On the recordMarch 15, 2012
I know there are other Senators and signatories of this letter who may well be coming to the floor to talk more about this issue, but I wish to express my gratitude to Senator Durbin. It is important that the United States speak out on behalf of people who have no real voice in defense of their most basic human rights. I would point out that President Asad and his regime are not only killing innocent civilians, but also are being supplied by Russia, who also--maybe not coincidentally--vetoed the sanctions the U.N. was considering with regard to Iran. So it is very important that we not only speak up on behalf of the people who have no voice and no defense, but also make sure the U.S. Government, at a very minimum, isn't doing business with the very same arms merchants that are supplying weapons to President Asad with which to kill innocent Syrians. I am advised that Senator Ayotte was planning on coming. She is a signatory to this letter and a member of the Armed Services Committee who shares many of these same concerns. However, she is not going to be able to come at this time. I am sure she will be coming to speak on this later. So with that, I yield the floor, and I thank my colleague. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The assistant majority leader.
