Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the Hyde-Lantos amendments to S. 1713, a bill passed by the Senate on September 21, 2005 amending the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 to authorize new payments to Russia in support of the international space station. The Hyde-Lantos amendments, which have been authored on a bipartisan basis, would provide a substitute text for the Senate bill. The Senate bill is defective in significant respects. Chief among these would be a reduction in United States leverage over Russian technology transfers to Iran's weapons programs. The Hyde-Lantos substitute text would remedy this and other deficiencies in the Senate bill by more carefully balancing space cooperation interests with our nonproliferation interests. In particular, the substitute text would permit NASA to make payments to Russia for the next six years, up to January 1, 2012, as provided in the Senate version. But, it would eliminate the ambiguity in the Senate version, whereby payments and services might be rendered well beyond January 1, 2012. Instead, the substitute text would clearly establish that no payments or services may take place after that date unless Congress provides additional authority through new legislation or the Executive Branch makes the determination required under existing law concerning an end to Russia's support for Iran's weapons programs.…”