Political Quotes

“I want to thank Ranking Member Engel for yielding to me, and I rise in strong support of the Women, Peace, and Security Act. I first want to thank my Republican colead on this bill, Kristi Noem, for her hard work; and I want to express my gratitude to Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their robust support for this legislation. I want to thank Senator Shaheen and Senator Capito for their work in the Senate on this, as well as Senators Corker and Cardin. I want to thank the staff who has put in a lot of hours on this, last session and this session, including my staff, Cassandra Varanka. Around the world, women are disproportionately affected by conflict and violence. At the same time, women are acting as some of the most effective advocates for peace. Again and again, women have proven their ability to advance peacemaking efforts where others have failed. Look at Syria. In the town of Zabadani, women have been leading efforts to save their city from violence. Over 470 women signed a public petition, calling for a cease-fire. Their town had been under siege, experiencing daily shelling and barrel bombings. As the formal negotiations between the rebel-controlled local council and the Assad government constantly broke down, the war prevented the town from planting crops. A group of women peace activists came together to found a group called Damma, and they facilitated negotiations between the local council, the Free Syrian Army, and the Islamic brigades.…”