Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce for his kindness and his leadership, and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, my favorite mensch, for bringing this bill to the floor today. I also want to thank and congratulate Michael McCaul and my south Florida colleague and dear friend Ted Deutch for their work in offering this important bill. The regime in Iran, as we have heard from my colleagues, is responsible for some of the most despicable human rights abuses imaginable. The regime is also notorious for its hostage-taking tactics, hoping to get financial or political concessions from the United States and other Western countries for their hostage taking. Mr. Deutch and I have been highlighting these abuses in our subcommittee through multiple hearings and many pieces of legislation, including a resolution that the House passed last year, H. Res. 317, that urged the President to make the release of Americans held hostage in Iran the highest of priorities. We also held a hearing on some of the hostages named in the resolution where we heard from family members of Mr. Deutch's constituent Bob Levinson, who is America's longest held hostage ever; Baquer and Siamak Namazi, father and son, who have been unjustly detained in Iran for far too long; Nizar Zakka. All of these families have had to endure so much, Mr. Speaker.…”