To amend the preamble.

SA 3301. Mr. SCHUMER (for Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Graham))
proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 805, commemorating the
tenth anniversary of the murder of James Wright Foley and calling for
the moral courage to prioritize the return of Americans held captive
abroad and take all necessary efforts to deter international hostage
taking and arbitrary detention; as follows:

Strike the preamble and insert the following:
Whereas James W. Foley was an American freelance
journalist, an author, teacher and humanitarian from New
Hampshire;
Whereas James dedicated his career to robust, independent,
and compassionate journalism that took him to war zones and
classrooms alike;
Whereas, upon his return after being detained for six weeks
in Libya, James said, ``for some reason I have physical
courage, but, that's nothing compared to moral courage. If I
don't have the moral courage to challenge authority, to write
about things that might have reprisals on my career, if I
don't have that moral courage, we don't have journalism'';
Whereas, on November 22, 2012, James was kidnapped while
reporting on the conflict in northern Syria;
Whereas, on August 19, 2014, James Wright Foley was
publicly beheaded by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
(ISIS), his death then used as propaganda against the United
States of America;
Whereas, on September 4, 2014, the James W. Foley Legacy
Foundation was established to inspire the moral courage
needed to secure the freedom of Americans taken captive
abroad, prevent future hostage-taking, and promote journalist
safety;
Whereas the Foley Foundation participated in the National
Counter Terrorism Center task force, ordered by President
Barack Obama to evaluate United States hostage policy and
engagement with families of those held captive;
Whereas, on June 24, 2015, President Obama issued
Presidential Policy Directive 30, which committed to
``achieving the safe and rapid recovery of U.S. nationals
taken hostage outside the United States'' and established the
current United States hostage enterprise, which includes the
Hostage Response Group (HRG) at the National Security
Council, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
(SPEHA), and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell (HRFC) that
together pursue recovery strategies, support returned
hostages and families of current hostages, and coordinate the
use of diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligence, and
military capabilities to resolve international hostage-
takings;
Whereas the Foley Foundation has worked since 2014, in
collaboration with the United States Government's hostage
enterprise and families of United States nationals taken
hostage abroad by terrorists or criminals and those
wrongfully detained by nation states to help reunite
families;
Whereas, in 2019, after negotiating the release of a United
States citizen wrongfully detained in Iran, President Trump
reiterated that ``the highest priority of the United States
is the safety and well-being of its citizens. Freeing
Americans held captive is of vital importance to my
Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring
home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas,'' and
in 2023, upon negotiating the release of five Americans held
in Iran, President Biden said that ``reuniting wrongfully
detained Americans with their loved ones has been a priority
for my Administration since day one'';
Whereas, since 2019, the Foley Foundation has annually
published research in the ``Bringing Americans Home'' report,
which evaluates the experiences of American families with a
loved one held captive abroad, returned hostages and
detainees, and government and nongovernment experts;
Whereas, in December 2020, Congress passed, and President
Trump reaffirmed the United States commitment to bringing
home American citizens by signing into law the Robert
Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability
Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) to prioritize and provide
assistance to Americans wrongfully detained abroad and to
their family members;
Whereas, in September 2021, Alexanda Kotey pleaded guilty
to eight counts of kidnapping, torture, and accessory to
murder of four Americans, including James Wright Foley, Kayla
Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff, and Peter Edward Kassig;
Whereas, on August 19, 2022, the Department of Justice
convicted former British jihadist, El Shafee ElSheik in
Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia for the
kidnapping, torture, and murder of Americans Sotloff, Kassig,
Mueller, and Foley, as well as three British citizens;
Whereas, under Democratic and Republican presidents, the
United States has successfully freed more than 120 Americans
from unjust captivity abroad;
Whereas President Joe Biden's July 2022 Executive Order
14078 (relating to bolstering efforts to bring hostages and
wrongfully detained United States nationals home) declared
that hostage taking and the wrongful detention of United
States nationals constitute an unusual and extraordinary
threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy
of the United States; and
Whereas the targeting of United States nationals for use as
political pawns by nation states is a grave threat to the
security of United States nationals traveling abroad, seeks
to hold the United State Government hostage, and strains
international stability: Now, therefore, be it

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