Ed Markey

I know that being Irish, as we are on the 25th anniversary of the Peace Accords in Northern Ireland, I know how much interest Irish Americans took in trying to understand and solve those problems.

I thank you so much. You also, I hope, believe that it is important to provide people on the front lines with jobs and training to work on community air monitoring issues.

I am proud that we were able to get some monitors deployed in Chelsea.

Communities like Chelsea or Springfield or Lawrence deserve real-time data on a block-by-block basis.

We need to pass the Environmental Justice Air Quality Monitoring Act in order to provide EPA with the resources to kickstart hyper-local monitoring programs in environmental justice communities across the Nation.

Because the national average or the State average doesn't tell us anything about Chelsea.

This legislation would authorize $100 million annually to establish a 5-year pilot program for hyper-local air quality monitoring projects in environmental justice communities.

We can't accept that, and we have to do a better job of understanding it.

Formerly redlined communities experience as much as double the amount of air pollution as non-redlined communities, and race plays a big role, even within the same communities.

When it comes to Federal efforts to improve air quality in the United States, we must first acknowledge the deep-rooted injustices of air pollution in communities across our Country.

We saw it again in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey intervened to have an air quality monitor placed in that city.

When it comes to approaches to improve air quality, one size does not fit all from block to block all across our Country.

To its enormous credit, Bulgaria has stood with Ukraine despite historically close ties to Russia.

Thank you, Madam Chair and Ranking Member Portman. I am pleased to introduce an accomplished and acclaimed son of Massachusetts, Bijan Sabet, President Biden's nominee to be the United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

The United States is leading a broad and diverse group of experts in debates on the technical merits of an international instrument focused on cybercrime.

His nomination comes at an important time for our continued collaboration with Latvia on resisting Russia's maligned influence in Europe.

The U.S. Government continues to lead efforts to be inclusive and argue for a convention that is narrowly focused on criminal justice.

If confirmed, I will work to ensure that all relevant USAID staff give this issue the urgent attention that it deserves.

I commend Mr. Sabet for rising to meet this moment.

If confirmed, I plan to take several actions to push back against the authoritarian playbook of repression in the Indo-Pacific.

The United States responds to these actions with diplomatic engagement that advocates for respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.

We should grant Kazakhstan Permanent Normal Trade Relations not only to demonstrate our solidarity with the people of Kazakhstan, but also as a measure to weaken Russia's grip on the region.

If confirmed, I will support all actions to hold corrupt officials to account, including through 7031(c) visa restrictions.

Revenue from dirty fossil fuels continues to line the Burmese military's coffers.

I was disappointed that despite the importance the President said he will place on human rights and democracy in U.S. foreign policy these issues were marginalized during the summit.