Political Quotes

“I support the Feinstein amendment to require the tagging of explosive materials to help law enforcement officials investigate and prevent terrorist bombings. The Hatch substitute amendment contains a very narrow provision that would require the use of taggants in only one narrow category of explosive materials--plastic explosives. This is a mistake. I am convinced that we have the technology available today to introduce taggants in a wide range of explosive materials. In fact, the Congressional Research Service has informed me that Switzerland had required the inclusion of taggants in explosive materials since at least 1980, when that country's regulation on explosives was enacted. That law provides, in relevant part: [Each] explosive must contain a tagging substance that permits the reliable tracing of the origin [of the explosive] even after the explosion. The tagging substance requires the approval of the Central Office [of the Federal Prosecutor] which must consider changing circumstances. The New York Times recently reported that a Minneapolis company is already in the business of manufacturing taggants, which it sells primarily to Switzerland. According to the New York Times, the Swiss police have used these taggants to trace explosives in more than 500 bombings and explosives seizure cases over the last 12 years. Mr. President, the technology needed to introduce taggants into explosive materials is neither new nor experimental.”