(Video Above: Congressman Bradley Byrne urges his colleagues to focus more on national security over party politics)
Washington – Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) delivered a speech from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday in support of two national security bills, and had some strong words for his colleagues.
Congressman Byrne spoke first in support of H.R. 3457, the Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act, which would inhibit the President from lifting any sanctions on Iran until they pay out over $43.5 billion to American victims of terrorism.
“This bill is really pretty simple to me: you can either stand with American citizens or the Islamic Republic of Iran. You can stand with the Ayatollah or the families of service members who were killed by Iran-backed terrorists. To me, this is an obvious choice.”
“This shouldn’t be a partisan debate, added Byrne. “American courts have ruled that Iran owes money to these individuals or their families. So why is it controversial to require that these payments are made before rewarding Iran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief?”
The lifting of billions of dollars in sanctions for Iran falls under the Iran deal orchestrated by President Obama, which Byrne has committed to doing everything he can to stop. Since the Iran deal was announced, Byrne and the other Republican members of Alabama’s delegation have slammed President Obama’s willingness to make concessions to Iran, which has long been considered an untrustworthy “rogue state.” The Islamic Republic of Iran has also been accused of supporting terrorist groups, including ISIS.
In addition to the Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act, Byrne spoke in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2016 (NDAA), which sets budget priorities and policies for the Pentagon.
“For 53 straight years, Congress has come together to pass a National Defense Authorization Act to ensure that our military men and women have the resources and the policy they need to do their job,” said Byrne. “Even in an era of deep partisanship in Congress, we have still been able to keep the tradition alive and pass an NDAA each year. This rule would allow us to keep that tradition alive.”
The House passed the NDAA by a vote of 270 to 156 and the Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act by a vote of 251 to 173. The Senate also passed their version of the NDAA with a vote of 71 to 25.
President Obama has threatened to veto both of these bills.
“Today’s debate is about providing for our nation’s military men and women and their families. And I hope my colleagues, and the President, will reconsider their objections,” said Byrne.
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