Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1644, the Korean Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act. I thank the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce); and the ranking member, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), for their leadership in this important legislation. This legislation furthers North Korea's severe financial isolation by further targeting banks and money lenders to gain cooperation throughout the region. This bipartisan bill builds on the pressure and sanctions imposed under both the Bush and Obama administrations to strengthen our response to North Korea's continued belligerence by, number one, expanding sanctions on North Korea's government transactions involving precious metals, minerals, jet fuel, and coal; providing restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance to any country that buys or sells military equipment from North Korea; and provides increasing scrutiny of North Korean shipping vessels to target against trafficking, counterfeiting, and aspects of North Korea's illicit economy, among other things, in order to tighten sanctions in accordance with the United Nations Security Council. This vote comes at a critical juncture. Despite rounds of sanctions aimed at squeezing the faltering economy of North Korea, recent reports from the peninsula suggest that the country continues to gain sufficient traction to move forward.…”