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[Page H7248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
KANSANS WANT CONGRESS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, the circus is back in town. I can hear the
music all the way over here in the Capitol, the music of that merry-go-
round going on in the Judiciary Committee right now, as we speak.
Yes, Mr. Mueller is here now for the fifth congressional hearing on
this same issue, on this witch hunt. This is a cheap, made-for-TV
television movie that is now going back and reviewing everything,
allowing Mr. Mueller to sit there and read the report that he submitted
days and weeks ago.
Mr. Speaker, the frustration is that, back home, we have done over 63
town halls, and I can count on one hand the number of times somebody
has ever asked me about the Mueller report or Russiamania.
What Kansans want is for Congress to stand up and solve the problems
in front of us.
The USMCA agreement, the NAFTA-2.0 agreement, is sitting on the
Speaker of the House's desk. Nothing would do more for Kansas right
now, both Kansas agriculture and Kansas manufacturing, than to get that
agreement passed. It would mean thousands of jobs for Kansans. It would
mean hundreds of millions of dollars more income for Kansans as well.
We are tired of this witch hunt. We want to move on. We want to move
on and fix problems. The problem is the Democrats don't want to
challenge us on issues and on policy. Instead, they want to attack the
President because their policies won't stand the test of the American
public or the test of time.
Bring Iran to the Table
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, we don't want war in Iran. We don't want
war in the Middle East. We don't want war anywhere.
Mr. Speaker, I try to talk to my parents every week--every Sunday,
typically. My parents seldom offer me advice, but the last thing my dad
recently said to me was, ``Roger, don't send our troops into battle.''
Mr. Speaker, we must, however, make every effort to ensure Tehran
does not have access to nuclear weapons. We must stop them from fueling
global terror and endangering Americans and our allies around the
world.
Like many other Kansans, I have served our country in uniform. None
of us want war in Iran. That is not my goal, and it is not the
President's goal. We must, however, guarantee Iran never has access to
nuclear weapons and that they stop funding and arming terror around the
world.
They are very evil actors. They are not a normal country. They seek
the destruction of the United States and our closest ally in the Middle
East, Israel.
I support any effort to bring Iran to the table for a deal that
addresses both of these important goals. The best way to do this is to
continue to apply maximum pressure on Iran.
Mr. Speaker, Iran has been responsible for the death of hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of American soldiers during the Iraq war through
their supply of IEDs. They chant ``death to America,'' and as I said,
they threaten our allies. This is an issue of great importance to the
safety and security of this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, if I haven't said it before, we don't want war. We just
want Iran to act like a normal country. Normal countries don't take
other country's ships hostage. Normal countries don't shoot down
American drones. Normal countries don't ship IEDs to terrorists to kill
Americans. Normal countries don't fund terrorism.
We cannot sit idly by on our hands as we watch Iran seize ships and
continue to hold the Nation hostage. Instead, I believe, like President
Reagan and, before him, President Eisenhower, that we best have peace
through strength. We need to keep the maximum pressure, keep the faith,
work with our allies, and get Iran to the table.
My fellow Americans, please join me in prayer as our Nation's
officials make this effort to ensure peace and increase stability in
the region.
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