[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10818]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         REMARKS ON NORTH KOREA

  (Mr. BANKS of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BANKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, last week, as we celebrated our 
Nation's birthday, news broke that North Korea successfully launched 
its first intercontinental ballistic missile.
  The missile's estimated range would put Alaska within reach. Like all 
Americans, I am deeply concerned by this development.
  North Korea's possession of an estimated 20 nuclear warheads and 
chemical and biological weapons makes it an urgent and imminent threat 
to the United States.
  While there are no easy options, our country must do more to deter 
the Kim regime. I strongly support building our missile defense 
programs, which is a priority in this year's National Defense 
Authorization Act, which the House is considering this week.
  I also support increasing sanctions against China and Chinese 
companies that support the Kim regime. At this critical time, all 
options, including military action, must be on the table. The threat of 
a nuclear-armed North Korea is too serious to simply maintain the 
status quo.

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