Political Quotes

“I thank Chairman Royce again for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I stand in strong support of Ranking Member Eliot Engel's Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, H.R. 1677, of which I am proud to be an original cosponsor, and I commend him and the chairman for all of their hard work in authoring the bill and bringing it before us today. During our committee's hearing on Syria in April--and we have had so many hearings--one of our witnesses made a point that I think bears repeating, a point that highlights the importance of the ranking member's bill before us today. As long as Assad remains in power, there is very little chance that we will be able to defeat ISIS or its offshoots because Assad, in many ways, has facilitated the growth of the very jihadist groups for which he claims are protecting Syria. Hogwash. As we talk about how to stop the slaughter in Syria, we must remember that no one bears more responsibility for that slaughter than Assad. He and his regime are the ones dropping barrel bombs. They are the ones unleashing chemical weapons on their own people. And if we want to have any chance of stopping the bloodbath, of defeating ISIS, or of putting an end to the immense humanitarian challenges spreading throughout the region and beyond, we must put a stop to Assad.…”