Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, the motion before us today is based on the simple fact that a nuclear-armed Iran is an unacceptable threat to our national security, poses an existential threat to our vital ally, Israel, and will ignite a destabilizing arms race throughout the Middle East. We must take whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terror; its President denies the Holocaust, and he has openly declared his intention to wipe Israel off the map. To be included among the powerful sanctions in this legislation is the removal of barriers that State pension boards raise which prevent the divestment of holdings in companies that help to fund Iran's nuclear weapons program. In 2007, the Florida legislature passed critical legislation that mandated that workers' pension funds could not be used to support Iranian nuclear weapons. In Florida alone, we removed more than $1 billion from companies that put their profits ahead of this Nation's national security. That is one State. This legislation will permit every State to divest from Iran just as Florida and 20 other States have already done. The divestment effort will become a full-fledged movement. The threat from Iran is real. This threat is unacceptable, and it demands this aggressive effort on the part of the United States and our allies.”