Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce four amendments to protect the human rights of the Colombian and Saudi people. Earlier this year in Colombia in the middle of the pandemic, President Duque proposed crushing new sales taxes on basic food items. When the Colombian people demonstrated in protest, the government responded with brutality. Sixty-eight people were murdered, and over 1,100 protestors and bystanders were injured. This is part of a pattern of human rights violations by President Duque. He is also planning to resume aerial fumigation, which most countries stopped using when devastating health impacts were discovered. Our amendments would require the Department of State and Defense to issue a report on the State of human rights in Colombia. They would also limit the U.S. transfer of weapons to the police unit responsible for many of the demonstrators' murders. And finally, they would prohibit U.S. funds from being used to support aerial fumigation. Similarly, in 2018 we stood horrified by the Saudi government's assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi for speaking up against the regime's human rights abuses. Our amendment would prohibit funds from being used to provide weapons, military aid, or military training to the unit that carried out his assassination. The U.S.…”