Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 306.

Mr. Chairman, this bill contains 12 measures that have wide Democratic support. Unfortunately, they have been held hostage and added to a bill that contains a pharmacy of poison pills.

The gentleman from New Mexico points out that we need to do something with manufactured housing. I support that bill. Liberate that bill. Don't put it in a bill that is going to die in the Senate.

The gentleman from Wisconsin talks about too big to fail. Please cosponsor the Sanders-Sherman bill to break up the too big to fail rather than this bill that lets them stay too big and takes away the regulation.

I look forward to working in a bipartisan way to support the Financial Accounting Foundation's efforts to have independently funded standards for government-issued debt. This bill takes that away.

I look forward to working in a bipartisan way to have different and lesser standards for community financial institutions like credit unions and local banks. Instead, this highly partisan bill takes us down the wrong highway. It is a highway to a bill that will go nowhere in the Senate, and then we will resume our efforts to improve financial regulation in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 289 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 290.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1644, the Korean Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act.

This bill was introduced by the chair and ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel; by the chair and ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee, Mr. Yoho; and myself. It is a clear example of the way bipartisanship should be here in the House of Representatives.

North Korea continues to act as a state sponsor of terrorism, test ballistic missiles, conduct cyber warfare, build nuclear weapons, and threaten the United States and our allies.

We need a strategy to confront North Korea. An essential part of that strategy is to confront North Korea with economic and political pressure. A key to that would be to get China fully on board and to be willing to threaten China with tariffs if China continued to serve as the lifeline for the North Korean criminal regime. In addition to working with China, we need to start modernizing our own sanctions regime to impose a greater cost on Kim Jong-un.

This bill expands the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act passed by this Congress in 2016 to provide expanded and mandatory and discretionary sanctions on the North Korean Government, particularly involving gold and other precious minerals, jet fuel, coal, iron ore, and textiles.

The bill requires U.S. financial institutions to ensure that no correspondent accounts are being used by foreign financial institutions to provide financial services to North Korea. It does a host of other necessary things, including requiring the State Department to submit to Congress a report detailing their decision on whether to put North Korea back on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, and that we get that report within 90 days.

It seems clear to me that North Korea should be listed as a state sponsor of terror. We took them off the list not because they stopped engaging in international terror, but as a quid pro quo for suspending their own nuclear program, which they didn't suspend.

So why are they still off the list?

There is no doubt that North Korea has engaged in multiple acts of international terrorism, including the murder of the half brother of Kim Jong-un; the cyber attack against Sony Pictures; and although the initial action was taken decades ago, they seized Japanese civilians in order to learn Japanese manners in order to instruct their spies. They continue to hold those Japanese civilians today in a continuing act of terrorism.

Finally, the bill, requires a report from the President of cooperation between North Korea and Iran. We would suspect that North Korea, after it builds a certain cache of nuclear weapons, would be willing to sell to Iran not for millions but for billions of dollars fully assembled nuclear weapons or the fissile material to create those. This is an important thing Congress needs to address.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize the outstanding public service of the Vlahakis family on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of their family's company, Earth Friendly Products. The success story of the Vlahakis family is one of love, labor, and perseverance. This family owned and operated company began with the vision of Van Vlahakis, who immigrated to America from Greece with just $22 in his pocket. He spoke little English, yet he made something of himself, studying chemistry at Roosevelt University and founding the company out of his garage in 1967.

Born out of Van's own experience suffering the effects of exposure to harsh chemicals, Earth Friendly Products was a green company before being green was fashionable.

The Vlahakis family's commitment to sustainability is evidenced by their decision to use safe ingredients, earning recognition as the 2015 EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year. Just last year, they opened a new Carbon

Neutral Platinum Zero Waste manufacturing center, demonstrating leadership in the cause of sound environmental stewardship.

The Vlahakis' dedication to a healthier and happier planet applies not just to their corporate philosophy, but to their community. They have created good jobs and voluntarily implemented a $17 per hour company-wide minimum wage, one of the highest in the nation. They also bring interactive educational programs directly to kids in schools, and host field trips at their facilities.

Although Van Vlahakis passed away in 2014, his legacy lives on under the leadership of his daughter and my friend, Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks. Kelly is a champion in the Greek-American community and she has been an inspiration to those in the green movement.

Fifty years after Van Vlahakis had the foresight to make products with safe ingredients and sustainable practices, much of America has caught up to his vision. We now expect the goods we purchase to be both effective and safe and we demand that companies not exploit the environment in pursuit of profits.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks and Earth Friendly Products as they celebrate this momentous anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday was Earth Day, and tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of people across this country had to march in favor of science because, not since Galileo was condemned by the Inquisition for asserting that the Earth orbits the Sun, not since Galileo was condemned by the Inquisition have science deniers had such powerful friends.

Our species went 1,000 years without science. We call those years, in retrospect, the Dark Ages. My time in this Congress has convinced me that we should be guided by scientific consensus, by scientific facts, not alternative facts.

Scientific fact: Climate change is real and predominantly man-made, and if we don't reduce our emission of greenhouse gasses, then we are going to lose our ports, our beaches, our health, and entire countries like the Maldives.

Another scientific fact: Donald Trump can't stop global warming just by emitting an unprecedented volume of hot air.

Now, a week earlier we had tax day, and millions of Americans across this country, including in Los Angeles, needed to demonstrate to try to get Donald Trump to reveal his tax returns. Every President since Richard Nixon has released their tax returns. Donald Trump told us in May of 2014: If I decide to run for office, I will produce my tax returns. And he said it again a year later. And then he said it during the Republican debate in 2016. He said: Oh, I will release my tax returns, but they are under audit.

Well, according to Donald Trump, his 2011 and 2012 returns aren't under audit. He ought to release those. But he ought to release all of his tax returns. And this idea that they are under audit is absolutely absurd.

The IRS has made it clear: Any taxpayer can release their tax return, whether they are under audit or not, and everyone in the tax world--I headed the second largest tax agency in this country for several years, I am a CPA--knows that you can release your tax returns whether you are under audit or not.

Now, I understand that you don't want to release information to your adversary, and if you are being audited, the IRS is your adversary. But Donald Trump knows that the IRS already has his tax returns, so who is the adversary from which Donald Trump is withholding information? The American people are the adversary that cannot see his tax return that the IRS already has.

But it is not enough to just see Donald Trump's Form 1040, because he tells us that he has 532 private businesses, secret businesses in the sense that they do not report their financial information to the SEC, over 532 of those business entity investments. We need to see the tax returns of every business entity that Trump controls. Over 100 of

those investments are in foreign countries. We need to see the tax returns of Trump Panama Hotel, LLC; Trump Korea, LLC; DT Dubai Golf Course, LLC; and all the business entities that he has that are doing business in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and China.

Finally, Donald Trump ran as a populist, especially on corporate issues, but now he wants to allow corporate inversions that provide tax benefits to corporate Benedict Arnolds who betray our country and incorporate in some foreign country. He refuses to designate China as a currency manipulator, even though he pledged to the American people during his rallies that he would do just that, and he refuses to do anything about Chinese requirements for coproduction agreements.

Donald Trump: His rallies sounded like Bernie Sanders, but he is governing like Goldman Sachs.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 92.

I am the chief Democratic cosponsor and the gentleman from South Carolina is the sponsor of this resolution condemning North Korea's development of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles, and for other purposes. It should be noted that this resolution now has 120 bipartisan cosponsors, including the ranking member and chairman of the committee, the chairman of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee, and myself as ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee.

This resolution is necessary at a time when the regime of Kim Jong-un is as belligerent as ever. His intentions are clear. He is conducting intermediate and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and nuclear tests for the purpose of being in a position to intimidate the United States and the rest of the world. Just this month the regime in Pyongyang released a fake propaganda video showing the imagined destruction of a U.S. aircraft carrier by its forces.

In addition to the five nuclear weapons North Korea has already tested, Kim Jong-un continues to test ballistic missiles, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and is moving toward intercontinental ballistic missiles. These missiles have as one of their chief purposes to be able to reach the continental United States and particularly the Pacific Coast of the United States.

We used to have the luxury of saying that North Korea just wants attention; they just want this or that concession. But now their goal is clear. It is to threaten hundreds of millions of Americans. It is clear that North Korea is testing missiles and bombs for the purpose of developing warheads that can do just that.

The resolution we are considering today, H. Res. 92, condemns North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile tests, calls for the United States to apply economic sanctions on North Korea, and calls on China to pressure North Korean leaders to cease their provocative behavior, abandon and dismantle their nuclear missile program, and it calls upon China to curtail, or at least threaten to curtail, their economic support of Pyongyang.

President Xi is coming to the United States. He will meet with our President in Florida. And I hope that the recent comments that we are going to handle this issue on our own are not what comes out of Florida, because, instead, we must demand that China pressure North Korea.

According to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China accounts for over 90 percent of North Korea's foreign trade and approximately 95 percent of its foreign direct investment. Beijing needs to know that there are serious challenges to its relationship with the United States if it does not assist us in this effort. Officials in Beijing cannot assume that their companies will always have access to the United States market.

There are those who say it is unthinkable to link our trading relationship with China to its position on North Korea. I believe it is unthinkable for us not to use all the tools at our disposal to try to prevent the least predictable leader in the world--and perhaps the least stable--from having the capacity to hit the United States mainland with intercontinental nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.

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

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I will add a comment to the upcoming visit of President Xi to Florida and President Trump's statement in advance of that: Well, we don't need China to get tough on North Korea.

The fact is, President Trump has not given us a plan that would put effective pressure on Pyongyang that does not involve China. There is no magic road to dealing with the North Korean threat that does not go through Beijing.

My fear is that, in the guise of being the tough guy who doesn't need China's help, in fact, President Trump is preparing to fail to get China's help in controlling North Korea, is preparing to be weak in dealing with China and to weakly accept their unwillingness to act, and then disguising it all in some machismo statement of strength: Oh, we don't need China.

We do need China. There is no plan to control North Korea that doesn't involve China. Macho statements are not an excuse for real strength in dealing with President Xi.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I would simply say that I commend the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, for authoring this resolution, which has secured the support of 120 bipartisan cosponsors, including the chair and ranking member of the full committee and the chair and, in my case, ranking member of the relevant subcommittee.

I, again, call on my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 92, condemning North Korea's development of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles, and for other purposes.

We need an official congressional condemnation of North Korea's continued ballistic missile testing and its related nuclear program. We need to ramp up sanctions on North Korea, while applying pressure to China, hopefully later this week, for being North Korea's economic lifeline.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 54 and commend its authors and cosponsors.

With the new administration of President Macri, I think that there will be a deepening relationship between the United States and Argentina, and this resolution recognizes that. It also encourages the Argentine Government to continue to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association, located then in the center of Buenos Aires, and the death of Argentine special prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who died mysteriously 1 day before he was going to submit a report to the Argentine Congress regarding that 1994 bombing.

I think it is apparent that that 1994 bombing was conducted by Iran in cooperation with Hezbollah, and we all want to encourage the Argentine Government to find out whether there was foul play in the death of Alberto Nisman and, if so, who was behind what has all the hallmarks of an assassination designed to prevent that report from being submitted to the Argentine people and Congress.

I commend the authors of this legislation. I urge its adoption.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 479, the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2017.

I want to associate myself with the chairman's remarks. He summarizes well the need to adopt this legislation. I want to commend Judge Poe for introducing this legislation. I was very pleased to introduce it alongside him.

We earlier considered H. Res. 92. In that debate, we discussed the nuclear and missile program of North Korea. Now it is time to focus for the next few minutes on their use of terrorism.

We need to consider North Korea's obvious state support of terrorism around the world. North Korea has engaged in kidnappings, targeted assassination, cyber attacks, and support to terrorist organizations in various regions.

North Korea was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1988, but it was taken off that list in 2008, following commitments by Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. We dismantled their status as a state sponsor of terrorism. North Korea certainly has not dismantled its nuclear program.

Kim Jong-un has only increased the pace of his nuclear ballistic missile testing and is nowhere near dismantling that program. So now it is time to focus again on North Korea's terrorist actions around the world.

We can go back several decades when the North Korean Government kidnapped Japanese civilians--some because of their talents in making movies; most in order to force them to

teach Japanese etiquette to North Korean spies.

Now, you may say: Well, that was decades ago. Why are we designating them as a state sponsor of terrorism now?

Well, those people still have not been released to this day. And, if they have passed on, their bodies have not been returned to their families.

We are all aware of how North Korea engaged in cyberterrorism against Sony Pictures because Sony Pictures made a movie they didn't like.

We know that, just a month or so ago, a North Korean agent killed Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. This act of terrorism took place at the airport in Malaysia and was summarized by the chairman.

In the case of Chaim Kaplan v. Hezbollah, a United States District Court found that, in 2014, North Korea materially supported terrorist attacks by Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

And finally--and this list is incomplete but last on my list--is North Korea's assistance in helping Assad try to develop nuclear weapons of his own. We are aware that Assad's nuclear facility, built almost entirely based on North Korean technology and using North Korean equipment, was destroyed in 2007. Assad has murdered hundreds of thousands, it looks like the figure is now half a million, of his own citizens. Imagine the destruction Assad would have engaged in had he been able to develop nuclear weapons with the support and technology of North Korea.

H.R. 479, the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act, expresses the sense of Congress that North Korea likely meets the criteria to be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism and requires a determination by the Secretary of State within 90 days as to whether or not North Korea meets that standard.

This bill is an important step in confronting North Korea's support for terrorism around the world and for the danger that it poses to the civilized world.

Mr. Speaker, I call upon my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would note that this bill passed our committee without any opposition.

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

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

In closing, this bill is an important step in confronting North Korea's support for terrorism around the world. We should not stand idle while North

Korea engages in terrorism, including kidnappings, target assassinations, cyber attacks, support for other terrorist organizations, and nuclear proliferation.

I again call upon my colleagues to join me in passing this bill, H.R. 479, the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2017.

I note that this bill passed our full committee without a single opponent.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to pay tribute to our colleague and friend, Congressman Anthony C. ``Tony'' Beilenson, who, from 1977 to 1997, represented with distinction in the House of Representatives a Los Angeles-area district.

Joining me in this statement are my colleagues: Nancy Pelosi, Dana Rohrabacher, Maxine Waters, Ken Calvert, Anna Eshoo, Lucille Roybal- Allard, Zoe Lofgren, Barbara Lee, Grace Napolitano, Mike Thompson, Susan Davis, Adam Schiff, Linda Sanchez, Jim Costa, Doris Matsui, Jerry McNerney, Jackie Speier, Judy Chu, John Garamendi, Karen Bass, Ami Bera, Julia Brownley, Tony Cardenas, Jared Huffman, Alan Lowenthal, Scott Peters, Raul Ruiz, Eric Swalwell, Mark Takano, Juan Vargas, Pete Aguilar, Mark DeSaulnier, Ted Lieu, Norma Torres, Nanette Barragan, Salud Carbajal, Luis Correa, Ro Khanna, and Jimmy Panetta.

Tony was widely admired for his integrity, thoughtfulness, and effectiveness as a statesman and is fondly remembered for his warmth, caring, and engaging personality. To our great sadness, Tony passed away on March 5, 2017.

Tony was born in New Rochelle, New York on October 26, 1932, and grew up in the New York City area. After obtaining a law degree from Harvard in 1957, Tony moved to Los Angeles to work in entertainment law. Soon after arriving in California, he sought out public service. In 1962, he was elected to the California State Assembly, and in 1966 to the State Senate, where he served until 1977. During his tenure in the Legislature, Tony rose to become chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and authored more than 200 laws, many of which served as models for laws in other states and at the federal level.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Tony served for nine terms on the Rules Committee and was the second most senior minority member at the time of his retirement. He also spent several terms on the Budget Committee and the Intelligence Committee, where he served as its chairman in 1989 and 1990.

Tony was an outspoken and tireless advocate for the causes he believed in. He co-chaired the House's Population Coalition, which advocated for strategies to help slow world population growth and improve maternal health. Serving at a time when efforts were in full swing to curb ballooning federal deficits and growing debt, Tony was a rare member who spoke out in favor of unpopular proposals. He introduced legislation to increase the excise tax on gasoline and called for steps to reduce spending on even the most popular programs. He believed that every federal program and tax benefit, no matter how popular, should be under consideration for cuts.

Tony had a great affinity for the natural world and worked to save open space and protect critical habitats and endangered species. He was a leader in efforts to protect the world's remaining African elephants and rhinoceroses.

Tony's crowning environmental achievement was the establishment of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The formation of this park helped guarantee that tens of thousands of acres of land in the Los Angeles metropolitan area would remain natural havens of open space and continue to benefit the millions of people who live in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Tony authored the 1978 legislation that established the recreation area as a unit of the National Park System, and throughout his entire tenure in the House, he fought tirelessly for funding to acquire the recreation area's park land and to promote the area's success.

After Tony retired, Congress passed legislation to name the recreation area's principal visitor center in his honor. This center, named the Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center, is located in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains and orients visitors to the many features and offerings of the publicly accessible federal, state, local and privately owned lands within the recreation area.

Tony also secured funding over a period of years to create a 160-acre recreational park and a 60-acre wildlife refuge in the Sepulveda Flood Control Basin in the San Fernando Valley. A park there is also named in his honor.

While Tony was a Harvard-trained lawyer with an impressive legislative record, he was a self-effacing person who gave ample credit to those involved in his causes and accomplishments. He will be remembered for his ability to debate difficult and divisive issues in a highly respectful manner.

We send our condolences to his wife Dolores, sons Adam and Peter, daughter Dayna, and nine grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the memory of my good friend of nearly three decades, Michael Jay Grobstein of Encino, California, who passed away Wednesday, March 8.

Michael died at home, surrounded by his loving family, including his wife of 53 years, Barrie; his children, Marla and Marc; and his grandchildren, Miranda and Avery.

Fifty years ago, as a young and talented CPA, Michael founded a CPA firm which grew to be the largest accounting firm in the San Fernando Valley, Grobstein and Horwath. In that role, he provided financial and strategic advice to businesses throughout southern California, and beyond. There are thousands of people who are employed today at businesses that Michael guided with insight and wisdom.

Michael served as a founding member and president of The Executives, a group of business leaders in the Valley formed to support the Jewish Home for the Aging, where my own mother lives, along with hundreds of those enjoying their senior years. For that effort, Barrie and Michael earned the Circle of Life Award.

As lifelong residents of the Valley, both Michael and Barrie were involved in many charities, including the Junior Blind of America, the Grossman Burn Foundation, City of Hope, Cal State University Northridge, Sherman Oaks Hospital, and the Sheriff's Youth Foundation.

Above all, Michael was an example of one of San Fernando Valley's finest community leaders, and he was a good friend. He will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record an official statement and tribute written by the family and staff of our former colleague, Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega of American Samoa. Congressman Faleomavaega was a good friend, an outstanding colleague, and a fighter for the people of American Samoa.

In Loving Memory of Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega of American Samoa

By His Family and Staff

The Honorable Eni F.H. Faleomavaega was American Samoa's

longest-serving Delegate to the U.S. House of

Representatives, and the first Asian-Pacific American to

serve as Chairman of the influential House Foreign Affairs'

Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment.

He held the matai, or chieftain, orator title of

Faleomavaega.

Eni Hunkin, Jr. was born in the village of Vailoatai,

American Samoa on August 15, 1943. He was raised in lovely

Laie, Hawaii where the skies are blue and ``the rainbows

spread their shining wings.'' He played fullback for the Red

Raiders at Kahuku High School, graduating in 1962. At the

Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), he was a canoe paddler and

a dancer. In 1964, he graduated from the Church College of

Hawaii (BYU-Hawaii) with an Associate of Arts (AA) Degree. He

earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science from

Brigham Young University (1966); a Juris Doctor (JD) from the

University of Houston Law School (1972); and a Master of Laws

(LLM) from the University of California, Berkeley Boalt Hall

School of Law (1973). English was his second language.

From 1973-1975, Eni Hunkin, Jr. served as Administrative

Assistant to Paramount Chief A.U. Fuimaono, American Samoa's

first elected Representative to Washington, DC. From 1975-

1981, he served as Staff Counsel to the U.S. House of

Representatives Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs,

chaired by Congressman Phillip Burton who entrusted Eni with

drafting legislation to provide American Samoa with an

elected Governor and an elected Delegate. At the advice of

late Senate President Paramount Chief Letuli Toloa, Eni

returned home to American Samoa to ``eat the dust and walk on

the rocks'' so that he could feel more directly the pains of

the people in order to serve them more completely. From 1981-

1984, Eni Hunkin, Jr. served as American Samoa's Deputy

Attorney General and, from 1985-1988, he served as Lieutenant

Governor of American Samoa. In 1988, Eni was elected to the

U.S. House of Representatives where he served the people of

American Samoa for some 26 years (1989-2015), and would still

be serving today if not for illness.

Congressman Faleomavaega wore out his life in the service

of his fellow beings and, by extension, he wore out his life

in the service of our God. Faleomavaega's works brought

American Samoa a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic, a new Army

Reserve Center, more funding per capita than any other State

or Territory across many sectors (including education),

over $4 billion in federal funding from 1995-2012 (with over

$2 billion as a direct result of his advocacy), Medicaid

increases, computer labs, dialysis machines, village road

improvements, ferries, fire trucks, ambulances, a hotel,

funding for an airport tower and other capital improvement

projects totaling over $200 million, assistance for American

Samoa's tuna canneries that extended the life of the industry

in the Territory, WIC, food stamps, improved water systems,

and military academy nominations and scholarships.

Congressman Faleomavaega also guaranteed the voting rights

of American Samoa's military men and women, protected and

expanded American Samoa's National Park, saw to it that

American Samoa was included in the Commemorative Coin Program

with a circulating quarter dollar honoring American Samoa's

long and proud commitment to the United States, and made sure

a postage stamp was issued in honor of American Samoa's

Centennial. He was responsible for implementing a law that

authorized free medical flights for American Samoa's

veterans. He established an American Samoa Economic

Development Commission. He obtained money to build high

school gymnasiums, renovate and construct a harbor facility

in Manu'a, and improve American Samoa's weather station. He

also extended direct home loans to American Samoa's veterans.

When American Samoa was hit by a tsunami in 2009,

Congressman Faleomavaega turned to his long-time friend,

Chairman Kim Seung Youn of the Hanhwa Group, to provide

funding to bury American Samoa's dead. Chairman Li Ka-shing

of Hutchinson Whampoa also came to Faleomavaega's aid and

provided significant private sector funding.

Congressman Faleomavaega also served his constituents

individually--handling hundreds of veterans, visa,

immigration, Social Security and military cases per year. He

sponsored and cosponsored thousands of Bills and Resolutions

during his service in the U.S. Congress. According to the

Congressional Research Service (CRS), during the 101st-113th

Congress, Faleomavaega participated in more than 1,100 U.S.

Congressional full committee and subcommittee hearings of the

Foreign Affairs and Resource Committees--and chaired and/or

spoke in more than 800 hearings. His Floor statements,

recorded in the Congressional Record for historical purposes,

are too numerous to count.

Still, this is only a small and known part of the great

work he did. From American Samoa to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos,

Malaysia, South Korea, India, China, the Philippines, Sri

Lanka, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Chile, Taiwan,

West Papua, Vatican City, Greece, Norway, Australia, New

Zealand, Tonga, Western Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Fiji,

Tahiti, Palau, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Micronesia, the Cook

Islands, Rapa Nui, and so on and so forth, Congressman Faleomavaega was a statesman like no other. He was a trailblazer, a peacemaker, and a skilled and respected world leader.

He was also a hero, especially to those known to the world

as ``comfort women''--to those who as young women were

coerced into sexual slavery during Japan's colonial and

wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the

1930s through the duration of World War II. Congressman

Faleomavaega referred to these victorious survivors as his

``grandmothers'' and, every time he was in South Korea, he

visited and danced with those who lived at the House of

Sharing. He cared deeply for them. He dared to hold a hearing

for them. He invited them to testify on House Resolution 121,

introduced by Congressman Mike Honda and cosponsored by

Faleomavaega and others, which called for Japan to formally

acknowledge, apologize, and accept responsibility for its

Imperial Armed Forces' atrocities. While Resolutions had been

offered before, no hearing had ever been held in the U.S.

Congress for these women until Faleomavaega held his first

hearing as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific,

and the Global Environment. The hearing was historic. It lit

the world on fire--and changed the outcome for the surviving

``grandmothers,'' who finally got an apology from Japan.

Congressman Faleomavaega was conferred an Honorary Doctorate

Degree by Chonbuk National University in South Korea and was

named an Honorary Citizen of Jeollabuk-do.

For Vietnam, Faleomavaega also stood strong and immovable--

calling for the U.S. to clean up the mess it left behind

after the Vietnam War. As a young soldier in the United

States Army, Faleomavaega served in Vietnam from 1966-1969

where he, too, was exposed to Agent Orange--complications

from which eventually claimed his life. As Chairman of the

Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global

Environment, he returned to Vietnam for the first time after

40 years. He returned to Nha Trang where once he was a

soldier, and was so moved by the experience that he held

historic hearings about Agent Orange remediation, which

included testimony from Vietnamese victims and briefings by

Vietnam government officials. Although only a Delegate

representing the smallest constituency in the U.S. Congress,

Faleomavaega was given the high honor by the Socialist

Republic of Vietnam of hosting President Truong Tan Sang

during his historic visit to Washington, DC in 2013. And

while in Vietnam, Faleomavaega and his wife, Hinanui

Bambridge Cave Hunkin, were hosted by Prime Minister Nguyen

Tan Dung and members of the National Assembly, including Vice

Chairwoman Madam Tong Thi Phong, also a Politburo member.

Faleomavaega praised Vietnam for great strides in religious

freedom, and remained forever grateful for Vietnam's official

recognition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saint, of which he was a member.

Beyond Vietnam, Faleomavaega was a hero to Native

Americans, to people in Cambodia whose families were killed

by the Khmer Rouge, to the people of West Papua, to the

people of Laos whose lands were destroyed by cluster bombs.

He was a friend to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India at a

time when Shri Modi needed a friend. Congressman Faleomavaega

helped Myanmar, Bahrain, Pakistan and Afghanistan. President

Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan awarded Faleomavaega the

country's highest civilian honor for championing the cause of

nuclear nonproliferation and drawing the world's attention to

the people of Semipalatinsk and those in the Pacific Islands

who had been subjected to Cold War nuclear testing. Although

Congressman Faleomavaega was arrested by French commandos

when he sailed on the Rainbow Warrior to protest French

nuclear testing in Polynesia, he was not deterred.

Faleomavaega was a warrior and voyager at heart--and served

as a crew member aboard the Polynesian voyaging canoe, the

Hokule'a, which sailed from Tahiti to Hawaii in 1987 with

Native Hawaiian navigator Nainoa Thompson at the helm.

Faleomavaega was the author of Navigating the Future: A

Samoan Perspective on U.S.-Pacific Relations (1995). Before

his passing, he was writing his second book, which may be

printed in memoriam.

He also proudly served in the United States Army Reserve as

a Captain, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps Member,

100 Battalion 442nd Infantry Reserve Unit from 1982-1989, and

he always went for broke. Congressman Faleomavaega served on

the House Committee on Resources and the Subcommittees on

Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife (which had broad

jurisdiction for matters affecting American Samoa); Indian

and Alaska Native Affairs; Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife

and Oceans; and National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands.

He also served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(previously known as International Relations) and the

Subcommittees on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global

Environment (known as Asia and the Pacific); and the Western

Hemisphere. He was a member of the Small Business Committee.

Faleomavaega established the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-

India Trade and Investment, the Friends of Vietnam Caucus,

and the Congressional Caucus on Central Asia.

He was loved both by Democrats and Republicans in the U.S.

Senate and House of Representatives. Upon his passing, many

of his colleagues as well as leaders from around the world

paid tribute to Congressman Faleomavaega for his

extraordinary service and powerful contributions at home and

abroad. At home, Congressman Faleomavaega built American

Samoa on a foundation of solid rock so that those who follow

might be successful. Around the globe, he met with Heads of

State--with kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates--but in

all his doings, he never forgot the poor and needy. He was a

friend to all to the end. He was noble, kind and true.

When interviewed by the United States Capitol Historical

Society, Congressman Faleomavaega said he wanted to be

remembered for doing his best, that's it. He succeeded. From

Tutuila to Manu'a, from one far corner of the earth to

another, he will be remembered for doing and being his best.

He will be remembered because we hold him dear. We have lost

a treasure. We have lost a father, brother, papa, uncle,

friend. Surely, the sun has fallen from the sky.

As one pioneer put it, ``The journey home ain't always

easy. We'll have a hard time getting there. But along the

way, we'll see things we've never before seen--great herds of

buffalo and big cedar trees on the hills, and maybe even vast

expanses of sunflowers in bloom.'' For many of us, Eni was

like a vast expanse of sunflowers in bloom. We miss him, and

love him.

Surrounded by his loved ones, Eni Hunkin, Jr. passed away

peacefully on February 22, 2017. He is survived by his wife

of 45 years, Mrs. Hinanui Bambridge Cave Hunkin and their

five children--Temanuata (Mike Laussen), Taualai (Kolotau

Vaitu'ulala), Ra'imana (Malia Rivera), Vaimoana, and Leonne

(Taufui-e-valu Vakapuna)--ten grandchildren (Leonne, Eni,

Kolotau, Kenzo, Dexter,

Taimana, Taiatea, Tutehau, Maiana, and Robbie)--his sisters

(Vaitinasa Salu Hunkin-Finau, Ed.D. and Mrs. Masinaatoa

Magalei)--his brother, Mr. Albert Hunkin--and his adopted, or

hanai sisters, Mrs. Diane Sauers and the late Mrs. Susie

Osborn. His siblings, Mrs. Tuilua'ai Vanisi, Mrs. Arlene

McBraun and Mr. Taulauniu Hunkin, as well as his parents, Mr.

Eni Hunkin, Sr. and Mrs. Taualai Manu Hunkin, preceded him.

Leone High Chief Senator Faiivae Iuli Alex Godinet of the

American Samoa Legislature (Fono), who formerly served as

Faleomavaega's Chief of Staff in American Samoa, and Dr. Lisa

Williams, Faleomavaega's Chief of Staff in Washington, DC and

his Staff Director for the House Foreign Affairs'

Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global

Environment, joined with the family in preparing and issuing

this statement so as to honor their great mentor who shaped

their lives and careers in untold ways. They did so on behalf

of the many other staff members who also faithfully served

with Congressman Faleomavaega both in American Samoa and

Washington, DC, including but not limited to Tavita Richmond,

Vili Le'i and Leilani Pimentel.

Mr. and Mrs. Don and Linda Saaga, Major General Robert G.

Lee, and many other individuals and organizations too

numerous to name, have also paid tribute, including BYU-

Hawaii. Noting that one of its most notable alumni has passed

away, the university stated, ``Eni's life embodies President

David O. McKay's prophecy about BYU-Hawaii educating `men and

women whose influence will be felt for good toward the

establishment of peace internationally.' ''

Although Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega has returned

home to the God who made him and now rejoices with his many

friends and loved ones on the other side of the veil, his

influence remains with us. And so, we take comfort knowing

that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world (John 8:12). He

is the Promised Messiah. He is our Savior and our King. ``He

is risen'' (Matthew 28:6). As Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

testified, ``The Resurrection is not a fable.'' ``On Sunday,

the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death.'' And because

He lives, we will live again. We will meet again. Until then,

Jesus Christ ``will wipe away all tears from [our] eyes''

(Revelation 7:17). Tell it out with joyful voice. All is

well.

Mr. Speaker, I regret to inform the House that my predecessor, Anthony ``Tony'' C. Beilenson, died over the weekend.

Anthony Beilenson was known for integrity, civility, intelligence, courage, and a willingness to work across the aisle, even when that caused him to differ from the orthodoxy of his own party.

He served in this House for 20 years, from 1977 through 1997, and served for 2 years as chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He passed on Sunday, and I ask that Members rise and that the House observe a moment of silence.

Mr. Speaker, we have reached the 29th anniversary of a dark chapter in modern history. During the Nagorno-Karabakh War of 1988 to 1994, Armenian civilians were indiscriminately attacked in the city of Sumgait. Today, I condemn these pogroms and commemorate the victims.

On the evening of February 27, 1988, a three-day rampage against Armenian civilians living in Sumgait, Soviet Azerbaijan began. Armenian civilians were hunted down and brutally assaulted. There were cases of rape, murder, and maiming of Armenian civilians.

The Soviet Union prohibited journalists from entering the area. It was reported that over 30 people were murdered and over 200 injured. However, it is believed that more, perhaps hundreds, were murdered by roving mobs.

Sadly, the Sumgait pogrom was only the beginning.

Despite international condemnation of the pogrom in Sumgait, another anti-Armenian pogrom occurred later that year in Kirovabad, Azerbaijan, from November 21st to 27th. Due to the brutality, the Armenians of Kirovabad and the surrounding areas were forced to flee their homes. Another crime against humanity occurred from January 13th to the 19th, in 1990. Members of the Armenian community of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, were assaulted, tortured and killed by violent mobs.

I would like to commemorate the Armenian victims of the Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku massacres, to honor the memory of the murdered, and to stop future bloodshed. If we hope to stop future massacres, we must acknowledge these horrific events and ensure they do not happen again.

We must urge Azerbaijan to cease all threats and acts of coercion against the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. We should actively monitor and condemn Azerbaijan's violations of the ceasefire in Nagomo Karabakh.

Lastly, we must reaffirm America's commitment to an enduring, peaceful and democratic resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that includes the Nagorno Karabakh Republic as a party to negotiations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ron McDaniel, CEO of California Credit Union and a leader in the credit union system who is retiring next month.

Ron's credit union career includes 23 years in senior management at Point Mugu Federal Credit Union (now Premier America CU) in Ventura, 19 of those as president and CEO. Since 2004, he has served as CEO of California Credit Union.

Ron has been a leader amongst his peers. He has served on the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Board of Directors and its Governmental Affairs Committee. He has also served on the California Credit Union League Board of Directors, where he served as board chairman and chairman of the Government Relations Committee. In these roles he helped shape the policy agenda for credit unions in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. and was called upon to testify on behalf of credit unions before the California Senate and Assembly.

In the days before credit unions were allowed to provide checking accounts, Ron participated in the National Credit Union Administration's (NCUA) pilot share draft program, which created the first checking accounts for credit union members. In 1979, Congress authorized credit unions to experiment with share drafts for a three- month period. Shortly after the successful pilot program began, the American Bankers Association sued NCUA arguing that it was illegal for credit unions to provide something that was so similar to a checking account. In 1978, a district court ruled that under the Federal Credit Union Act, the NCUA could authorize credit unions to offer share drafts. This new program became an instant success among credit union members.

From 1980 through 1982, Ron was part of the California Credit Union League's ATM Task Force. At the time, most credit unions did not have an ATM. Ron was part of the steering committee that developed the idea of creating a nationwide ATM network for credit unions, which ultimately led to the formation of the CO-OP Financial Services system and later into shared branching. Ron was actively involved in developing the corporate structure for CO-OP and helped shepherd the idea through its first turbulent (and unprofitable) years.

During the mid-1990s, the banking industry coordinated an attack on the community charter model of service for credit unions. At the time, Ron was CEO of Point Mugu Federal Credit Union. When the Navy dramatically reduced its operations at Point Mugu, the credit union's existence was threatened. Through Ron's leadership, Point Mugu decided to expand and become more of a community charter credit union to serve the needs of consumers throughout Ventura County. When the NCUA approved this expansion, the banking industry sued the NCUA. This lawsuit, along with a similar lawsuit filed by banks against the NCUA and AT&T Family Federal Credit Union, culminated in a Supreme Court decision that would have drastically limited consumer access to credit unions.

Ron worked tirelessly with the California League, CUNA, and the NCUA to develop a legislative solution. He was active in public and private advocacy on behalf of credit unions that relied on the existence of a robust community charter model. Ultimately, the efforts of Ron and others resulted in the enactment of the Credit Union Membership Access Act of 1998. It is not an exaggeration to say that this single piece of legislation saved the community charter model and has provided access to credit union services for millions of consumers and allowed hundreds of credit unions to thrive throughout the country.

For his accomplishments and contributions to the credit union system, Ron received the League's Distinguished Service Award in 1999. For his advocacy efforts throughout the years, he received the League's Advocacy Lifetime Award in 2016.

In his community, Ron served for several years on the board of Cal Lutheran University's Alumni Association including one term as president. He also served on the University's Board of Regents, where his responsibilities included assignments on the Administration and Finance Committee; the Investment Committee that oversees the University's endowment; and on the Audit Committee. He was chairman of the Credit Unions for Kids Advisory Board for Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Ron is an excellent ambassador for the credit union movement. I have enjoyed my many conversations with Ron over the years about how credit unions can better serve individuals and small businesses. I am pleased to join my friends and constituents in the credit union system in congratulating Ron McDaniel on his years of service and dedication to America's credit unions.