Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time to me. Mr. Chairman, this bill is one of several we passed in the House that aims to combat the horrific and disgusting act of sex trafficking of minors on our borders. Today, I want to share two stories of Ashton Talley and Arissa Farmer, both from my district, the First District of Arkansas, who were taken for the purpose of being trafficked, but, thankfully, were rescued before being lost in this abominable trade. These young women were sought online by men preying on thousands of underage minors. Their stories, sadly, mirror one another and those of countless other minors across America. Both were courted online by older men and believed they were engaging in harmless friendships. In both instances, these men traveled to my district from other States to take Ashton and Arissa to Washington State and Nebraska, respectively, for their horrific purposes. It is believed that, for one of the victims, her eventual destination was to be the Super Bowl in Minneapolis, which reportedly draws an increase in trafficking activity for big events like that. In the other case, the victim was one of over 8,000 minors sought online by her predator. Mr. Chairman, these girls are not unlike our own children. They are kids that we all see in our schools, our churches, and our neighborhoods. We must take the necessary steps like H.R. 1865 to protect America's children from these repugnant individuals.…”