Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague from Alabama for his good work on this rule and on this bill. I want to talk about the critical part of the bill and an amendment that was proposed and then withdrawn, and that has to do with Iran's heavy water production. The reason this amendment was withdrawn and won't be under consideration in the Committee on Rules for discussion later today is because it deserves to have stand-alone treatment. It is that important. Heavy water is used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. Its distinctive properties make it a critical component in the production of nuclear weapons. Now, the nuclear deal that some of the Senators voted for--not by two-thirds by any means--forbids Iran from stockpiling more than 130 tons of heavy water during the initial years of the deal, and they will be allowed to produce 90 tons later. But they are required, under the deal, to redesign and rebuild their Arak facility to support its ``peaceful'' needs and research. So Iran did agree to keep pace with international technological advancement trends and rely only on light water, not heavy water, for future nuclear power, yet they have been producing heavy water nevertheless.…”