National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

Floor Speech

Date: June 13, 2013
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. ELLISON. Madam Chairman, allow me to thank the ranking member and the chair of the committee.

This graphic I have in front of me, Madam Chairman, was taken in Tahrir Square a few years ago now when the people were peacefully demonstrating to overcome the Mubarak regime which had oppressed them for so many years. They're holding up tear gas, and it says ``Made in America'' on it.

When our government transferred those riot and anti-riot materials to that government, I believe we didn't have any reason to know that it would be misused by a tyrannical regime to oppress and down press peaceful demonstrators. I propose, though, that when our government has reason to know that there is a tyrannical regime using repressive techniques to put down their peaceful demonstrators, that our government should withhold exports of that nature.

The fact is that the tyranny that people lived under under Hosni Mubarak was not made in America. It was made by Hosni Mubarak. But we should not be implicated in the kind of oppression if we know about it, and therefore I think we should have the authority in our government to withhold those kinds of transfers when they come to our attention.

So the young man holding up this tear gas canister that police fired at the pro-democracy demonstrators is labeled ``Made in the USA.'' This is a misrepresentation because it was Mubarak who oppressed his own people, but we should not be implicated in this, particularly if we have reason to know.

Madam Chairman, this is not the message we should be sending. Whether it's being sent deliberately or not, it's not the message we should send to the people who are seeking nothing more than what we want in the United States, which is to democratically control their own country. It's not in our interest, and we should have the authority to stop it.

The United States should not supply tear gas to governments that use it to repress democracy, and my amendment helps us to move to that goal.

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