Political Quotes

“Madam President, today I rise to speak about the Enhancing Human Rights in Arms Sales Act of 2019, which I was proud to introduce on Monday with my colleagues, Senators Dick Durbin, Ron Wyden, and Ed Markey. Senators Jeff Merkley, Chris Van Hollen, and Rand Paul also cosponsored the bill this week. Our bipartisan bill takes critical steps to ensure that U.S.-manufactured weapons are not used in the commission of heinous war crimes, the repression of human rights, or by terrorists who seek to do harm to Americans and innocent civilians abroad. We do not only have a moral obligation to ensure that U.S. weapons are used responsibly, but it is clearly in our national security interest. As one may be aware, the United States is the world's leading arms supplier. According to data compiled by the Security Assistance Monitor, from 2002 to 2016, the United States has delivered more than $286 billion worth of major conventional weapons and related military support to 200 recipients. The Cato Institute found that more than 40 percent of nations purchasing these arms are at high risk of instability, terror, or egregious human rights abuses. There are far too many examples of what can happen when we sell or transfer arms without proper vetting. In Yemen, U.S. arms transferred to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and their coalition have been linked to more than 1,000 civilian casualties, according to a recent report from a coalition of local and international human rights NGOs.…”