Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 938, the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, the chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, and Mr. Deutch, the ranking member of that subcommittee, for authoring this legislation and for working tirelessly over the past year to further refine some of the provisions. This legislation comes at a critical time in the history of the U.S.- Israel relationship. On every border, Israel faces instability, at best, and violence and chaos, at worst. Syria remains engulfed in a horrific civil war that has left more than 140,000 people dead. Israel's neighbors, including Lebanon and Egypt, are plagued by instability. Iran has not yet abandoned its pursuit of nuclear weapons capability and continues to terrorize the world with its support for violent extremism. Iran is the leading supporter of terrorism around the world. And, under the threat of rocket fire from Gaza, Israel is now considering new options under a framework for peace with Palestinians and the Arab world. Hamas still controls the Gaza Strip, and their disregard for human life is well known. The U.S. cannot afford to sit idly by. We must be engaged in each of these issues and support our ally, Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.…”