Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Representative Barr's bill, the Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act. Mr. Speaker, how is it that a tiny, isolated country like North Korea has the ability to fund and develop a nuclear weapons program with the capability to strike American soil? The answer to that question is found in part through correspondent and payable-through accounts, which are tools used by North Korea to bypass the existing U.S. and U.N. sanctions against them. Non-North Korean actors use these accounts to fund the government through shell and front companies. While these sanctions are implemented in good faith, it is time to acknowledge that sometimes they just don't work. There is some good news, Mr. Speaker. If enacted, this bill requires the Treasury Secretary to impose strict conditions on those who knowingly do business with North Korea through those accounts. We have also seen the United Nations take action recently by banning North Korea's export of iron ore, which is another legitimate step in stopping the continued development of their nuclear weapons program. Finally, the Trump administration's executive orders will help us more easily target companies that do business with North Korea. These actions, plus the enactment of this legislation, will create the most debilitating sanctions package Pyongyang and their financial surrogates have ever seen.…”