Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating) for yielding to me. He is a very valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and, once again, he is doing excellent work with this bill, and Mr. Roskam as well. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill. I am grateful for the work that Mr. Keating has done to shine a light on the challenge of antiquities looting. We hear these stories about ISIS terrorists destroying heritage sites and smashing statutes, and it is heartbreaking. They are trying to wipe away history. But I have heard people say: Well, this is bad, but shouldn't we be focused on stopping violence and killing? Well, make no mistake; these practices go hand in hand. It is not a matter of choosing one over the other. Before ISIS extremists pulverize statues and temples, they loot whatever they can carry and peddle these items on the black market. I have a bill--a law, actually--that has been passed involving these antiquities in Syria. This is a funding source for their campaign of terror; so, by confronting the problem, we are working to cut off a valuable resource for ISIS. As I mentioned, I am proud that, earlier this year, the President signed a law that I authored to impose new import restrictions on antiquities looted from Syria during the current conflict. Mr. Keating and Mr. Roskam's measure goes a step further to help provide the training needed to enforce the protections we have put in place.…”