Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, my amendment would maintain congressional oversight over certain weapons sales and ensure that dangerous weapons do not end up in the wrong hands. Whatever our views on firearm policy may be, we should all be able to agree that putting more firearms in the wrong hands would make the world a lot more dangerous. Since the passage of the Arms Export Control Act in 1976, the State Department has overseen licensing authority for exporting deadly weapons, supported by congressional oversight authority. Under Republican Presidents and Democratic Presidents alike, this has been the system in place, so the experts who spend their lives monitoring hotspots around the world can put U.S. national security interests first, and not profits for weapons manufacturers. That is why many Members have expressed concern about the Trump administration's plan to change our firearm export licensing system. Under the administration's plan, firearms and other items in categories 1, 2, and 3 of the United States Munitions List would move from the Commerce Control List. That may sound like a technical change, but it would have real world consequences. Congress would lose oversight over sales, preventing this body from objecting to sales that could harm national security or lead to human rights violations.…”