Good Morning. Thank you for yielding, Mr. Chairman.
Many of you know that sanctions can be useful diplomatic tools. For almost 40 years, Congress has worked with the Executive Branch on Iran sanctions policy and legislation. It has always been a partnership. I often think of South Africa, where international sanctions helped to bring about democratic changes that shifted the course of history. This legacy is the reason why I, and many others, supported the bipartisan sanctions bills that finally brought Iran to the negotiating table to discuss their nuclear weapons program.
Let me be clear, I am no friend of Iran’s regime. Like many of you, I am sickened by the acts of terror that the Iranian leadership has supported. Too many people have lost their lives and countless loved ones in senseless attacks and violence. This is why I support bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeking justice for former American hostages and their families. This is why I speak up for religious freedom and the release of political prisoners, and this is why I fight to protect victims of gross human rights abuses in Iran and around the world.
After the Iran nuclear agreement was finalized, I spent months attending briefings, studying documents, and listening to citizens from my district. I held many long executive sessions with myself and weighed all sides of the argument. In particular, I reflected on the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he called upon us to "rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter - but beautiful - struggle for a new world."
You see the way of peace is an immutable principle that I hold near and dear to my heart. I believed then, as I believe now, that the Administration’s nuclear agreement is a good deal. No, it may not be perfect, but we must not - we cannot - let the perfect be the enemy of the good. As we speak, the agreement is being implemented, and Iran is just beginning to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Any legislative attempt to undermine this opportunity for peace cannot - must not - be entertained.
We do not need more war and conflict. War is messy; it is bloody. It destroys the hopes, the aspirations, and the dreams of a people. The American public - and people around the world - are sick and tired of war and violence. As Members of Congress, we have a moral obligation, a mission, and a mandate to give peace a chance. We cannot sow the seeds of failure; we must light the way of hope.
Thank you. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today.
