Political Quotes

“And I rise in strong support of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor in support of my friend, Congressman Joe Wilson's resolution, H. Res. 132, responding to the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023. This timely and important resolution comes just weeks after multiple 7.5-plus magnitude earthquakes caused widespread devastation across central-southern Turkiye and northern Syria. This natural disaster was so powerful that the shaking could be felt as far away as Egypt. The numbers are just staggering. Following the initial shaking, Turkiye and Syria have borne the brunt of over 1,000 aftershocks, furthering the massive death and destruction that has decimated infrastructure and communities across the region. Even today, Mr. Speaker, there was another aftershock with reported loss of death. As of February 25, 2023, Reuters estimated that 160,000 buildings containing over half a million apartments have collapsed or were severely damaged. The earthquake has killed more than 48,000 people and injured 118,700 others in Turkiye and Syria combined. Today, the U.N. Development Programme estimates that 1.5 million people have been left homeless. As ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and as an original cosponsor of this resolution, I want to express my deepest condolences to the people of Turkiye and Syria who have been so deeply impacted by these earthquakes.…”