Political Quotes

“I rise to spend the last few moments before we break for the Memorial Day work period to discuss an issue that has been in the national news this week and that has occupied the minds of most of our colleagues in this body and the other body; and that is the issue of proliferation. We have seen a lot of discussion in the national media about the most recent transfer of technology from American corporations, most specifically the Loral Corporation, the Hughes Corporation, to China that may, in fact, jeopardize our national security and pose threats to us. The issue of proliferation, Mr. Speaker, is not a new one. In fact, a week and a half ago, on May 13, I did a 40-minute special order on this floor where I documented in the public record 37 specific cases over the past 6 years of proliferation by Russia and China to Iran, Iraq, to India and Pakistan. At that time, I said to our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, that we must take more aggressive action in imposing sanctions and enforcing requirements provided in our arms control agreements. This week, Mr. Speaker, we have seen some of the results of that lack of inaction in enforcing those arms control agreements. In fact, we have seen the escalation of the conflict and the rhetoric and saber rattling between India and Pakistan. Much of that technology, Mr. Speaker, that both of those Nations now have came from both Russia and China. We should have and could have stopped that proliferation.”