Foreign Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement: “President Trump’s decision to remove the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement is a step in the wrong direction. By withdrawing from the agreement, the President is undermining the interests of countless communities and ecosystems harmed by climate change in the United States. Unfortunately, this latest action by the Trump Administration will only further hurt Virginians and our environment. In Hampton Roads, we have already seen the signs of a changing climate through extreme weather, recurrent flooding, and higher than average temperatures.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, the terrorist attacks perpetrated against our Nation 15 years ago killed nearly 3,000 people. No one can fully fathom the grief still felt by families to lose their loved ones in such a horrific way. We understand the need to continue to seek justice against those who may have aided and abetted the individuals that orchestrated these attacks. However, this legislation is not the right way to go about achieving that justice. JASTA abrogates a core principle in international law--foreign sovereign immunity. There are already several exceptions to this immunity recognized by our Nation and others, but JASTA goes much further than any present exception or recognized practice of any national law. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Texas just suggested, one fundamental indication of fairness of legislation is not how it would work to our benefit, but what we would think if it were used against us.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 4038, the American SAFE Act of 2015, which would effectively stop the admission of properly vetted Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the United States: “Our nation continues to stand with the people of France in the wake of last week’s horrific terrorist attacks in Paris, and we must be vigilant in ensuring that a similar attack does not happen on our shores. Unfortunately, the bill considered in the House of Representatives today preys on the fear of the American people and would unjustly shut out the most vulnerable Syrians and Iraqis fleeing from the unimaginable violence overrunning their countries.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, along with U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott, Randy Forbes, Rob Wittman, Gerry Connolly, Robert Hurt, Dave Brat, and Don Beyer released the following statement on the release of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that makes clear Fort Pickett, Virginia is the best location for a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC). “After years of study, the Department of State and the General Services Administration determined in 2011 that Fort Pickett was the best site for security training for American embassy personnel and began to plan the facility