Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I know the Senator from West Virginia will be giving her first speech in the Senate here shortly and I look forward to listening to that, but I wanted to say a few words about the legislation we will be debating and hopefully passing this week, and that is the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. This is without a doubt one of the most shocking and troubling issues facing our country today. It is no exaggeration to say modern-day human slavery, at a time when we believed as a country that slavery was a part of our past and something we only read about in our history books. Many people are under the impression that human trafficking is a problem somewhere else or at some other time in history, but the fact is human trafficking is a problem right now in all 50 States, right here in the United States of America, the most affluent country in the world. It is not just a problem in Texas, it is not just a problem in Arizona, it is not just a problem in West Virginia, it is a problem in all 50 States. Thousands of young girls, many of them middle school age, are trapped into a life of bondage where they are abused and sold for sex every day. It is not easy to say, but it is true, and we must say it and we must acknowledge it. This is of course unconscionable. As the father of two daughters myself, it is simply heartbreaking to hear the stories of young women who have been trapped in this system. Of course, we can imagine it is every parent's worst nightmare.…”