Political Quotes

“I again thank the Chair. Madam President, this amendment is almost identical to a Helms amendment adopted by the Senate 92 to 4 back on September 23 of last year. It involves the confiscation of American property overseas, which I consider to be an outrageous set of circumstances. This amendment's language is the exact language, as I say, as that adopted last year with an additional requirement that the State Department report to Congress on the status of these outstanding claims. The State Department has sat on its hands year after year on this question. Frankly, I am sick and tired of it. I want Congress to know what if anything the State Department is doing when this amendment becomes law. Despite the efforts of Senators McConnell and Leahy, the House refused to accept the provision adopted by the Senate last year. It was in the foreign aid appropriations conference and the House typically did not go along with it. Since this provision was dropped, the Senate is obliged to address this issue again. I intend to be a conferee on this bill this time. I say that we will work to ensure the inclusion of this amendment in the final conference report on the State Department authorization bill. For the record, let me outline the impact of the pending amendment. It is very simple. It would cut off U.S. foreign aid money, furnished by the American taxpayers, to any country whose government has confiscated the property of U.S.…”