Homeland Security Assessment of Terrorists’ Use of Virtual Currencies Act

Madam Speaker, due to a scheduled medical procedure, I was physically absent from the House of Representatives from January 10, 2019 to February 5, 2019. During that time, I missed 44 recorded votes. Had I been present for those votes, I would have voted: on Roll Call No. 22 on the Republican Motion to Recommit on H.R. 267, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 23 on the Passage of H.R. 267, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 24 on the Republican Motion to Recommit on H.R. 265, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 25 on the Passage of H.R. 265, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 26 on the Republican Motion to Recommit on H.R. 266, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 27 on the Passage of H.R. 266, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 28 on the Passage of S. 24, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 29 on the Passage of H.R. 221, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 30 on the Passage of H.R. 116, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 31 on the Passage of H.J. Res. 27, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 32 on the Passage of H. Res. 41, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 33 on the Passage of H.R. 135, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 34 on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 43, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 35 on the Adoption of H. Res. 43, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 36 on the Passage of H.R. 190, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 37 on the Passage of Amendment No. 2 offered by Mr. McGovern (D- MA), I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 38 on Ordering the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 39 on the Passage of H.R. 268, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 40 on the Adoption of H. Res. 52, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 41 on the Passage of H.R. 150, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 42 on the Passage of H.J. Res. 30, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 43 on Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 44 on the Passage of H.R. 676, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 45 on the Passage of H.R. 328, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 46 on the Passage of H.J. Res 28, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 47 on the Passage of H. Res. 61, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 48 on the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 49 on the Passage of H.R. 648, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 50 on the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 51 on the Passage of H.J. Res. 31, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 52 on the Passage of H.R. 624, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 53 on the Passage of H.R. 502, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 54 on Approving of the Speaker's Journal, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 55 on the Motion to Adjourn, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 56 on the Passage of H.R. 428, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 57 on the Passage of H.R. 449, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 58 on the Passage of H.R. 769, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 59 on the Motion to Table the Motion to Reconsider H. Res. 77, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 60 on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 87, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 61 on the Passage of H. Res. 87, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 62 on the Passage of Amendment No. 3 offered by Mrs. Trahan (D-MA), I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 63 on the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 64 on the Passage of H.R. 790, I would have voted ``Nay;'' and on Roll Call No. 65 on the Passage of H. Res. 79, I would have voted ``Nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 428) to direct the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis to develop and disseminate a threat assessment regarding terrorist use of virtual currency.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 428, the Homeland Security Assessment of Terrorists' Use of Virtual Currencies Act.

In the 17 years since the deadliest terrorist attack in American history, the United States has led the global fight against terrorism, thwarting plots and preventing attacks on American soil, identifying and disrupting terrorist networks around the world, and hunting down terrorists wherever they may hide.

However, the threat of terrorism is not the same as it was on September 11, 2001. It is a threat that constantly evolves, and we need to evolve with it. We need to evolve ahead of it.

Today, we have to acknowledge that the front lines of the war on terror are shifting increasingly away from individual countries and into cyberspace. This new front line poses an especially dangerous and nebulous threat when it comes to terrorist financing.

As such, the Homeland Security Assessment of Terrorists' Use of Virtual Currencies Act speaks to a timely and pressing concern. Over the past several years, a number of terrorist organizations have turned to virtual currencies to support themselves and fund their operations.

For example, in December of 2017, a woman in New York was arrested and pled guilty after she obtained $62,000 in bitcoin and other virtual currencies to send to ISIL. Using those virtual funds, she was able to send the money via shell entities in Pakistan, China, and Turkey that were fronts for ISIL.

In early 2017, Indonesian authorities reported that a Syria-based Indonesian

with ties to ISIL used bitcoin and other virtual currencies to fund attacks in Indonesia.

The same things that make virtual currencies appealing to everyday consumers, speed and convenience, make these currencies appealing to those who want to finance illegal activities. Many forms of virtual currencies also offer their users anonymity, making them particularly attractive to those seeking to circumvent American law enforcement and financial institutions.

In order to effectively confront this threat, we need to fully understand it. We need a comprehensive assessment of how virtual currencies might be abused for illegal and nefarious ends.

My bill would require DHS to conduct such an assessment and share its findings with law enforcement officers who are on the front lines of the war on terror.

Indeed, this bill will help provide law enforcement officials at all levels with the 21st century solutions, information, and resources they need to counter this emerging threat.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 428 is an important piece of legislation that was approved by a voice vote last Congress. This bill will help DHS effectively address terrorists' actual and potential use of virtual currencies.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues in the Freedom Caucus, who care so much about national security and domestic security, to put their money where their mouths are, to put political pettiness aside, let these votes go through as they are meant to, because these are bipartisan bills, DHS bills that are supported broadly by Members of this House. Let's get on with this, since this is an issue that we all care about.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, H.R. 428, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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 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.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Rice from New York, for introducing this bill.

Over the past 12 months, there has been growing concern by administration officials, as well as security and financial experts, about potential threats associated with cryptocurrencies.

In July 2018, a Department of Justice task force reported noted criminals are using virtual currencies to collect, hide, and launder funds, as well as purchase illegal goods and services. Both the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have ongoing efforts to review registered digital currency providers and identify illicit use.

The legislation we are considering today, sponsored by the gentlewoman from New York (Miss Rice), adds to this effort by directing the Department of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate a threat assessment of threat posed by individuals using virtual currencies to carry out activities in furtherance of terrorism, including the provision of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

The bill also requires DHS to share the threat assessment with State and local law enforcement.

As the threat of terrorism evolves, so do the methods to finance and support the actors who plot to attack the United States. The Federal Government must evolve as well to meet these novel and technologically based challenges.

This bill positions the Department to detect the new, digital-based methods in terrorist financing and support that have already occurred and to prepare for those that are sure and soon to follow.

The potential of terrorist organizations to use virtual currencies to carry out an attack, or a smuggling network to launder illicit proceeds through cryptocurrency markets, should be a major concern to the Department of Homeland Security. Requiring the Department to conduct a threat assessment is appropriate and timely.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Rice for bringing this bill forward, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

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