Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking Chairman Royce for swiftly moving the bill and for his comments today. I also thank the Republican leadership for recognizing that this simple but critical legislation is worthy of making it a priority by this Congress, even as there are other issues that face us at this time. In January 2011, following a spate of attacks against Christians in Iraq and ongoing persecution in Egypt, I convened a Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing focusing on the plight of religious minorities in Egypt and Iraq. Among the witnesses was Representative Anna Eshoo, who ultimately became the lead Democrat on this bill for two consecutive Congresses. During the hearing we heard sobering testimony about the challenges facing these communities. A resounding theme emerged: Chaldo-Assyrian Christians and Coptic Christians were being marginalized and targeted for violence. These realities were all the more troubling given the historic roots of the faith communities in these two countries-- amazingly, many Iraqi Christians today still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Not only were these communities being threatened in the lands they had inhabited for centuries, their plight was largely unknown and seemingly unimportant within the broader foreign policy apparatus. Notably, at the time of the hearing, the post of the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom had been vacant for 2 years.…”