Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership and compassion about this extremely important issue. Mr. Chair, I must rise in opposition to the gentlewoman's amendment. While I know she has the best of intentions, I want to be very practical about my opposition to this. The reality is the amendment will not alleviate the suffering of the Cuban people, quite the contrary. In fact, it may exacerbate their pain by simply enriching a tyrannical regime who uses violence and repression to keep their cruel grip on power. On a day in which we just heard from the First Lady of Ukraine, who is obviously experiencing what the brunt of repression means from a brutal dictator, we certainly should not be caving to brutal dictatorship in the Western Hemisphere. The dictatorship in Cuba controls all trade on the island, and, in turn, uses resources to oppress its own people. The current cash-in-advance requirement for the financing of agricultural exports to Cuba ensures that the regime in Cuba cannot benefit from loans or credit, and that its corrupt, military-run financial institutions are not intertwined with American financial institutions. Please, anyone within the sound of my voice needs to understand that this amendment allows U.S.…”