Political Quotes

“Madam President, I further ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be withdrawn; that the Portman amendment to the preamble at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The committee-reported amendment to the preamble was withdrawn. The amendment (No. 925) was agreed to as follows: (Purpose: To amend the preamble) Strike the preamble and insert the following: Whereas, on November 21, 2013, peaceful protests began on Independence Square (Maidan) in Kyiv against the decision by the government of then-President Viktor Yanukovych to suspend signing the Ukraine-European Union (EU) Association Agreement and instead pursue closer ties with the Russian Federation; Whereas the Maidan protests, initially referred to as the Euromaidan, quickly drew thousands of people and broadened to become a general demonstration in support of Ukraine's integration with the European Union and against the corrupt Yanukovych regime; Whereas, on the night of November 30, 2013, Ukrainian police forces surrounded and violently dispersed peaceful protestors on the Maidan; Whereas the next day, thousands of Euromaidan demonstrators regrouped and resumed the protests for three months, despite facing continuing and increasing violence from the police; Whereas, on January 16, 2014, anti-protest laws…”