Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman. I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 644. The President's actions in unilaterally swapping five Taliban members for an American prisoner swept away a decades-old policy of not negotiating with terrorists. This policy prevents the United States from being extorted by evil people who hold no regard for human life. The President's actions lead to an open season on Americans all over the world. Are we now in the business of negotiating with terrorists? Is ISIL up next at the bargaining table with this administration? These are senior Taliban detainees, not low-level foot soldiers. Will the administration stop at five next time? Why not 50 or 100? This is unacceptable. The President's actions were also troublesome because he did not inform Congress prior to making the swap. Even the independent Government Accountability Office explicitly said that this exchange broke the law. Some will try to say that this is just partisan rhetoric, but what did they say to the findings of the nonpartisan GAO? While it is a relief to have an American home, the way this was done further erodes the working relationship between the President and Congress. The President asked the Congress to act and pass bills, but how can we trust him with new legislation when time and time again he has abused that trust? How do we know he is not just going to ignore the next law that we send him? Congress must stand up against the way this prisoner exchange took place.…”