Political Quotes

“In 1953, the United States was already competing in an international arms race. Recognizing that the danger of a buildup of nuclear weapons posed considerable risk to the United States, President Eisenhower proposed not merely eliminating the use of nuclear technology for military purposes, but a mechanism to remove nuclear technology from the hands of soldiers and place it in the hands of those who could adapt it to the art of peace. The entity formed to accomplish this task was the International Atomic Energy Agency. Under the auspices of the IAEA, nuclear technology has made substantial contributions to sustainable development across many sectors, including energy, health, agriculture and hydrology. It has also provided a platform for nuclear states to verify and monitor each other's compliance with nonproliferation treaties. This is why I oppose H.R. 3743, the so-called Iran Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act of 1998. Cutting U.S. contributions to the IAEA will not advance any legitimate United States interest, but it will increase risk to the United States and to civilians living in the Middle East. Without IAEA supervision, Iran will certainly turn to the Russians for help in constructing nuclear reactors. Would we really prefer that Iran's reactors be constructed by those responsible for Chernobyl? No offense to the Russians, but that would not even be in their own security interests.”