Jim Risch

I have grave concerns about a retreat of American leadership at a time that our globe severely needs it.

I appreciate that. And that observation seems to be very legitimate in that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank seem like worlds apart as far as economic opportunity.

I think probably the biggest challenge that you are going to be facing, that we are all going to be facing, is to muster them to assist with the North Korean situation.

the more we can stand this government up, the better off we will be.

I know how important it is for USAID's independence within the State Department family.

Let me try to drill down a little bit in one of the concerns that I have. All of us sit and think about how if there is indeed a solution, if a solution is even possible, how do you get there?

Congress has the power of the purse under the Constitution, so Congress will have to decide the levels at which it wishes to fund these activities.

We are working on using the successful model of the trafficking in persons, our commitment to end modern-day slavery.

Development assistance is critically important to our national security.

Certainly, they are as about as strict sanctions as you can get.

I believe that I will be, if confirmed, a strong leader of all functions of the Consular bureau, including the visa function.

I urge the Congress to support the transfer of the visa-issuing function from State's Bureau of Consular Affairs to the new Department of Homeland Security, a department that will be committed to the rule of law and the national security…

I suspect it is going to be resolved on your watch one way or another, particularly with the President that we have is dedicated to bringing it to some kind of a resolution.

As a fiscal conservative, I have always talked about that if it is spent well, it is money well-spent.

We Americans should be very proud of that.

Tough balancing act.

I support the modernization of the U.S. export control system and look forward to being briefed by the Department's experts on the status of the Export Control Reform Initiative.

Today gives you a chance to go over with this committee, the committee wants to work with you.

Europe will never be the same after what has happened over the last 24 months.

We need a set of rules that we all acknowledge are binding as far as whose job it is to do what in this democracy.

It is incredibly frustrating when you have a discussion with a member of the foreign media.

We are mixing the constitutional prerogatives of two co-equal branches of the federal government.

I share Senator Cardin's view on the prerogative of the first branch of government.

I am not responsible to anyone except the people of America and the courts of America, not to some court convened in Europe.

That is nonsense, absolute nonsense.