Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), my dear friend and the distinguished ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I rise today in support of S. 1635, the Department of State Authorities Act. There is an expression in Latin. I studied Latin for 6 years, but I rarely get to use it. It is mirabile dictu--wonderful to relate--that we are actually going to pass the State Department authorization bill. The bill is not perfect, and it is not as comprehensive as one would hope; however, it is a product of compromise under the fine leadership of Ed Royce and Eliot Engel. It is a welcome step toward the annual authorization of the State Department operations I know we will get to next year. The regular enactment of a State Department authorization is a long-neglected priority, and the clarity of our diplomacy and development missions have suffered absent one. Congress has not enacted a full State authorization bill since 2002. In a similar vein, the Foreign Assistance Act has not undergone a comprehensive reauthorization since 1985, when I was a staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I have introduced the Global Partnerships Act, which would do just that, and I have tried to streamline and modernize the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The bill on the floor today codifies high standards for Embassy security practices and ensures that we are making smart investments in diplomatic security.…”