Chris Murphy

I know that you are just as concerned as this committee is, about the dramatic turn in Tunisia away from democracy.

I kind of feel like they have made their decision, and I think that our funding and our policy should reflect that.

It seems to me that President Saied has made up his mind to move away from a success story of democracy in Tunisia, towards a neo-autocracy.

I hope that those of us who have worked in a bipartisan way to support the GEC, will continue to do that.

Senator Risch and I have led an effort to rewrite the Accountability Review Board process to try to give your folks a little bit more reason to reengage in those fragile places.

I am of the belief that the GEC needs to take a primary, rather than secondary role when it comes to the way in which we counter misinformation around the world.

There is really no way to combat Russian misinformation, their propaganda efforts, which are integral to their campaign against Ukraine; or China's efforts to expand its reach, without the GEC.

I do not believe that such a country... deserves to have F-16s sold to it.

I am concerned about providing assistance to the Aliyev regime...

I think often the rationale for our continued economic, and security assistance... is often connected to our need to have a foothold inside these countries to compete with China.

There has got to be a point at which we walk away.

My sense is that the way that we compete with China successfully, is to not be China.

I have been a critic of continuing the level of aid to Saied's Government.

President Saied has turned his back on democratic norms, has engaged in a pretty repressive and overwhelming crackdown on dissent.

I kind of feel like they have made their decision, and I think that our funding and our policy should reflect that.

I just wanted to congratulate you and your team on the work that you have done on those two important achievements.

I appreciate the fact that we have continued to scale up the size of the Global Engagement Center.

I am of the belief that the GEC needs to take a primary, rather than secondary role when it comes to the way in which we counter misinformation around the world.

I hope that those of us who have worked in a bipartisan way to support the GEC, will continue to do that.

There is really no way to combat Russian misinformation, their propaganda efforts, which are integral to their campaign against Ukraine; or China's efforts to expand its reach, without the GEC.

The eyes of the world and the nation are rightly focused on Ukraine, on our broad set of competition, challenges with China; the Middle East always gets an outsized share of attention from this country and this Congress.

It seems to me that President Saied has made up his mind to move away from a success story of democracy in Tunisia, towards a neo-autocracy.

Senator Risch and I have led an effort to rewrite the Accountability Review Board process to try to give your folks a little bit more reason to reengage in those fragile places.

Protecting environmental defenders is about much more than just the Amazon.

We must defend democracy when it is under attack around the world.