Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise to thank Ranking Member Smith and Chairman Thornberry for an amendment that was included in one of the prior en bloc groups of amendments. The amendment that I joined Mr. Pompeo in offering requires the DOD to report to Congress on the cooperation between Iran and the Russian Federation and the extent to which that cooperation affects our national security interests. Even before the Iran nuclear deal, we watched Tehran and Moscow become closer partners, as Russia announced it would lift its ban on selling advanced missiles to Iran and began military cooperation with Iran in Syria to prop up the Assad government. This year, Russia and Iran have worked together to undermine U.N. Security Council ballistic missile resolutions and announced an $800 million missile defense contract. It is imperative that we fully understand the impact of this alliance on our national security interests because both nations continue to be hostile towards the U.S. and our allies. This amendment will help do just that.”