Political Quotes

“I come to the floor today as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss the importance of treaties to the United States and to express my strong support for the ratification of a number of treaties whose consistency with current U.S. law, coupled with the tangible and material benefits they would deliver to U.S. citizens, businesses, and law enforcement authorities, should make their ratification noncontroversial. Treaties enhance and increase stability in an uncertain world. They offer a framework for U.S. global engagement in which we can work to promote American values such as equal rights, freedom of navigation, and the promotion of global commerce. Yet, with the 114th Congress drawing to a close, the Senate has not yet ratified a single treaty--a situation I consider to be an extraordinary state of affairs for this body, and I hope we can change this shortly. The value and importance of treaties to the interests of the United States and its citizens can be seen in the seven treaties the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently reported out. I thank Senator Corker and the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for reporting these treaties to the floor of the Senate for its consideration.…”