Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3012, the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act. I start by thanking Representatives Kim and Bera for their leadership on this bill. Initially passed in 2004, the North Korean Human Rights Act was landmark legislation that promoted accountability for human rights violations in North Korea. We are here today because the underlying tenets of this bill are as necessary today as they were 20 years ago. Since rising to power in 2011, Kim Jung Un has doubled down on the brutal, authoritarian rule of his father and grandfather. His government has committed untold human rights violations, including arbitrary and extrajudicial killings, mass detention, forced labor, and torture. Under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pyongyang used lockdowns to intensify its repression, including through shoot-to-kill orders on its borders and draconian policies that have driven segments of the North Korean population into famine. Today, North Korea remains one of the most, if not the most, repressive countries in the world. It is critical that we reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights Act today, and I urge the Senate to pass this bill immediately so that President Biden can sign it into law this year. It is essential that we reauthorize the bill now to make the United States' commitment on this issue clear and irreversible.…”