Political Quotes

“I am pleased to offer a simple bipartisan amendment with Representatives Wolf and Schneider to expand an existing report required by Section 1242 of the bill. The amendment clarifies that the report ought to include information on how the Egyptian military is supporting the rights of individuals involved in civil society and democratic promotion efforts through non-governmental organizations or NGOs. This a timely issue, given the guilty verdict rendered by an Egyptian court June 4th against 43 NGO workers--including 17 Americans--because of their involvement with pro-democracy groups. The guilty verdict renews concerns about Egypt's commitment to democratic principles. In fact, I am circulating a bipartisan letter with my Virginia colleague, Representative Wolf, urging Egyptian President Morsi to immediately reconsider this action and permit the NGOs to continue their important work. So far, more than 50 Members of Congress have signed our bipartisan letter, including Representative Schneider, who also cosponsored this amendment. The United States supports the aspirations of the Egyptian people to become a free and fair society, in which all NGOs--regardless of their nation of origin-- are allowed to operate freely.…”