The Public Record
Gerry Edward Connolly is a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia's 11th congressional district since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Connolly has focused on various issues including government accountability, environmental protection, and healthcare reform. He has served on several committees, including the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, where he has been involved in investigations and legislation related to federal oversight and transparency.
I must say, in this examination what's going to be revealed is that we have some of the most restrictive guidelines in terms of research all skewed toward outcomes that talk about the harmful effects of marijuana, almost none of which talk…
Iran is different from the United States in that we do have the separation--what we call the separation of church and state.
Every group is entitled in a society to human rights protection, whether they be Baha'is, whether it be women, whether they be gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.
We are just saying respect the equal rights of freedom of religion for the Baha'is, for the Jewish community, for the Christian community, for the minority Muslim communities.
We believe in that very strongly. We did from the beginning in the United States.
The human rights situation in Iran is Medieval and remains bleak, and it is very important we speak out about it.
I believe that the Baha'i resolution we have today has more at stake than just--not that that is limited--the Baha'i issue.
We cannot forget Mr. Levinson and his family and I hope that the words particularly of Mr. Deutch bring some comfort to his family and can lead to some action by the Iranian Government.
It is, to me, a shocking document, and your reaction... raises serious questions about your fitness to hold your job.
This is about a board not doing its job and a staff substituting itself for the board.
This is about a staff that is out of control. This is about a dysfunctional culture.
I certainly would be glad to work with him in that effort because that is really what we ought to be doing with legislation.
Surely, however, we have to acknowledge that would be the first bipartisan effort.
How are we helping allies like Turkey look toward alternative sourcing for political stability purposes?
Politicians sometimes, like you, enjoy creative ambiguity. This is not one of those times. We need clarity.
I mean, because leaving it the way it is right now still allows the inference to be drawn that there is cheating going on.
But given that long list my friend from Texas just ticked off, isn't that a loophole?
So maybe we could spend our time more creatively here in Congress talking about trying to find a solution to your problem rather than trying to finger blame in a tangential way that really begs the question.
Let's not distort facts here. Let's not try to manufacture a narrative that, in fact, is misleading if not false.
I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: Page 35, line 21, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $2,200,000)''. Page 35, line 24, after the dollar amount…
And I assure you there are many of us up here who will be behind you and side by side in trying to make that happen.
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