Sheila Jackson Lee: “Let me thank both gentlemen from California for their leadership and for their very important work on a very important…”

“Let me thank both gentlemen from California for their leadership and for their very important work on a very important crisis fight for human rights and freedom. Just yesterday I rose to the floor of the House to recount my experience over the weekend joining the Iranian-American community in Houston on a busy corner at Post Oak and Westheimer. We joined together as Americans to begin to articulate that there is no divide when it comes to the freedom of speech, freedom for all to have access to protests and democracy. So today I rise to support H. Res. 676, and I rise to speak in horror of the 1,000 Iranians that have been arrested and almost two dozen killed. We mourn their loss. We recognize that it has to be all of us, our allies included, that must stand and join in the language of this resolution, and it is, of course, to ensure that sanctions are pointedly targeted at those who want to oppress the protesters. Interestingly enough, the protesters are now from rural and the middle class. The questions of the economy are very much a part of it, that Iranians are not able to live and to be able to have economic opportunity. Their young people have no growth. So this is far reaching, which is, of course, surprising to the regime. They were hoping to quash this. They have no answers. And the answers should be a concerted, committed, and dedicated group of allies, including the United States, leading in efforts to support these protesters.…”