Bob Menendez

I think treaty consideration is a critical part of our job on this committee.

I was a strong supporter on the Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which promoted the fairness and equality that people with disabilities enjoy here to countries around the world.

The pursuit of accessibility and reasonable accommodation for all embodies the greatest and best of American ideals, principles of equality and the protection of minorities, as well as the inalienable right to pursue happiness.

I have long been a proud champion of the disabilities community because I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their dreams and fulfill their God-given potential.

When we pass something here in the Senate 98 to 2, and overwhelmingly in the House, that is the law of the land and the law needs to be implemented

The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act directed the administration to mandatorily impose sanctions on Iran for its violation of the international arms embargo.

If you do not know what civilian casualties are--we do not measure it, as General Votel says--and you said, yes, we do not track all civilian casualties from Saudi operations, but we have seen them improve targeting behavior.

I think we need to rethink whether or not military intervention, supplying the Saudis with weapons, whether all of this makes any sense at all or whether we have made the situation worse.

Other than the rhetorical support for a negotiated settlement, what is the administration specifically doing to facilitate a negotiated settlement?

So helping the Saudis is how we, in part, counter Iranian influence is what you are telling me.

Do you believe that U.S. support for coalition bombings in Yemen have been an effective way to counter Iranian influence in the region?

To be clear, the terrorist threat in Yemen does not excuse the conduct of the Saudi coalition, which bears significant responsibility for the scale of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

This hearing is particularly timely given the debate the Senate recently held on the U.S. military support to the Saudi-led coalition.

Given our committee's jurisdiction over the execution of U.S. foreign policy and the State Department in particular, it is fundamentally necessary that we receive testimony from the very administration officials executing that policy, not…

I would urge you--it would be very good to have an administration witness, and from my perspective, I believe most of it can be done in public.

It seems to me that the full implications and details of the text should be publicly vetted before a vote.

The reality is in the past we have had specific hearings on a specified AUMF to be marked up before we actually voted on it.

This move would not only subject these lethal weapons to less-stringent Commerce controls, but also conveniently remove them from being subject to Congressional review and disapproval.

What is your answer to that request?

How can they have faith that their projects are judged by objective standards and not by political whims?

I personally cannot vote for you if this is going to be your set of answers.

You have changed your testimony here from what you told me in my office

This is a different answer that you gave me in my office.

I appreciate that, but that is not the question I asked you.

Do you consider Gateway a project that is nationally important?