Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule under consideration today. Well before coming to Congress, I provided legal services for Iraqis and Afghans who had put their lives at risk as drivers, translators, and contractors to help our military abroad. They needed help to obtain the Special Immigrant Visas they were promised in return. From that experience, I know firsthand that the process is rigorous and time-consuming. Even before the pandemic, it could take years for these critical allies to receive the special visas they were promised. During that time, they and their families faced continual threats of injury and death. Many died, had to go into hiding, or had their relatives killed because they had assisted U.S. forces. As the U.S. leaves Afghanistan after almost two decades of unending war, we need to streamline the SIV process so that we can make good on America's promise to our Afghan allies who risked their lives to protect our troops. The ALLIES Act would ensure that the U.S. keeps its promise to protect those allies who worked with U.S. troops in Afghanistan. We must pass this bill quickly so that no one is left behind. Mr. Speaker, I also want to state my support for the other two bills in today's rule. My region knows just how pervasive and dangerous the PFAS chemicals are. Pennsylvania has multiple PFAS-contaminated sites, and my district is downstream from a couple of them. Uncontaminated drinking water should not be a debatable topic.…”