The Public Record
David Nicola Cicilline is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district since January 5, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, Cicilline has focused on issues such as economic development, healthcare, and civil rights during his tenure in Congress. He previously served as the Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, from 2003 to 2011, where he worked on urban revitalization and public safety initiatives.
The missile strikes, the shooting down of a Syrian Government plane, and other actions that the Trump administration has taken have seriously ratcheted up American military engagement in Syria without congressional input or authorization.
I am extremely concerned by the escalation of violence in Syria in recent months and by the extremely broad and, in my view, incorrect interpretation that this administration has taken of its authority to take military action in Syria.
So don't we have to first have a plan and a strategy from the President that says, here is what we will do to defeat ISIS?
You cannot make foreign policy flying by the seat of your pants, especially when it comes to our men and women in uniform.
Planning a war without planning to secure the peace is a sure path toward future conflict and instability.
The 2001 authorization is too broad. It needs to be put out to pasture and scaled back.
We need to do what we should have done years ago and pass a new authorization governing the conflicts we are engaged in today.
It is hard to pass a bill. But when you tell somebody the United States of America is looking and cares about some formerly nameless individual in prison because of their faith or their actions of humanity toward another and something…
The President's request for democracy rights and governance is down to $1.5 billion, a reduction in more than $700 million.
According to Freedom House, freedom in the world has been in decline over the last decade.
I regret that we are living in a time where there is such an absence of leadership in important positions in both your agencies.
The proposed cuts that President Trump has submitted to Congress are dangerous, short-sighted, and undermine the important role the United States plays in supporting peace and security in the region.
I would like to begin, Professor Fox, you mentioned that the United States might well be on its way to using antitrust laws to achieve nationalistic ends, and sort of warned us about that.
But too often, veterans and servicemembers are unable to enforce these rights under USERRA in court because of the increased use of forced arbitration in employment contracts.
This law guarantees veterans and servicemembers, including the Reserves and National Guard, the right to be free from discrimination in the workplace on the basis of their military service.
Our veterans and their families have sacrificed much in the service to our country and the fundamental idea that we are a Nation of laws and institutions that guarantee the rights of every American and ensure their access to justice.
By unilaterally disarming, we are actually leaving those most persecuted and vulnerable populations, even more vulnerable, because others will fill the gap.
If I could add, your first question about the cuts and the proposed cuts on the State Department, in my opening statement, I characterized it as unilateral disarmament.
According to CNN, our President has spoken positively of President Putin over 70 times.
I think one of the things that we understand is that our military is most effective when it works in conjunction with our diplomatic work and, of course, with our development professionals.
I hope that we can send a very strong message that the Congress of the United States is very united in ensuring that severe sanctions are put into place and the Russians are held fully to account.
Politicians like David Cicilline
