--to purchase illicit goods, drugs, guns; to provide material support to terrorist organizations; to enable the ransom payments that are fueling arguably the…

Most ransomware payments would be over $10,000, just in the current scheme of things, so it would probably capture a significant share of, if not all, ransomware payments.

I think we have to ask, what is the good, what is the positive social value of this phenomenon that is also creating all of this harm?