Political Quotes

“I want to first thank ranking member Howard Berman for his leadership on this, as well as to thank Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6156, the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012. Granting permanent normal trade relations with Russia and Moldova is long overdue; and with this vote we look to the future and put aside some longstanding vestiges of the Cold War. I strongly endorse granting permanent normal trade relations to Moldova. Since 2001, when Moldova entered the World Trade Organization, the United States has been in noncompliance with WTO rules because Congress has failed to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment. Moldova is a Western-oriented, fully democratic country, and Moldova deserves to be treated as an economic partner so we can strengthen our ties to her further. We will hear lots today about the economic, human rights, and foreign policy implications of this bill; and Russia will be at the center of the debate. {time} 0940 But I hope that we do not lose sight of this most basic point. At its core, today's vote on Russian PNTR is about an evolving relationship. The U.S.-Russia relationship has been at the top of our foreign policy agenda for more than half a century. The fact that the House has deliberated for so long to bring H.R. 6156 to the floor is an indication that this is still an important relationship.…”