Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 615, I was here to vote--voted but it did not register. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, the American people are losing trust in their government. The continuous dragnet collection of data by the NSA is just one of the many reasons why. Liberty and privacy are the foundations for which this country was…

I look forward to this hearing to find out how we can better utilize the aid we give, not just in money and food but the military.

I think their willingness to come to the table or wanting to is maybe they are feeling a little bit of pain over there.

It just amazes me to hear what is going on right now in the present situation with these negotiations...

I don't understand how we can throw billions and billions of dollars over and over again to a corrupt government.

But yet in a government that doesn't respect the things that we hold dear in a Western society or Western values--human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion--how can you expect the voice to be heard by their government if that…

When are they going to pick up the ball or the baton and run with it on their own without our assistance, or is that a possibility?

What I see is just a repeat of the same thing. You know, we've got a fractured government more than we've ever seen in the last 30 years since Anwar Sadat.

I've never been there and you have, obviously. But I'm just not seeing that and go ahead and--let me talk to Mr. Chollet.

I believe it is because we try to put western ideologies in their government that they don't want to accept.