On the recordSeptember 13, 2017
To close, as to the argument about ideological riders, this is the Article I branch. It is the prerogative of the House of Representatives and the Congress to speak and decide how money is to be spent. As to the notion that, the accusation that this breaches the JCPOA, as much of a critic as I am of that deal, this doesn't breach it. So it is in compliance with it. The notion of jobs is an interesting one, and it kind of creates a moral quandary until, Mr. Chairman, you balance out these two things: jobs versus lives. Is that really a question here? Aren't lives more important than jobs? Isn't it an interesting thing that several Members of the Washington State delegation where Boeing, in particular, is headquartered have actively written to the leadership of the Boeing Company saying, don't do this, essentially, and don't put our employees in the moral quandary of having to move forward on this? Finally, Mr. Chairman, how would we be feeling if the debate were happening in 1938 in this country, and the question was: Are we going to loan money to some commercial operation that can be used by the regime in Hamburg, Germany, for example? We would be scandalized by it. We need to recognize with a sense of clarity where we are in history. We ought not to be complicit with this. This House can make a great deal of difference in the future of this fight. Mr. Chair, I urge the passage of this amendment, the adoption of it, and I yield back the balance of my time.…
