Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his kind words and the words of my good friend, Ranking Member Engel. This is truly an unexpected, humbling honor. I thank both of their teams for their leadership in bringing this bill to the floor, and I thank all Members and supporters of Israel. There are so many of us in this Chamber. We have been through a lot together and the U.S.-Israel relationship is stronger because every single one of us works hard at it. Mr. Speaker, a special thank you to my dear friend and Florida colleague, Ted Deutch, the great ranking member of our subcommittee, with whom I have had the honor of working so closely on these issues over the past 6 years. He is the author of this newly named bill and the one with that idea. As so many know, Mr. Speaker, it has been an absolute joy for me to have been a part of this distinguished body for almost 30 years, as the chairman points out, to advocate for my constituents and to serve on our esteemed House Committee on Foreign Affairs to promote American ideals like freedom, democracy, and human rights, and to help strengthen the bonds we have with allies around the world. No relationship, Mr. Speaker, is more important than the one that we have with the democratic Jewish State of Israel. Israel is an indispensable, strategic partner, not just for its protection of U.S. interests, but because of our shared beliefs and our shared values.…”