Wendy Sherman: “Mr. Chairman, that amendment deals with the provisions of this bill which provide funds for the inspection and…”

“Mr. Chairman, that amendment deals with the provisions of this bill which provide funds for the inspection and facilitation of agricultural imports, particularly those from the Islamic Republic of Iran. In March of this year the administration lifted our ban on imports from Iran as to four products, three of them agricultural products; and I believe that lifting this ban may have been the result of undue optimism, or at least premature optimism. The rhetoric in Tehran has improved, but the actions of the Iranian government have not. A year and a half ago, 13 Jews were arrested in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz. They have been subjected to show trials. Ten have been convicted. The average sentence is 9 years. Some of the sentences go up to 13 years. That is why, Mr. Chairman, I drafted an amendment that would say that those three agricultural imports cannot come into this country, or at least none of our taxpayer dollars could be used for the necessary inspection. But just as I believe the lifting of the ban on those imports may have reflected premature optimism, I do not want to be guilty of premature pessimism.”