Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 340. I unequivocally condemn Hamas' attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 innocent people and the kidnapping of hundreds of hostages, including American citizens. The United States has rightly designated Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1997, and I have fully supported sanctions on Hamas when they have come before the House in the past. However, there is a distinction between Hamas and the innocent Palestinians it holds captive in Gaza, and we must legislate with that understanding. Our efforts to hold Hamas accountable must not come at the expense of those innocent civilians. As originally written, this bill included a broad humanitarian exemption that would have protected the provision of food, medicine, and other lifesaving supplies into Gaza. The State Department and the Treasury both supported that exemption, which aligned with the Biden administration's goals to weaken Hamas without causing undue civilian suffering and deaths. Unfortunately, the primary sponsor of H.R. 340 offered an amendment during committee markup that removed that exemption, replacing it with a case-by-case waiver that will impede the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. At times here, we need to speculate about the motivations behind specific legislation and legislative decisions. In this case, however, it is part of the committee record.…”