Senator Markey has introduced legislation to reaffirm Congress’s Constitutional power over a first strike on North Korea
VIDEO: http://bit.ly/2F1aVXw
Washington (March 1, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the East Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered remarks on the U.S. Senate floor today urging the Trump administration to ratchet up the pressure on North Korea with the intent of compelling Kim Jong Ung to come to the negotiating table. Specifically, Senator Markey noted President Trump’s reckless rhetoric, contradictory statements about the possibility of talks, and cuts to State Department funding threaten to dampen the prospects of a peaceful solution on the Korean Peninsula.
In his remarks, Senator Markey called for cutting off the flow of crude oil from China to North Korea, stopping the Kim regime from selling the slave labor of its people, eliminating Pyongyang’s illicit drug trade, halting its procurement of key rocket fuel chemicals, and restricting its use of the internet to evade sanctions through theft of cryptocurrencies to commit other cybercrimes.
“There might be a military option for the North Korean nuclear threat, but there is no military solution...We have an obligation to American families, servicemembers, and our allies to say –unequivocally – that we did everything in our power to curb North Korea’s dangerous behavior without resorting to armed conflict,” said Senator Markey in his floor remarks. “We must continue the pressure on North Korea. But it must be combined with simultaneous and direct engagement…Let’s return the United States of America to the forefront of statecraft, allowing our diplomats to advance our interests without risking a frivolous loss of life.”
In October 2017, Senator Markey introduced bipartisan and bicameral legislation to ensure that President Donald Trump cannot attack North Korea without the approval of Congress by prohibiting any expenditure of funds for such a strike.
Earlier this month, Senator Markey called on the State Department to explain how it is able to implement North Korea-related diplomatic and sanctions enforcement efforts in light of drastic budget cuts, high-level position eliminations, and staffing reassignments.
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