UNRWA Accountability Act of 2018

Mr. Speaker, today we held a markup on various important measures. I'd like to express support of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Democracy and Accountability Act, H.R. 6207, of which I am the proud sponsor, along with our lead Democratic cosponsor, my good friend and ranking member of our subcommittee, Rep. Karen Bass.

I would also like to thank Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Engel, both of whom are original cosponsors, for scheduling this bill for markup so soon after introduction.

A sense of urgency with regard to the DR Congo is not misplaced.

As many of you know, the DRC is a strategically-located, resource- rich country which, unfortunately, has been misgoverned for most of its history.

H.R. 6207 supports the humanitarian and accountability efforts of civil society groups pushing back against civil strife and political repression. In particular, it acknowledges the role of the faith community and the Catholic Church, which educates and heals the Congolese people through its schools and hospitals while upholding the need for the rule of law and respect for constitutional principles in the DRC.

H.R. 6207 also supports a free and fair electoral process in the DRC which is long overdue. It is in our national security interest to support the Congolese people's call for democracy and accountability. Plus it is the right thing to do.

Notably, H.R. 6207 puts human rights violators and corrupt actors in the Democratic Republic of Congo under notice, codifying existing tools that allow us to sanction bad actors.

I urge my colleagues to join us by cosponsoring H.R. 6207.

I am also proud to be a sponsor of H.R. 1697, the Israel Anti- Boycott Act.

This Act will help protect Israel from unfair and punitive boycott efforts fomented by biased international organizations.

I commend my good friends Peter Roskam, Juan Vargas, and Lee Zeldin for introducing this critical bipartisan measure to protect Israeli and American sovereignty and economic interests. I would also like to recognize our Chairman Ed Royce's work to amend this bill to bring it to a full committee vote.

The notoriously anti-Israel agenda of the UN Human Rights Council in recent years has developed into a dangerous assault on Israel's economy. Pursuant to a March 2016 UNHRC resolution decrying businesses that operate beyond Israel's 1949 Armistice lines, the Human Rights Council in recent years has carried out an insidious blacklisting effort that is tantamount to economic warfare against the State of Israel.

Earlier this year the Council announced that it had compiled a list of 206 companies that it believed ought to be boycotted because they operate outside Israel's old boundaries. Of these 206 UN-blacklisted companies, 143 are based in Israel and 22 in the United States. Clearly it is right to protect these companies from damaging boycotts and to stand by our stalwart ally, Israel, the only democratic country in the region.

This legislation directs the President to amend U.S. commerce and foreign trade laws to prohibit American companies from knowingly complying with boycotts targeted at American allies. I urge my colleagues to support this measure to deliver badly-needed protection to American and Israeli companies whose legitimate business should not be manipulated to serve a hateful, anti-Israel political agenda.

I further urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5898, the UNRWA Accountability Act, another bipartisan measure introduced by David Cicilline and Lee Zeldin.

For years the United States has been the world's largest donor to an organization that amplifies a Palestinian curriculum which propagates anti-Israel and anti-Semitic animus while entrenching conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. By conferring refugee status to successive generations of displaced Palestinians, UNRWA contributes to a ballooning population of aggrieved people who in turn are manipulated by those seeking to maintain pressure upon Israel.

United States aid to UNRWA must conform to United States' interests in securing true peace for Israel and the Palestinian people. This means applying real oversight and scrutiny to UNRWA's policies. It also means identifying alternatives to UNRWA if its mandate is at odds with our interests. This legislation requires a report that will help Congress conduct this critical oversight. This bill has my full support.

I would like to thank Representative Norma Torres for introducing H. Res. 944. This is a simple, compassionate resolution that expresses solidarity for the people of Guatemala who lost their loved ones and their homes to the terrible volcanic eruption of Mount Fuego on the third of June.

I am proud to be the lead Republican cosponsor of this resolution, for which Ms. Torres, along with her staffer Clay Boggs, deserve the credit.

I also want to note as an aside, that Congresswoman Torres and I have at times found ourselves on different sides of policy debates, including toward Guatemala.

What is important, however, is that when disaster strikes, we put aside our differences and unite in solidarity with those who suffer. Indeed, we have received thanks from people in Guatemala, and I am sure Ms. Torres has as well, who note with appreciation this bipartisan coming together to support the Guatemalan people.

I urge my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to join us.