Chris Murphy

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

We note that Senators Hatch, Collins, Nelson and Whitehouse have all introduced bills that would fix... the tax qualification rules applicable to MEPs.

We've really got to figure out a way to encourage employers to do this.

What we'd like to do is to see that it's required for most employers to do this.

You may know I'm the sponsor of the Automatic IRA Act, which moves a lot in this direction.

I just hope that we are thinking of new means of leverage to try to change the dynamics inside Baghdad

I have opposed this program from the start, thought it was destined to fail, but they, frankly, were doing a pretty miraculous job.

The reforms that he has suggested have been fairly paper thin.

I hope as a country we will use our military strength as an example of why diplomacy is a far better way to reach solutions in the Middle East than military solutions.

You cannot solve this problem unless you solve the underlying political realities of the region, which drive people to these extremist groups.

I think it is important that we take steps to give some new authorities to the administration.

Sustained pressure is important. And that requires coordination and cooperation from the international community.

I think we can all agree that we are stuck, and that we have effectively been stuck since the failure of the 'Leap Day' agreement.

I think it is important for us to be coordinated diplomatically.

Sometimes continuing a strategy, and sticking with it, is just as effective, if not more effective, than constantly changing it.

I agree completely that persistence and consistency are very important.

Connecticut is part of the regional greenhouse gas trading program called RGGI. We have been in this for long enough to have some really good data as to what it means when you make a commitment to reduce carbon.

I also note that there are a lot of commitments in law being made at the State and regional level as well that are serious and have enough history behind them to tell us what happens when you make a real commitment to reducing carbon.

The idea that the body that I sat in was not going to do anything about the fact that by the end of the century at a moment when I hope that either or both my 3-year-old and 7-year-old are still going to be on this earth, the global…

Independent economic analysis shows that during that same time, because of that investment in clean energy, we added 1,400 new jobs to the region during that period of time and, maybe most impressively, reduced the costs of electricity and…

There will be no reason for them to change course.

Russia would owe Ukraine for what they did.

So I hope that we are ready to go with a series of other actions to ratchet up the consequence.

It does not get much more important than protecting our State Department personnel overseas.

I hope this committee can find ways to look at these trends and work together on policies that expand economic security.