Dear Friends,
North Korea is pressing forward with their 3-decade goal of building a stockpile of nuclear bombs that threaten the U.S. and North Asia. With American safety at stake, the United States will not stand by. That is why we as a nation and as a global community are taking action. First, how did we get here.
In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton agreed to a “freeze” and “dismantlement” of the rogue regime’s nuclear program. He secured an agreement for inspections, and, in exchange, the United States and the international community sent some $4 billion to Pyongyang.
Then, in his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush declared North Korea part of the “axis of evil” in large part due to their non-compliance with previous agreements. At that time, in a post-9/11 world, however, our military and diplomatic might was focused on the Middle East, so badly needed pressure on the rogue regime was insufficient.
Most recently, President Barack Obama’s strategy of “strategic patience” for eight years gained us nothing and resulted in a world more dangerous.
In total, in the nearly quarter century since sanctions were first imposed, not only have we lost ground – as evidenced by North Korea’s ballistic missile flights and nuclear testing, we now face a clear danger to our homeland and an immediate danger to our friends and allies neighboring North Korea.
Click HERE to watch my remarks regarding North Korea on the House Floor.
Today the leadership of the United States – House, Senate, and Executive Branch – is unified in goal of a denuclearized North Korea.
This past Tuesday, in his U.N. General Assembly address, President Trump made clear that America will take further action if Pyongyang continues on its path of nuclearization and hostile behavior. He followed this up on Thursday issuing an Executive Order to further tighten sanctions on North Korea and making strides to cut off their cash flow.
I’m pleased that under the leadership of President Trump and his capable national security team, led by Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, our fresh approach ended "strategic patience" is guiding the world on a path to see a denuclearized North Korea.
I also am pleased that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is bringing to bear the full capacity of his agency. I also congratulate U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for not one, but two 15-0 votes in the U.N. Security Council to ratchet up the unified, global pressure on North Korea.
In the House, we continue to do our part. As a member of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance, we are working on bi-partisan legislation to increase and expand sanctions against the North Korean government and those doing business with them.
After a quarter century, America is returning to our rightful place as an engaged world leader – to protect families of America and our allies.
The time for action is now.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill |
Ran into Winrock International CEO and President Rodney Ferguson and team at the Concordia Summit. Winrock is based in Little Rock and is engaged in social, agricultural, and environmental development.
Enjoyed meeting with Clinton Foundation interns Melanie, Erykah, and Justin. They are doing great work in education, communication, and volunteer engagement, and I was so proud to hear the career goals of these young, vibrant leaders.
Great meeting with my Pulaski County Veterans Advisory Council. If you are a veteran or know a veteran who needs help, please call me at (501) 324-5941.
Unsung Heroes of Little Rock Nine
Journalist Alex Wilson (1908-60):
African-American journalist Alex Wilson ran to danger rather than away from it. When President Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent the 101st Airborne to protect the Little Rock Nine, Wilson was on the scene, reporting about the tensions as they unfolded -- himself a target of attacks. Because of Wilson’s dedication to level and honest reporting, the story of the quest for equality and justice in the integration of Little Rock schools is preserved forever.
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The Honorable Judge Ronald Davies (1904-96):
A relatively young jurist, federal Judge Davies was temporarily reassigned from North Dakota to the Eastern District of Arkansas in August 1957. On September 20, 1957, he found that the Arkansas National Guard was being used to prevent integration—not to preserve law and order—and ordered their removal. His decision was one of courage and fortitude, and it paved the way for the Little Rock Nine’s first day of school at Little Rock Central High School four days later.
Attorney Wiley Austin Branton Sr. (1923-1988):
Arkansas civil rights leader Wiley Austin Branton Sr. helped desegregate the University of Arkansas School of Law. In early 1956, Branton filed suit against the Little Rock School Board for failing to integrate the public schools properly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision. His case ultimately advanced the desegregation of Central High school and was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court as Cooper v. Aaron in 1958, paving the way for racial school integration all over the nation.
Op-ed: TOM COTTON AND FRENCH HILL: Remember
Little Rock Nine's walk
"We've introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress to expand the boundaries of the Little Rock Central High School historic site, which would help save the historic area from the ravages of time. It's passed the House of Representatives, but not yet the Senate.
So we encourage our colleagues in the upper chamber to act soon--because it'd be a fitting capstone to our celebration of today's civil-rights anniversary.
It's been 60 years since nine African American students tried to enroll in what was then an all-white Little Rock Central High School. Three years earlier, the Supreme Court had ruled 'separate but equal' unconstitutional, but it wasn't until that month that the students tried to act on it..."
Click here to read more.
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