Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to represent New York's 22nd Congressional District, which is home to generations of Burmese refugees, dating back to the first family arriving in the early 2000s, and where nearly 5,000 Burmese refugees reside. On February 1 of last year, Burma's military seized power in a violent coup, ending 5 years of flawed, but promising, democracy, dragging Burma back into a brutal military rule. Over the last year, the world has watched in horror as the military targeted innocent Burmese men, women, and children. The latest estimates indicate that over 1,700 people have been murdered and more than 13,000 arrested by the junta. In the face of this violence and repression, the resilience of the people of Burma is no less than inspiring. The legislation we are considering today is an important step forward in standing with the people of Burma and holding their perpetrators accountable. The BURMA Act will impose mandatory sanctions on the military regime, as well as entities that continue to support it. While the White House has begun to take steps to reimpose the sanctions regime that the former Democratic administration prematurely lifted, it is time that the Burmese military is again sanctioned as a matter of law, especially now that the United States has finally recognized that their crimes against the Rohingya amount to genocide.…”