Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 390, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act. For too long, the Middle East--the birth place of Christianity--has been the place where thousands of Christians have been led to their deaths. The Pew Research Center reports that Christians are the world's most persecuted faith community, with Middle Eastern Christians experiencing this most severely. In 2012, President Obama declared what is happening to Christians in the Middle East as ``genocide'', but not much has been done to respond to this crisis. This bill will provide the dire supports and safeguards that Christians and other religious minorities desperately need. Specifically, it gives prioritized consideration to Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East for admission into the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, while keeping standard vetting procedures in place. This is so important given that less than half of one percent of Syrians chosen for resettlement between 2011 and 2016 have been Christians. H.R. 390 also supports entities that are conducting criminal investigations into the bad actors perpetrating violence against Christians and supports groups helping victims of genocide in the region. Clearly, persecuted Christians in the Middle East desperately need our support.…”