On the recordOctober 24, 2017
I strongly urge my colleagues to support Mr. Barr's legislation, the Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act. North Korea has continued to prove a dangerous and destabilizing force to the northeast Asian region, as well as to the United States and its allies. Its repeated missile tests, nuclear weapons tests, and heinous human rights violations demand that the United States continue its diplomatic and economic isolation campaign. Today's bill is named for my constituent, Otto Warmbier, from Wyoming, Ohio, in the greater Cincinnati area. Otto passed away on June 19 after spending 18 months in detention by the North Korean regime, the brutality of which was far beyond human decency or civility. The pain and heartache endured by Otto, his family, and his friends can never be undone or erased, but Congress can continue to take action by passing H.R. 3898 today and imposing the most far-reaching sanctions yet to be directed at North Korea. There is no simple solution to countering such complex national security threats, but it is critical that we utilize both economic and diplomatic tools to hold hostile regimes like North Korea accountable when they act repeatedly and aggressively against our interests, our allies, our citizens, and our security. Mr. Speaker, I strongly and sincerely urge support of this bill by every Member of this Chamber.
