Bob Menendez

We need to be clear about what Iran is interested in in Syria, and that is, they want a government in Damascus that has good relations with Hezbollah and will give Hezbollah sustained strategic depth in its confrontation against Israel.

So there are no leverage points against the Russians, against the Iranians is basically what I am hearing.

We have lost the opportunity and emboldened and strengthened our enemies whether those are Assad, Iran, Russia, the Islamic State.

I want to stop the slaughter, not just simply feed those who survive the carnage.

The degree of carnage and butchery is unparalleled today, and it has bled over into Europe in a trail of death.

This policy option is infeasible for the United States, from moral, political, and security standpoints.

I believe that, absent a change on the ground, diplomacy alone is unlikely to end the Syrian war.

The Russians cannot bomb their way to peace. The Iranians cannot prop up Assad forever.

The only way forward is to expend every effort to achieve a broad political solution and to resolve this conflict through negotiations that lead to a stable Syrian government representing all of its citizens.

Any party responsible for these crimes must be brought to justice for the abuses which defy international law.

What would fill the vacuum of a decreased U.S. role in the world is an incredibly dangerous question.

Isolationism... will create the type of permissive environment in which our enemies will thrive.

Aggressive intervention without clear goals... has led us to wars that have destabilized entire regions.

I know that we collectively as Republicans and Democrats alike certainly want people to pay their fair taxes.

We cannot afford to lose 20 percent of half a trillion dollars.

The OECD has confirmed that counterfeit shipments are one of the biggest issues confronting our Customs and border enforcement system today.

It is our hard-earned reputation as a global economic and cultural leader that makes us a target.

The United States is the world's leader in trusted and recognized brands, the ones in demand, the ones that command the best prices and, therefore, the ones most vulnerable to knockoffs.

Small changes sometimes bring big results, Mr. Chairman.

China is the epicenter of the problem, which is going to kill tens of thousands of Americans per year, unless we stop it.

I want to know the standards, the material steps that China needs to take to demonstrate the kind of significant progress it would need to raise its ranking.

I would just simply say that part of our challenge, which I recognize, if we are going to be intellectually honest, is that, with China as our banker, that is an increasing challenge.

So let me ask you this, if their actions, as you say, are affecting their own interests, but they seem to be on a course that continues to affect their own interests in the negative...

The United States is alarmed by the ongoing crackdown on lawyers, religious adherents, civil society leaders, and by growing attempts to restrict internationally recognized freedoms, including the freedom of speech.

Some would call that an act of war.