Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding and for his leadership in committee and today on this important bipartisan piece of legislation. I also would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Pierluisi, for his stalwart support and work on this bipartisan bill. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee is correct in recognizing that Federal law often fails to keep up with lawbreakers. As a former U.S. attorney, I am acutely aware of the ways criminal organizations adapt their practices to skirt Federal law and harm American citizens. This bill directly responds to one scenario that has played out time and again in our Federal courts. I would like to start by making a key point about the purpose of this bill and the type of organizations it targets. Our focus through this bill is the leaders of sophisticated, often multinational drug- trafficking organizations with expansive networks of distribution internationally. This includes source nation manufacturers primarily in South and Central America. They are a significant source, if not the largest source, of deadly drugs on the streets and in homes across America. It also includes the leaders of large ``middleman'' wholesale trafficking and distribution organizations. I want to stress that the bill does not target petty dealers or low- level smugglers in the final chain to the narcotics' final destination. Instead, the focus is on higher levels of the drug-trafficking chain beyond our borders.…”