Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking Peter King and Bob Goodlatte for their role in bringing this bill to the floor as the sponsor and committee chairman. I rise in strong support of overriding the President's veto of JASTA. JASTA is a carefully crafted, narrow bill that would hold accountable foreign governments that knowingly provide substantial assistance to a designated foreign terrorist organization that launches an attack in the United States. Despite the overblown rhetoric of some critics of this bill, JASTA will not pose a threat to American military personnel or diplomats. They would be absolutely protected if another country passed legislation mirroring this bill because JASTA applies only to governments. To the extent that a foreign government might pass broader legislation that would make American personnel subject to liability, that country would not be reciprocating. It would be engaging in a transparent and unjustifiable act of aggression. The economic, diplomatic, and military strength of the United States makes such action unlikely, and any rogue state inclined to target U.S. interests can already do so. We must not hold justice for the 9/11 families hostage to imagined fears. Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago, on September 11, we suffered the most deadly terrorist attack on our soil in this Nation's history.…”