Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5497, the BURMA Act of 2022, which I have introduced, alongside Representative Steve Chabot, the ranking member of the Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation Subcommittee, who I want to thank for working in a bipartisan way. I also want to thank Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul for working with me in a bipartisan way on this very important and very timely bill. Mr. Speaker, democracy is under severe strain across the globe, and the current crisis in Burma is a stark reminder of this challenge. It has been just over a year since the Burmese military staged an illegal and illegitimate coup d'etat, seizing control of the Union Government and detaining a broad cross section of democratically elected civilian leaders. As the military upended Burma's fragile transition to democracy, it began a widespread suppression of fundamental freedoms. Over the past 14 months, the military's brutal and senseless violence has resulted in more than 1,700 people killed, including over 100 children. Thousands have been unjustly detained, and nearly half a million people have been displaced by the military's violence. Congress cannot, cannot and must not, stand idly by as the military brutally kills its people. As the war in Ukraine has reminded us, America must stand up with freedom-loving people everywhere.…”