BRAVE Burma Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the opportunity to speak on my bill, H.R. 3190, the BRAVE Burma Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill and ask for its immediate consideration.

Burma is a country in profound crisis. In February of 2021, a military-led junta toppled a democratically elected government and plunged the country into civil war. These actions, coupled with the March 2025 earthquake, created a humanitarian crisis that has left tens of thousands of Burmese dead or detained, while approximately 3.6 million people, nearly 6 percent of the population, is now displaced from their homes.

In response to the calls for action from the Burmese diaspora in the United States and in my district, I introduced H.R. 3190, the BRAVE Burma Act.

As I have mentioned many times before, issues involving Burma are near and dear to my heart, as well as to those of many of my Burmese constituents and members at the Battle Creek Burma Center in southwest Michigan. It was there that I first heard the stories about their families and friends in horrific situations in Burma and the lack of mainstream media attention given to these issues.

However, we have an opportunity today to send a message. We have an opportunity today to stand with the current residents of Burma and to remind them that they have not been forgotten. The BRAVE Burma Act is intentional in its action, targeting the heart of the junta's revenues, which it uses to purchase advanced weaponry from abroad.

Specifically, this bill requires the President to impose full blocking sanctions on, first, the state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, also known as MOGE. This is the junta's single largest source of foreign revenue, reportedly generating over $1 billion annually.

Second, the bill requires sanctions on the state-owned Myanma Economic Bank, also known as the MEB, which is operated by junta cronies and processes weapons transactions that are contrary to those sanctions.

Third, the bill requires sanctions on any person operating in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy. The jet fuel industry in Burma is a key and important target for sanctions because it directly enables the junta's unlawful airstrikes against civilians, places of worship, villages, hospitals, IDP camps, and schools.

Depleting the government's ability to control and profit from aviation fuel imports and distribution will inhibit the junta's ability to sustain violence and commit war crimes using airpower.

Mr. Speaker, the urgency to act has never been greater. Last month, it was reported that Iran had become the sole source of jet fuel to Burma. These secret shipments had not only given Iran much-needed cash and a new market, but it allowed the Burmese military leaders to circumvent Western sanctions.

The deliveries of jet fuel have powered an expansive bombing campaign by the junta that has struck more than 1,000 civilian locations, including Christian churches.

While the military ruling class pledged open and fair elections, the sham process that took place last month should be viewed as a rigged farce and nothing more. Make no mistake, these mass atrocities will not stop until the current regime is crippled.

With the support of the Trump administration, which has continued to turn up the pressure, Congress can shape the future of Burma by leveraging sanctions and financial oversight.

The BRAVE Burma Act will strengthen U.S. efforts to disrupt authoritarian regimes, support democratic movements, and protect vulnerable populations.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Betty McCollum, my co-chair of the Congressional Burma Caucus and an original cosponsor of this particular legislation, as well as Representatives Ann Wagner and Seth Moulton, who helped to make this a truly bipartisan effort.

Mr. Speaker, let me end with this. Since the 2021 coup, nearly 3 million Burmese have been driven from their homes; more than 75,000 people have been killed; and the military has swept up more than 30,000 political prisoners into detention, silencing those who oppose them.

The Burmese military has left a trail of devastation, damaging or destroying at least 343 Christian churches and numerous other religious buildings, according to the Burma Research Institute.

The people of Burma can no longer afford for Congress to sit idly by, and the Trump administration must adopt a unified strategy for Burma, as both the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury have done. It is time for the Department of Homeland Security to come to the same conclusion. Democracy in Burma needs America's help.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill that will have a lasting impact.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3190) to amend the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022 to extend the sunset, to require a determination with respect to the imposition of sanctions on certain persons of Burma, 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 the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our vice chairman, Mr. Huizenga's bill, the BRAVE Burma Act. The vice chairman is also a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Burma has been plagued with an ongoing humanitarian crisis for far too long. The Burmese people have been the victims of genocide as a direct result of the military junta's use of funds that fuel these abhorrent acts.

The bill introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) addresses this crisis head-on. H.R. 3190 requires the Treasury Secretary to limit any increase in Myanmar's influence at the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, so long as it is governed by the military dictatorship.

This bill also requires the President to annually determine whether the United States should impose stronger sanctions on the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, their economic bank, and any foreigners working in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy.

I commend the vice chairman for his hard work and leadership in fighting for the humanitarian rights in Burma by cutting off the source of the funding that is empowering these human rights travesties.

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

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the CBO estimate for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga), the author of this important bill, the vice chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his dedicated work on our committee, as well as the Committee on Foreign Affairs, in crafting economic deterrence to bad actors--certainly, the military junta in Myanmar is a bad actor--calling loudly for a strong bipartisan vote in this House on the BRAVE Burma Act, which I hope then will be promptly considered by the Senate.

This is when the legislative branch and the executive branch work best together, when we are in alignment on putting pressure against bad actors around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his work. I urge a ``yes'' vote, 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 H.R. 3190, the BRAVE Burma Act, sponsored by Representative Huizenga.

In February of 2021, Burma experienced a military coup that overthrew the country's democratically elected government.

The military has carried out mass violence against civilians, including genocide, mass displacement, and other crimes against humanity. This is particularly true for the nation's Muslim ethnic minority, which bears the brunt of the illegitimate government's violent and regressive persecution.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes several economic levers available to the United States. This includes potential sanctions and restricting Burma's access to support from the International Monetary Fund. These are sensible steps to demonstrate Congress' continuing support for the people of Burma.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, in closing, this bill aims to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Burma by cutting off revenue sources for the country's ruthless and illegitimate leadership. Congress must do whatever is possible to protect human rights, stand for democratic values, and object to the atrocities committed against the Burmese people.

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