Cambodia Democracy Act of 2019

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 526) to promote free and fair elections, political freedoms, and human rights in Cambodia, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 526.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), a valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his hard work on this measure.

This is an example of what our committee does best: good, bipartisan legislation aimed at advancing American interests and leadership and, especially in this case, our values--our support for human rights around the world. So, I thank Mr. Yoho for this.

Hun Sen, Cambodia's strongman Prime Minister, has been in power since 1985. He has clung to power longer than any other current leader in southeast Asia. He has violently suppressed dissent. He intimidates any opposition.

Civil society cannot operate freely. His government restricts free speech and free media, the bedrocks of any democracy.

For 30 years, the Cambodian people have hoped to see their country move toward a freer, more democratic system. Democracies around the world have hoped for the same thing, investing for decades in the hopes of building a pluralistic, multiparty system in Cambodia.

Progress has been halting at best, and results are woefully incomplete. Six elections have been held in Cambodia since 1991. None of them was free or fair.

But we won't give up on the Cambodian people. This legislation gives the President and State Department more tools to sanction Cambodian leaders who undermine democracy and commit gross human rights violations.

This bill would prohibit those individuals from entering the United States and block any assets or property they may possess in our country.

This bill sends a clear message that the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Cambodia and that Congress will hold Cambodia's leaders accountable for their assault on democracy and violations of human rights.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to cosponsor this bill. I am glad we are moving it forward today. I thank Mr. Wilson, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC, July 12, 2019.

Hon. Eliot L. Engel,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: This is to advise you that the Committee

on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to review the

provisions in H.R. 526, the ``Cambodia Democracy Act of

2019'' that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate

your consulting with us on those provisions. The Judiciary

Committee has no objection to your including them in the bill

for consideration on the House floor, and to expedite that

consideration is willing to waive sequential referral, with

the understanding that we do not thereby waive any future

jurisdictional claim over those provisions or their subject

matters.

In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar

legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the

right to request an appropriate number of conferees to

address any concerns with these or similar provisions that

may arise in conference.

Please place this letter into the Congressional Record

during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank

you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked

regarding this matter and others between our committees.

Sincerely,

Jerrold Nadler,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Chabot, for doing this with me. Last time I saw him was a few days ago in my home city of New York. We were going to meet the president of Taiwan, another Asian country that has great freedom.

I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Well, I would say to the gentleman, if it happened on the other night, I would have invited him to my house for a drink, but we will have to do that another time.

Mr. Speaker, supporting democracy and human rights around the world is an area where our values and our interests clearly intersect.

Basic freedoms: Accountable, transparent governments, respect for individual dignity, these are the values we seek to promote around the world and the values that underpin a vibrant democracy.

They are also what makes countries stronger, better and more stable partners for the United States on the world stage. That is good for our interests and our security as well.

So we want to keep supporting the people of Cambodia, we want them to have a say in the future of their country. That starts by demanding accountability for those who have suppressed democracy and basic freedoms. This bill is an important step in that process. I am glad to support it. I urge all Members to do the same.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Cambodia Democracy Act introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), and I would note that I happen to be the co-chair of the Congressional Cambodian Caucus, along with the gentleman from California, Alan Lowenthal. He and I, a Republican and a Democrat, have worked on this particular issue for many years now.

So, I certainly thank the committee for moving forward with this very good and helpful piece of legislation.

The people of Cambodia have been living under the iron-fisted rule of Hun Sen, as the chairman mentioned, for, literally, decades. Under his reign, he has denied Cambodians almost all of their political rights and prevented free and fair elections from taking place.

In recent years, Hun Sen has resorted to violence and attacked peaceful protesters many times. He has undermined any sense of democracy by dismantling the country's only viable opposition party.

The work of NGOs has also been dramatically limited, and critical media outlets have been virtually shut down.

Like many other dictators, he fears the day when he will no longer be in power.

As the beacon of hope and freedom to the rest of the world, a key pillar of our foreign policy must be to support the expansion of democracy in other countries. That is why I am very, very proud to support and cosponsor the Cambodian Democracy Act.

This bill pushes back on Hun Sen's regime by applying asset-blocking sanctions on any government officials or security forces who undermine the democratic process or take part in human rights abuses. This legislation also codifies visa restrictions for these individuals.

This is a strong, bipartisan bill that will allow us to show our support for the people of Cambodia and their desire for democratic governance. Members of both parties should support this important piece of legislation. I would fully expect them to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Congressman Yoho; I want to thank Mr. Engel and Mr. McCaul as well, for introducing this bill, and for all of their work on behalf of the Cambodian people. I certainly appreciate their support on this.

Supporting democracy abroad is very important, really a critical endeavor. The world will be a more peaceful and prosperous place with the expansion of free markets and free people.

I would urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am glad that we were there Friday night and not Saturday night. I know you had some electrical difficulties in the city the following evening. I am glad we weren't there then.