Political Quotes

“Before I address the en bloc amendments, I just want to respond quickly to a claim that has been made again on this floor that was made in the Rules Committee by my friend on the other side of the aisle that the Magnitsky Act has already adequately covered LGBTQI human rights violations. I am going to say it one more time: That is simply, factually incorrect. All of the cases that my friend cited, Mr. Speaker, do not involve LGBTQI people, save one. There is one specific LGBTQI case in which sanctions were imposed in 2019 against the Chechen leader for kidnapping, torturing, and killing members of the LGBTQI community. The cases she makes reference to in Bangladesh, in Cuba, and in Uganda involve judicial corruption, and they involve a government crackdown on democracy, but they don't involve individuals who were targeted or brutalized because they were members of the LGBTQI community. So there is, in fact, not sufficient use of Magnitsky. That is what the Global Respect Act will fix. It will make visa sanctions against such individuals a mandatory requirement. So this idea of pulling other human rights cases and saying, Isn't this enough? It is not. This is a growing, serious, and deadly problem. Mr. Speaker, I move these amendments which, taken together, both strengthen the bill and make a strong statement that the United States stands with the LGBTQI community around the world.…”