Political Quotes

“I rise to support the Senate amendments to the International Religious Freedom Act, H.R. 2431. I abhor the persecution of anyone because of their faith, whether they are Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, fellow Christians, or people of other faiths. Unfortunately, I was forced to oppose this bill when the House last considered it because I did not believe that it would achieve the desired result of curbing religious oppression by governments around the world. Indeed, my concern was that the proposed sanctions in the bill would do nothing to influence countries who do not share our ideas of religious liberty and only put at risk the jobs of innocent American workers. While the goal of the bill in seeking to use the influence of the United States to prevent or halt international religious persecution is commendable, the mechanisms of the House bill did not allow for enough flexibility for a U.S. response tailored to confront a particular foreign government engaged in religious persecution.”