News From Congressman Eliot Engel

ENGEL STATEMENT ON TODAY’S INDICTMENTS  

Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today released the following statement:

“Given the Trump Administration’s failure to hold Russia accountable for its attack on American democracy, it’s no surprise that it fell to the Special Counsel investigating the Trump-Russia scandal to act at last. Today’s indictments shed new light on the extent of Russia’s destructive plot against the United States and underscore the importance of Mr. Mueller’s work and why it must continue.

“However, this announcement won’t prevent Russia from meddling with future elections, which even the Administration acknowledges is happening. Congressional Republicans must now work across the aisle to shore up our election system against the next wave of attacks, or else they signal that they’re perfectly willing to accept Russia’s help. American democracy is on the line.”

It Is Unacceptable That Republicans Continue to Tolerate These Mass Shootings 

“My heart continues to break for the families and victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkville, Florida. Wednesday’s shooting was the 18^th school shooting and the 30^th mass shooting to take place this year. We are forty-seven days into 2018.

“In the wake of this horrific tragedy, people will try to find an explanation for why this happened. Already, we are hearing the President blame mental health problems, stigmatizing millions of Americans. Mental health is a serious issue and funding mental health programs is important, but make no mistake: the GOP is using mental health as a red herring to distract from their unwillingness to even entertain the idea of strengthening our weak gun laws.

“The reason seventeen innocent people were viciously murdered yesterday is because a nineteen-year-old, who had been expelled from school, was able to walk into a gun store that didn’t require fingerprints, permits, or a waiting period, and buy a gun.

“It is unacceptable that Republicans in Congress continue to tolerate these mass shootings and murders. We have solutions to reduce the likelihood of events like this. Democrats have introduced legislation that would require stricter background checks, longer wait periods, ban assault weapons, and limit magazine capacity among many others. I call on Speaker Ryan to bring these solutions to the floor for a vote before any more Americans are killed.”