Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman McGovern, along with Mr. Smith, Mr. Suozzi, and Mr. Meadows, for authoring this very important bill to update U.S. policies that support the preservation of Tibetan culture and faith as well as the environment of the Tibetan Plateau, which is vital not just to the Tibetan people, but also to the Himalayan ecosystem. I also thank Speaker Pelosi, who has been a tireless champion of the Tibetan people for many years. She has a long history of shining a spotlight on human rights abuses in China and has ensured that this Chamber does its part to defend our values. The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019 updates existing legislation from 2002 to make sure our policies keep pace with the challenges facing Tibet today. This legislation comes at a very critical time for the Tibetan people as they seek to preserve their cultural and religious identity. The Chinese Government has repeatedly asserted that it has a role to play in the selection of the next Dalai Lama. This is analogous to the Government of Italy announcing that it can ignore Catholic tradition and unilaterally decide who the next Pope should be. Such disregard for the Tibetan faith is an undue violation of international religious freedoms.…”