Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Byrne) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes for debate. I rise today in opposition to the rule. Let's not parse words. This bill is a Republican attempt to politicize the recent payment by the United States to the Government of Iran. The legislation equates the payment, which was made as part of a settlement of a 35-year-old dispute before the United States-Iran Claims Tribunal, as ransom. It prohibits any future payments. And I might add, Iran has 200 claims before the tribunal at this time, and all of the American claims have been settled before the same Algiers Accords tribunal. It prohibits any future payments to the Iranian Government and requires the President to submit to Congress a report listing and evaluating outstanding claims before the tribunal. Mr. Speaker, let's get something straight. The payment to Iran was not ransom, and anyone who suggests it was is just trying to score some political points in the limited time we have left in Washington. The payment was part of a legal settlement to a longstanding 35-year dispute. It was money owed to the Iranian Government by the American Government, and the transfer was simply our government meeting its obligations. As I indicated earlier, it may surprise those watching at home to learn that the tribunal has awarded roughly $2.5 billion to American citizens in the past.…”