Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my friend Steve Chabot's resolution, H. Res. 1091, which calls for the release of two Burmese journalists who were unjustly imprisoned for what crime? Courageously reporting on the genocide against the people known as the Rohingya. In September, I joined Jan Schakowsky and Steve Chabot in sending a letter to Secretary of State Pompeo expressing our grave concern for the 7-year sentence given to these brave journalists. Unfortunately, the stories of these men are just two of the many, many sad examples of the erosion of press freedom and other basic rights in Burma. At a time when these brave men should be rewarded for helping make the evidence available to the U.N. commission investigating these crimes, they get jail time. This resolution sends a strong message that the world is paying attention. In 2012, I was worried that it was too soon for the Obama administration to ease sanctions on Burma. Unfortunately, it has proven to be too soon. In the aftermath of the massacre of the Rohingya, we must hold all individuals responsible for these crimes against humanity accountable. I call on the Burmese Government to release these journalists and reform the law so that freedom of the press is not obstructed. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, once again, our chairman, Ed Royce, and Eliot Engel for their continued commitment to bringing forth bipartisan and important bills to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Chabot's resolution.”