Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of JASTA. I am proud to be the lead Democratic sponsor of this bill, alongside my friend from New York (Mr. King), and I appreciate all of his hard work on this legislation. On Sunday, we will observe the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, when thousands of Americans were brutally murdered in my district in New York, as well as at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. JASTA would help ensure that those responsible for aiding and abetting those attacks are held accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, because of certain court decisions misinterpreting the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act, the 9/11 victims and their families have been unable to pursue their claims in court against some of the parties they believe were responsible for funding the attacks. JASTA simply reinstates what was understood to be the law for 30 years, that foreign states may be brought to justice for aiding and abetting acts of international terrorism that occur on American soil, whether or not the conduct that facilitated the attack occurred in the United States. Think of it this way: some courts have held that if a foreign government agent hands over a $1 million check to al Qaeda in a cafe in New York in order to fund a terrorist attack in the United States, that government can be sued in an American court.…”