Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this amendment, of which I am a proud cosponsor.

Nearly 1 year ago, I traveled to Korea, Japan, and China. I visited the DMZ and the Chinese border town of Dandong. I watched as trucks loaded with goods drove across the China-Korea Friendship Bridge into North Korea.

Mr. Chair, 70 percent of North Korea's trade passes over that bridge, and it was a stark reminder that, in order to change North Korea's malign behavior, we need sanctions that undermine the financial networks that keep the Kim regime afloat.

Over the past year, the President has taken tremendous steps towards disrupting North Korean cash flows, but we still have an imperfect understanding of where and how North Korea gets its revenue, and our limited knowledge has weakened international sanctions.

This amendment would require the Director of National Intelligence to study North Korean financial and trade networks, weapons sales, labor exports, and supply chains to better understand the sources of the regime's revenue. It would aid the international community in closing gaps in sanctions against North Korea. The report will help us support our diplomats as they seek to restore stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this critical amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source