William Luther: “I rise in support of the McKinney amendment that aims to curb the proliferation of conventional weapons around the…”

“I rise in support of the McKinney amendment that aims to curb the proliferation of conventional weapons around the world. The push to sell arms overseas began in the early 1990's after the end of the cold war when Pentagon procurement of conventional weapons significantly decreased, and today in some instances, the U.S Government is actually encouraging foreign government to purchase arms from U.S. defense contractors. This policy is unacceptable, and I call on the administration to join us in curbing these sales. This Code of Conduct simply requires congressional approval for arms transfers to foreign governments that are undemocratic, do not protect human rights, or are engaged in acts of armed aggression. This common sense amendment does not restrict arms sales to our strongest allies and makes exceptions in cases where national security is an issue. The United States is by far and away the world's premier arms dealer, and a high percent of U.S. arms sales to the developing world are to non-democratic countries where citizens have no right to choose their own government. These sales strengthen repressive and corrupt militaries and often these countries purchase weapons at the expense of much needed investments in education, health care and basic infrastructure needs.”