To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 876) to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to carry out a plan for the purchase and installation of an earthquake early warning system for the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 876, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this overdue action by the Federal Government, the Pacific Northwest Earthquake Preparedness Act of 2019, as amended.

Next month will mark the eighth anniversary of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, Japan. Japanese officials estimate the event caused 100,000 buildings to totally collapse, 270,000 buildings to half collapse, and partially damaged almost 750,000 buildings.

Fifteen thousand people died. Most of the deaths were caused by the resulting

tsunami and not the earthquake because Japan has an early warning system for earthquakes, and it worked. It sent alarms and text messages warning citizens to take cover and likely prevented many deaths and injuries.

Within 15 seconds to 1 minute of warning, depending on location, the earthquake warning system alerted Japan's high-speed rail system to stop trains, reducing deaths and injuries; production lines had time to cease operations; and property damage economic losses were way less than would have been otherwise.

I went with then-Chairman Denham over to observe their system and discuss what they are doing now. Now what they are doing is they realize that most of the people died because they did not have ocean sensors, and they underestimated the height of the tsunami. They told people to take shelter in places 10 to 12 feet above wave level. The waves were much bigger and, subsequently, many of those people died.

So they are not waiting. The technology currently exists for a realtime warning system that will give them even more notice of an earthquake and will give them more accurate wave heights on the resulting tsunami so people can take proper shelter.

We have the same opportunity to do that here in the United States if we take action soon.

The Cascadia subduction zone sits off the coast of Oregon and northern California--right at that border, essentially--and experts believe it has generated at least a dozen major earthquakes between magnitudes 8 and 9, which is an awesome earthquake, and resulting tsunamis over the last 5,000 years.

This January was the 319th anniversary of the last large quake, and many scientists say that we are overdue and it could happen at any time. It will be essentially a mirror image of the subduction zone off the coast of Japan that caused the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The technology is here. The question is whether we want to invest in an offshore earthquake early warning system now or wait until thousands of people have died and catastrophic property damage occurs. We need to invest now rather than later.

This bill will begin to address the very real threat of a combined earthquake and tsunami off the Pacific Northwest coast before it happens. Some forecasts say there is a 10 percent chance of a magnitude 8 to 9 in the next 30 years; others predict a 35 to 40 percent chance in the next 50 years.

This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan to identify funds to purchase equipment necessary for an earthquake early warning system and to report to Congress on the implementation of the plan.

It also requires the President to establish an earthquake and tsunami task force. The task force will consist of representatives from potentially impacted areas as well as earthquake and tsunami experts to develop a comprehensive strategy and recommendations on how the Nation should prepare for, plan for, mitigate against, respond to, recover from, and adapt to an earthquake, tsunami, or combined event of a large magnitude in the Cascadia subduction zone.

We need to take this threat seriously and prepare accordingly. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for his support of the bill, and I will look to support him on issues that deal with the Great Lakes in the future or other concerns that he may have.

This is just something that, as a nation, as we see threats to our citizens around the country, we should be pushing for preparedness and for resilience. This bill, if we move forward with the plan and put out the instrumentation, will save lives and will be a tremendous benefit to the Nation as a whole.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON-of Texas. Madam Speaker, I support passage of H.R. 876, the Pacific Northwest Earthquake Preparedness Act of 2019, as amended. I commend my friend from Oregon, Chairman DeFazio, for addressing the urgent need to develop better earthquake and tsunami warning systems in the region of our country most vulnerable to such natural disasters. In fact, my own committee, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, has had for many years a leading role in strengthening earthquake and tsunami preparedness and response in order to minimize the loss of life and property.

In December 2018, we enacted a reauthorization of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), which was first authorized in 1977 but had not been updated since 2004. In the 15 years since, our scientific understanding of earthquakes as well as how we apply that science to save lives and property have evolved significantly. In the reauthorization, we updated the program to reflect those developments.

Four agencies participate in NEHRP. The National Science Foundation and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) carry out fundamental research in the earth sciences that contributes to our understanding of earthquakes. In addition, USGS develops and manages ShakeAlert--the earthquake early warning system. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is the lead agency for NEHRP and also carries out applied research in support of more earthquake resilient building codes. FEMA provides earthquake training and awareness to States and territories and assists communities in creating seismic mitigation plans. Each of these agencies has a unique and essential role as clearly defined in the NEHRP statute. I want to thank my colleague Chairman DeFazio for working with me to ensure that H.R. 876 does not unintentionally create any confusion or uncertainty as to the respective roles and responsibilities of each of these agencies.

Our committee also has a lead role in tsunami warning and preparedness. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has run a tsunami early warning system for many years. In 2006, the Science Committee passed the Tsunami Warning and Education Act. We updated that program just last Congress through H.R. 353, thanks to the leadership of another colleague from Oregon and a valued Member of the Science Committee, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici.

We all share he same goal of taking advantage of the strengths and resources of our federal agencies to minimize the tragic loss of life and the economic impact of large scale natural disasters. If H.R. 876 becomes law, I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure good coordination and collaboration between the new activities required in H.R. 876 and the ongoing activities under the NEHRP and Tsunami warning programs. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 876.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 353) to direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 353, a bill to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, currently under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will start by thanking Mr. Yoho for his work on this bill. It passed the House last Congress with broad bipartisan support, and I look forward to seeing that happen again today.

Mr. Speaker, we all know too well that disease knows no borders, so it is in the interest of the United States to address global health challenges. Without the ability to consistently monitor threats and rapidly coordinate responses globally, health and lives will be at risk, including those of Americans.

A critical organization in this global public health effort is the World Health Organization's World Health Assembly. This is a summit meeting of countries coming together to address global health challenges.

China is actively lobbying against Taiwan's inclusion in these summit meetings, part of its larger effort to squeeze Taiwan out of the international community. Beijing may believe this serves its own narrow interests in asserting control over Taiwan, but it is to the detriment of the effort to fight disease wherever it strikes.

This bill before us today is a step to rectify this situation. H.R. 353 enhances reporting requirements, which will provide Congress better insight into our administration's efforts to obtain Taiwan's observer status in the annual World Health Assembly meetings.

We need to make every effort to ensure that China does not strong-arm and manipulate these international meetings, which are important opportunities to make significant progress on health issues facing the global community. This progress should not be jeopardized by Beijing's political agenda.

I support this measure. We should continue to stand with our partners in Taiwan, and this resolution does just that. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

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

We have supported a strong U.S.-Taiwan relationship since we passed the Taiwan Relations Act back in 1979. It is critical that we continue to support our close friend and partner, Taiwan, on the world stage and ensure they maintain a seat at the table when discussing global health challenges.

But China sees it differently, in pursuit of its own narrow political agenda. Beijing is jeopardizing international efforts to improve global health and fight transnational disease outbreaks by redoubling efforts to prevent Taiwan from participating in organizations like the World Health Assembly.

Our response to global health challenges and crises is stronger when more countries are involved in the discussion and prevention. After all, diseases go from border to border and across borders. It is ridiculous to try to keep Taiwan out.

Our response to global health challenges is stronger, again, when more countries are involved in prevention.

There is no reason that the international community should accept a scenario where we allow Beijing to compromise global health as they play the bully with respect to their neighbor. That is another reason why Kosovo should be admitted as well.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 273, which reaffirms the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act, or TRA.

As a longtime friend of the people of Taiwan, a founding co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, and a cosponsor of this resolution, I want to thank Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul for their work to support our critical bilateral relationship with Taiwan.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, which together with President Reagan's Six Assurances, serve as the foundation for the relationship between our two countries, and I mean countries.

Since the TRA was signed in 1979, Taiwan has become a vibrant, consolidated democracy, one of our most important trading partners and a model in so many areas for the rest of Asia and the whole world, really.

Going forward, we must continue to implement the TRA and do better at fully appreciating the policy commitments it contains. With that in mind, I urge the President to immediately finalize an arms sales package with Taiwan as well as begin negotiations for a free trade agreement.

As China's influence grows, our commitment to Taiwan will be the bellwether of our commitment to democracy in Asia. We do not owe China a vote in how we treat Taiwan. If we are equivocal in our support for Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure, how can we credibly support democracy and democratic values when they are threatened elsewhere?

I also want to voice my support for H.R. 2002, Ranking Member McCaul's Taiwan Assurance Act. This legislation takes important steps to advance our bilateral relationship, including support for arms sales and for Taiwan's participation in international organizations. It would also require a review of the State Department's, I believe, unreasonable guidelines for Taiwan's diplomatic staff here in the U.S.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I wish the legislation did not refer to the misguided U.S. One-China policy, but I understand that it was included as part of negotiations with the Senate.

Finally, the Taiwan Assurance Act requires a report on implementation of the Taiwan Travel Act, legislation that I introduced last Congress to increase high-level visits between U.S. and Taiwanese officials. Since the bill became law a little over a year ago, we have seen not enough action, and I believe that it is past time for full implementation of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, as we mark the TRA's 40th anniversary, H. Res. 273 and H.R. 2002 are critical to strengthening our enduring relationship with Taiwan as we look forward to the next 40 years, so I would urge my colleagues to support both of them.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 273) reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 273, reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act.

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

I rise in strong support of H. Res. 273, reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act.

Signed into law four decades ago, the Taiwan Relations Act marked the first and most significant act of support for Taiwan by Congress. It unequivocally demonstrates our support to Taiwan. Along with the Six Assurances, this act remains the bedrock of our deep partnership with Taiwan.

With the support of this landmark piece of legislation and in the 40 years since, the United States has deepened security, economic, and people-to-people ties with Taiwan. Our two nations have worked together to maintain peace, security, and stability in the Pacific through our shared commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Unfortunately, China seeks to diminish Taiwan's presence on the world stage. We must fully use the tools at our disposal to fight back against these efforts.

It is important that Congress must do what we can to honor our commitment to Taiwan. That is why I have long been a proud co-chair of the Taiwan Caucus and why I support this measure.

H. Res. 273 reaffirms our commitment to the people of Taiwan, encourages high-level engagement as called for in the Taiwan Travel Act, promotes Taiwan's meaningful engagement in international organizations, and calls to deepen cultural ties.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and would inquire through the Speaker if my colleague has any remaining speakers on his side.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, H. Res. 273, reaffirming our commitments made to Taiwan 40 years ago and strengthens our ability to fulfill them.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to help Taiwan regain observer status in the World Health Organization, introduced by my good friend from Florida (Mr. Yoho).

The House passed this bill unanimously last Congress. Because Taiwan has an especially distinguished record of international contributions to global health, Taiwan's exclusion from the WHO is not just unfair, it is also dangerous.

The world is more and more interconnected, and pandemics are a constantly growing threat that can cross borders at the speed of a jetliner. Unfortunately, President Xi and the Communist Party of China continue to jeopardize global health in their campaign to marginalize Taiwan.

Taiwan has been totally excluded from participating at the WHO's World Health Assembly for 2 years running. Ultimately, Taiwan's expulsion from the WHO illustrates a broader trend. Taiwan is a model democracy that makes the world better, while China is a revisionist authoritarian power that places the world at risk.

This year will be significant for U.S.-Taiwan relations as we look forward to the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.

Xi Jinping just delivered a speech, where he reiterated a willingness to use force against Taiwan, and said: ``The Taiwan issue will disappear with the rejuvenation of the nation.''

I urge my colleagues to start this year on the right foot by supporting Taiwan's WHO participation and telling President Xi that Taiwan will never disappear under our watch.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), a cosponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, diseases and pandemics know no borders. Taiwan is a critical player in the global health and the internationally connected transportation hub. By excluding Taiwan from participation in the WHO, the Communist Party of China is placing the world at risk because of their own insecurities.

I again thank Mr. Yoho and Chairman Engel for this bill which deserves our unanimous support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.