Ted Deutch

I think we have to have leadership in this country that cares about the Syrian fight.

All of the parties to the conflict, including the Assad regime and the network of nonstate actors, must abide by this resolution and allow for humanitarian aid to reach the Syrian people unobstructed.

Ms. Romero, you had, I think, spoken, not as directly as I hope you might now, about where we might exert that pressure to be useful.

I commend you for calling this hearing and I appreciate the time.

I am appalled by the lack of response to the U.N. appeal.

I think we need leadership from our administration, because the funders or the countries that are able to fund the humanitarian assistance listen to what we have to say.

If I cannot go there, I want to leave this world.

So how do we do it? This is a really important discussion about funding and putting pressure on others to step up.

We need to make hard choices, and we need to make them now.

The solution is a political one. We need to replace the special U.N. Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, as quickly as possible.

The United States, as the largest donor of aid to the United Nations, has a responsibility to help ensure humanitarian access.

We owe each and every one of them our deepest gratitude, and we thank you for being here today.

This violence and repression has gone on way too long. And it is happening right here in our own hemisphere.

I want to thank my friend and colleague, the chairman emeritus, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her work in moving the Venezuela Human Rights and Democratic Protection Act forward.

I strongly support the bill before us today that would impose sanctions on individuals that have contributed in any way to the violent crackdown.

I strongly support H. Res. 573, a resolution offered by our former committee colleague, Ms. Frederica Wilson of Florida.

It is very important. The eyes of the world are on Venezuela, as President Nicholas Maduro and his security forces crack down on peaceful protesters.

This bill will empower the administration with tools to crack down on egregious human rights abuses taking place against those seeking basic freedoms in Venezuela.

Listen, I think all of us here who have worked with Congressman Smith over the years know we all owe him a debt of gratitude for his heartfelt commitment to this issue.

The unlawful and unjust use of force cannot be tolerated.

This resolution puts the committee firmly on record in condemning this atrocious abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls.

The voices of the people must be heard. And their fundamental freedoms must be protected.

Human rights matter. They matter to us and they matter to us wherever those rights are trampled anywhere in the world.

This bill has been crafted to impose targeted sanctions on human rights violators in Venezuela while not harming average Venezuelans.

I would like to commend Ms. Wilson for her resolution that aims to take on the tough issue of the abductions of these female students by Boko Haram.