To amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2131, which amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy through September 30, 2010.

The Advisory Commission is a bipartisan panel created by Congress and appointed by the President to formulate and recommend to the President, the Secretary of State, and Members of Congress policies and programs to carry out public diplomacy of the U.S. Government, and to assess the effectiveness of ongoing public diplomacy activities. Such programs and activities constitute our effort to understand, inform and influence foreign publics in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives.

Public diplomacy has never been more important to the security of our nation than it is today. Fortunately, President Obama enjoys a wellspring of support overseas, offering the United States a chance to repair its image. According to a new survey released on September 9, 2009 by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, for example, European support for President Barack Obama's handling of foreign policy is currently at 77 percent, four times greater than that of George W. Bush when he left office. In the Asia Pacific region and throughout the rest of the world, support rates for our new President have climbed at similarly dramatic rates.

Yet, the challenges confronting U.S. public diplomacy are varied, and there is no easy means to address them. As Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith A. McHale, said in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during her nomination hearing, ``An important lesson of recent years is that we must do a better job of thinking and planning strategically, with a clear mission and a steady eye on long-term global goals, accompanied by careful assessment of programs, personnel and expenditures. This will allow us to craft proactive, purposeful and integrated programs that further U.S. policy interests and resonate with foreign publics.''

The Advisory Commission was created specifically to assist in devising such strategic plans and in providing objective criticism. It has done an excellent job in this regard and deserves to continue its work for another year, and this is why I am hopeful that my colleagues will join me in supporting H.R. 2131.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 2131, introduced by my good friend Ambassador Watson. In terms of commerce, culture, military power, and just about any other field of human endeavor, our Nation is a key actor in the complex world of the 21st century. Sometimes, however, our goals and our intentions are misunderstood or are deliberately misinterpreted by those who mean us harm. People cannot fully understand American interests without understanding American ideals, economic and personal freedom, democracy and human rights; and people will not fully grasp those American ideals without having a sense of the diverse genius of the American people whose resolve, good will and generosity constitute the true heart of our Nation. We cannot take that knowledge for granted, Mr. Speaker. Showing the true face of America to the people of the world is the lofty aim of our U.S. public diplomacy efforts.

In the wrenching aftermath of the Second World War, Congress created the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy in 1948.

According to its current charter, the Commission ``appraises U.S. Government activities intended to understand, inform and influence foreign publics.''

For example, just last year, the Commission issued a 36-page report critiquing and making recommendations for personnel practices of the current Public Diplomacy bureaucracy in areas such as recruitment, training and integration into broader State Department operations.

This short bill before us today will keep the Commission's legislative authorization from expiring at the end of this month. This will give the Foreign Affairs Committee and this Congress another year to assess the work and the efficacy of the Commission and its relationship with our broader Public Diplomacy apparatus before undertaking a more comprehensive, longer-term reform effort.

I would like to again thank my colleague from California, Ambassador Watson, for introducing this measure, and I support its adoption by this House.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, so I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2131) to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of

1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

This legislation would extend by 1 year the mandate of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a bipartisan panel created by Congress and appointed by the President that reports on the public diplomacy work of the State Department, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and other United States Government agencies. The commission reports its findings and recommendations to the President, Congress and the Secretary of State. Its products provide a window into what works and what does not work in our public diplomacy efforts.

For example, the commission's 2008 report on the human resource dimension of public diplomacy has been used as a guide by both Congress and the new administration on ways that the recruitment and training of public diplomacy staff at the State Department can and should be improved.

Mr. Speaker, the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy serves a very useful purpose. We should reauthorize it for another year of operation, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I certainly thank the young lady.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I ask unanimous consent the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3593 and H.R. 2131 en bloc, and the Senate proceed to their immediate consideration en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the bills be read a third time and passed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table en bloc, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.