Floyd Spence: “Mr. Chairman, North Korea, lest we forget, is one of the most anti-American and potentially dangerous countries in the…”

“Mr. Chairman, North Korea, lest we forget, is one of the most anti-American and potentially dangerous countries in the world. The administration's efforts to contain North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions by providing modern nuclear reactors for its energy needs have done little to dissuade North Korea from pursuing a nuclear weapons program. In fact, contrary to the conventional wisdom, the reactors being provided would not eliminate North Korea's ability to produce sufficient quantities of fissile material that could be used to build nuclear weapons. Incredibly, it now appears that the administration may indemnify companies involved in the construction of these reactors and actually they would leave American taxpayers footing the bill for nuclear accidents in North Korea. I cannot believe it. This would, essentially, hold the United States taxpayer hostage to the operation of nuclear reactors over which we have no control in a Stalinist country hostile to the United States and which is developing ballistic missiles capable of striking our country with weapons of mass destruction. The Cox-Markey amendment would prevent this from happening. The costs of a future nuclear reactor accident in North Korea could be astronomical and ought not to be paid for by our taxpayers. Mr. Chairman, the amendment makes good common sense. I support it. I urge my colleagues to do the same thing.”