Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this week we took up the National Defense Authorization Act, and I was glad to join with my colleagues in working to improve the bill to meet emerging needs. Specifically, I want to thank the committee for the inclusion of two amendments which I authored in regards to Iran and Syria. The first amendment will clarify what effect international sanctions are having on Iran's military capacity. We know that Iran is currently capable of exporting military technology and resources to its threat network abroad. Our sanctions must continue to press and place pressure on the Iranian regime to limit its global reach. This amendment will provide clarity as to what extent Iran's military capacity is being degraded by U.S. and international sanctions. The second amendment will put a renewed emphasis on how we approach policy options towards the conflict in Syria. The administration revealed yesterday that chemical weapons have been used by the Assad regime on its own people. This amendment would urge the President to limit all arms trafficking into Syria from Iran, Lebanon, and Russia. With the escalation of tensions in Syria, this important amendment will provide a necessary condition for addressing future actions in the region. I again want to thank the committee for adopting these important policy provisions. ____________________”