Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak on the amendment to restrict the funding from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization while still providing funds for the international monitoring system. The purpose is simple. Congress never ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. It is irresponsible to the taxpayer and contradictory for the United States to financially support an organization that the United States has never officially joined or contributed funds for a treaty that was never enacted. The amendment clearly continues to fund the international monitoring system to improve our global and nuclear detection capability, and returns us to the longstanding responsible policies from President George W. Bush's administration. This amendment makes it clear that protecting American families is the job of Congress, not an unaccountable international body. As we see a rise in threats around the world, our nuclear deterrence capability is crucial to promote our ability to preserve peace. It is also important that the United States does not require adherence to this treaty in order to continue our self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons of any size or of any kind. However, as we live in a world of increasing threats, we should not bind the United States to an agreement that other nuclear powers like China and Russia do not adhere to.…”