Jane Harman: “As a Californian, I understand the value of the Ex-Im Bank, which supports 737 small and large businesses in my state…”

“As a Californian, I understand the value of the Ex-Im Bank, which supports 737 small and large businesses in my state, with a total export value of $4 billion. But not all exports have commendable objectives, and for this reason, I rise in support of the amendment offered by my friend, the gentleman from New York. Like him, I am especially concerned about the proliferation of technologies related to weapons of mass destruction out of the former Soviet Union. Despite reassurances from top Russian leaders that these technologies and materials are under lock and key, evidence is mounting to the contrary. An area of particular concern to me and a bipartisan group of my colleagues, including Mr. Solomon, is that Russia has failed to halt the sale of ballistic missile technology to Iran. Mr. Chairman, these Russian transactions are in violation to the Missile Control Technology Regime (MTCR) of which Russia has been a member since 1995. The Administration is working through diplomatic channels to address this problem, but the response of the Russian government so far is not satisfactory. Further, the clock is ticking, and I have very credible evidence suggesting that this problem may be getting worse.”