Political Quotes

“Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue a rule mandating that public companies disclose whether the minerals they use benefit armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo, also known as the DRC, and its nine neighboring countries. ``Conflict materials'' refer to tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold, which have been used in a huge variety of products, from cell phones, cosmetics, jewelry, chemicals, footwear, and including auto parts made right in west Michigan. Simply put, section 1502 produced a rule that has failed everyone, and my amendment would, therefore, suspend its implementation for 1 year. The people of central Africa don't want it. President Obama's own SEC chair doesn't want it. Parts of the rule have been judged by the courts to violate First Amendment rights, and businesses throughout America are burdened with a reporting task that even the Department of Commerce has admitted is impossible. Recently, the European Union--apparently sobered by other own experience in the U.S.--rejected this approach to conflict minerals. It is easy to see why they did so. As we debate this amendment, let's be clear on what this isn't about. It is not about who cares more about the plight of the Congolese more, a population that continues to suffer violence at the hands of rebel groups.…”