HAVANA Act of 2021

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

Mr. Speaker, around the world, America and American personnel are being attacked in their homes, in hotels, and even on public streets. For most, it starts with what seems like a loud noise that is followed by pain or a sense of pressure in the head. Many are left with chronic damage, including hearing loss, vertigo, cognitive and motor impairment, severe headaches, and inability to sleep.

In the words of a recent press report, our diplomats are suffering a ``concussion without a concussion.''

The Senate-passed bill before us today provides important authority to assist these brain injury victims, and it deserves our unanimous support. But we all must do more.

Unfortunately, these attacks have continued and spread. First, it started in Havana in late 2016 and spread to China in 2017. Two months ago, press reports described more than 130 possible cases all over the world, including right here in Washington, D.C. Just last week, two dozen new cases among U.S. personnel in Vienna were revealed. Simply put, this is kind of scary stuff.

The people who serve our Nation overseas are generally worried for themselves and their families, and they need to know that we have their backs. When the prior administration pulled our personnel out of Havana 4 years ago, they said: ``Numerous Embassy Havana employees have been targeted in specific attacks. These employees have suffered significant injuries as a consequence of these attacks.''

In contrast, President Biden has refused to call these what they are, attacks on U.S. personnel. Secretary of State Tony Blinken publicly said perhaps no one is responsible for causing these injuries.

I will tell you, from my briefings and briefings in another annex, that is absolutely incorrect. We may not be able to fill in all the blanks yet, but we know too much to dismiss these attacks as unexplained health incidents.

Four years ago, medical experts convened by the State Department agreed victims were likely dealing with brain trauma from a nonnatural source, and the evidence has only grown more conclusive since then. Last year, the National Academy of Sciences said that directed, pulsed radio frequency energy is most likely the cause. According to the NAS, the situation raises grave concerns about bad actors who may have weapons.

While we must assist victims with today's bill, we must do more. We must call these heinous attacks what they are. They are attacks, and the people attacking us need to know the consequences will be severe when we find out who they are and when we get the attribution. Otherwise, we aren't doing what we can do to deter future attacks. The men and women who serve our Nation overseas deserve no less.

I have prepared a bill to do just that, which I will be introducing this week.

I thank Chairman Meeks and our Intelligence Committee colleagues for their bipartisan work on the HAVANA Act, which I strongly support.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Nunes), the ranking member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the coauthor of the House version of this bill.

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

First, I thank the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and the ranking member, Mr. Nunes, for their strong support of this bill. It is very important.

I will be introducing a bill next week on this, and I hope to work with the House Intelligence Committee on that as well.

I am very concerned the administration may be planning to send U.S. personnel back to our Havana Embassy. I just got off of a big rally across the street from the White House with a lot of Cubans. They are searching for freedom and democracy over tyranny, oppression, and communism.

But our personnel, we can't send them back until we can say who or what caused these brain injuries that prompted the Trump administration to pull our people out of there for their own safety in 2017.

Over these last few weeks, the world has watched Cuba's brutal police state in action. The Venezuelan military is there as well, silencing people just for exercising freedom of speech, which they don't have under a communist dictatorship.

The same surveillance system that tracks dissidents and censors the internet has been unwilling to share necessary information about these attacks against Americans. I have no doubt that Cuban intelligence is involved in this.

If the administration sends U.S. personnel back to Havana without holding the regime accountable, all American diplomats are at risk.

Again, I support this bipartisan HAVANA Act. I urge my colleagues to support it as well. I think these men and women, both State Department diplomats and our intelligence officers, deserve better from our Nation. They need to receive the proper care that they deserve.

Again, I thank Chairman Meeks and the Intelligence Committee, and I look forward to its passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1828) to amend the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 to authorize the provision of payment to personnel of the Central Intelligence Agency who incur qualifying injuries to the brain, to authorize the provision of payment to personnel of the Department of State who incur similar injuries, and for other purposes.

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 S. 1828.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1828, the HAVANA Act of 2021, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

America's diplomats and intelligence professionals are the best in the world, dedicating their lives to public service to protect the American people and promote the interests of the United States.

As citizens, we are in their debt. As lawmakers, we also have a responsibility to protect their health and safety, making sure that they have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively and providing them with the necessary support if they are harmed in the line of duty.

That is why the HAVANA Act is such a critical piece of legislation. The incidents behind the so-called Havana syndrome are still under investigation and have affected American personnel at U.S. missions around the world, from Cuba, where the incidents first surfaced, and then reportedly to China, Europe, Central Asia, and even potentially here in Washington, D.C. It is imperative that the State Department, working in conjunction with the intelligence community, the Department of Defense, and other interagency partners and allies, get to the bottom of what caused these events, how best to deter them from happening in the future, and how best to protect our people.

While I am confident that the Biden administration is working hard to advance these investigations, Congress must also do its part, especially when it comes to helping those who have been directly impacted.

The HAVANA Act ensures that the United States' diplomats and intelligence professionals are appropriately taken care of and compensated for injuries they incurred in connection with these events, fixing an important gap in existing law. I am very glad this important legislation will provide necessary supplemental funds to those who have been affected while in no way touching on any other benefits that come with Federal employment. This is a good, bipartisan measure, and I commend our Senate colleagues, especially Senators Collins and Mark Warner, for sending it over to us in the House today.

The HAVANA Act, which the Senate unanimously passed, is the companion to legislation that Chairman Adam Schiff introduced alongside Chairman Gregory Meeks. As the only Democratic Member who serves on both the

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, I deeply appreciate the contributions and sacrifices of our diplomats and intelligence professionals who are working hard to defend our national security.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

(Mr. SCHIFF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests at this time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I believe it is imperative that we, as the elected representatives of the American people, working with the executive branch, get to the bottom of exactly who is behind these events, why they are occurring, and how to stop them.

But we must also make sure to do our part to take care of the public servants who put themselves on the line every day for our own interests.

I want to say thank you to the President, to the Secretary of State, and to the State Department for taking these cases seriously, for listening to the families and all the trauma that they have gone through, and for showing them nothing but the utmost respect.

This bill is an excellent contribution to this effort, and I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis on this critical issue going forward.

I thank Chairman Schiff for his hard work, and I ask all of my colleagues to support this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the HAVANA Act.

I was proud to introduce this legislation in the House, and I appreciate the continued support from Ranking Member Nunes, Chairman Meeks, and Ranking Member McCaul in moving this legislation through the House and to the President's desk.

Every day, thousands of patriotic Americans serve our country abroad, representing our values and interests across the globe. They are diplomats, soldiers, intelligence officers, and more. But we must never forget they are also mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, and sons and daughters who routinely make tremendous personal sacrifices in service of their country.

In return for their service to our Nation, we have a sacred responsibility to make sure that we take care of them. That is what this bill does.

Over the past several years, public servants from the intelligence community and elsewhere have experienced symptoms of unknown origins. These cases, which have been described as Havana syndrome or anomalous health incidents, named for the cohort whose symptoms onset in Havana, remain a mystery.

But two things are clear. First, we must spare no effort to identify their source and to hold anyone responsible accountable. Second, we must ensure that those who are injured receive the highest quality of care and the benefits that they need as they recover.

The HAVANA Act does just that. It would adjust and expand the authority we gave to the intelligence community and the State Department in 2019 to provide compensation for those experiencing these injuries to also include those suffering from traumatic brain injuries. Members of both parties have united behind this critical legislation to provide benefits to afflicted individuals.

Even as we pass this legislation, our work is not done. On a bipartisan basis, the Intelligence Committee has continued to provide vigorous oversight of how individuals experiencing these health incidents were treated and how they are being treated today. We will continue to prioritize this issue and put our people first.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Mr. Castro and Mr. McCaul, for their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his work on this bill and my colleagues on the Senate side and the House side.

I rise in strong support of this legislation. When intelligence community officers risk their health and safety in service of their country, they need to know they will receive the full support of the United States Government if they are injured. That assurance is crucial for the officers' ability to carry out their missions.

As the public now knows, our officers have been the victims of targeted attacks around the globe. I want to say upfront that these incidents are real, and the officers' accounts are credible.

Victims have described the sudden onset of symptoms, such as intense head pressure, dizziness, vertigo, and cognitive difficulties. Some incidents have resulted in traumatic brain injuries, debilitating pain, and other serious health issues. Many victims continue to experience chronic health problems and require sustained treatment.

Over the past several months, we have been looking into these incidents. In my view, there are three objectives. The first is to determine the best way to help these officers and their families. The second is to find out who is perpetrating these attacks. The third is to conduct strong oversight of our agencies and make the necessary changes to achieve the first two objectives. That will require vigorous effort, but I am committed to uncovering the truth.

The bill we are considering today takes important steps to assist the victims of these attacks and ensure that our people will be compensated for their brain injuries. It builds on legislation we passed last Congress to improve worker's compensation for certain personnel and their dependents.

Some have called the legislation technical, which it is, but it is, nevertheless, vital. Patriotic Americans serving to promote and protect our freedoms deserve our gratitude and full support.

The Senate has already passed this bill by unanimous consent. I fully support it, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 1828 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.