Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 41. I want to thank leadership for posting it today, and especially thank Chairman Scott Garrett for authoring this critically important legislation, boosting the NFIP's borrowing authority by $9.7 billion, and I'm very proud to be a cosponsor.

Madam Speaker, the devastation unleashed by Sandy is without precedent, and the impacted communities are in

dire need of comprehensive assistance. Nowhere is this more evident than in the sheer magnitude of the housing damage and the subsequent housing need.

According to Governor Christie's office, Sandy damaged or destroyed 346,000 housing units. Of that number, some 72,397 were covered by the National Flood Insurance Program, whose owners have submitted claims and are awaiting the insurance payout for comprehensive repairs. Thus far, only 18 percent have received funds pursuant to their claims. Over 80 percent of my constituents are waiting in limbo--an intolerable situation that is making a bad situation worse. Moreover, Madam Speaker, throughout the region there are a total of 115,000 insurance claims related to Sandy; many of them are waiting as well.

This is must-pass legislation. We have an obligation--we have a duty to meet this compelling need and contractual obligation. This legislation takes us in that direction. Again, I want to thank Chairman Garrett for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, last month the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights held a hearing which examined U.S. policy regarding the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This conflict was exacerbated by Rwanda's interventions in neighboring eastern Congo, as documented by the release of three United Nations reports last year. These reports confirmed Rwanda's support of militia who have ravaged and continue to plague this region. The State Department was unavailable to testify at our September 19th hearing on this issue, and the subcommittee promised at that time to follow-up when State was available to testify.

In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, successive U.S. administrations have turned a blind eye to reports of Rwandan plundering of resources from the DRC and support for rebels who have devastated eastern Congo and its people. It seems that guilt over the Clinton Administration's failure responding effectively to the genocide in Rwanda has led subsequent U.S. administrations to be reluctant to criticize the Government of Rwanda.

With these UN reports on that government's behavior in the DRC, we must overcome our regret over what happened 18 years ago. As an NGO letter to President Obama points out, the United States is now out of step with our European allies, who have cut aid to Rwanda because of their interference in the DRC, as recommended by the UN Group of Experts in their recent reports. The Group of Experts also recommends imposing sanctions on responsible Rwandan officials, such as Defense Minister General James Kabarebe.

Additionally, the Government of the DRC has failed to ensure that its military adequately provides security for its citizens. In fact, the National Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) also is alleged to be a perpetrator of human rights violations in the East. Security sector reform is critical in the DRC, and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has not been able to completely train military containing elements that too often terrorize their own people instead of protecting them.

At this point, it is vital to understand what the administration intends to do about the UN reports on Rwanda's violation of the arms embargo on non-state groups in eastern DRC and how this impacts U.S. relations with Rwanda. Furthermore, we must know how the administration intends to deal with the DRC government in light of its deficiencies in security sector reform. The hearing also took a comprehensive look at who is responsible for the insecurity in eastern Congo beyond the two government and the militias.

Most attention is being paid to the M23 rebel movement in eastern Congo, and justifiably so in light of their recent seizure of territory and overall destructive impact on the people of eastern Congo. However, there are reportedly as many as two dozen armed groups terrorizing Congolese in this region. According to a November 2012 report from Oxfam, Commodities of War, nine of these militias are believed to be most prominent. They range from those with a focus on Rwanda or Uganda, those that were formed in response to the flight of perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to the DRC or those singularly focused on the DRC itself. Whatever the reason for their founding, these militias have terrorized the people of eastern Congo and the DRC as a whole. We must identify their support base and end the flow of arms and other aid that enables their ongoing reign of terror.

According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), insecurity in eastern Congo has displaced approximately 2.4 million people nationwide, especially in the East. Despite longstanding conflict in eastern Congo, OCHA estimates that the majority of displaced persons typically returns to their areas of origin within six to 18 months of their initial displacement and require minimal return assistance. While that may be true, it does not account for the kind of life Congolese will have once they can return to their homes.

Women continue to be targeted for abuse in DRC. A study that recently appeared in the American Journal of Public Health in May 2011 concluded that an average of 48 women and girls are raped every hour in this country. So, as with our February 2nd and September 19th hearings on the DRC this year, more than 100 females in DRC were raped before our hearing last month ended. Their rejection by their families and communities casts a cloud over future efforts to recreate communities destroyed by militias in the DRC. This is an issue that must be addressed by Congolese themselves--sooner rather than later.

Since our hearing in September, M23 made significant gains in territorial control, occupying Goma for 10 days while moving southward, potentially toward the South Kivu town of Bukavu. However, international pressure played a major role in the group ending its advance southward and withdrawing from Goma town by early December. DRC President Joseph Kabila's government and the M23 rebels reportedly have agreed to peace talks in Kampala sponsored by the Government of Uganda. There have been peace talks and peace accords in the DRC before, and they didn't hold. Will this effort achieve lasting peace?

The DRC is home to abundant mineral wealth, including 70 percent of the world's coltan (used to make vital components of cell phones and other electronic equipment), 30 percent of the world's diamond reserves and vast deposits of cobalt, copper and bauxite. Unfortunately, these natural resources have attracted international looters and fuelled civil war. Now oil has been discovered in eastern DRC. Can a way be found to prevent the DRC's blessings from being turned into curses?

The tragic genocide in Rwanda in 1994 has had lasting repercussions in the DRC, but since the 1880s, resentment over the perceived influx of people considered foreigners in eastern DRC has contributed to conflict in this region, including two regional wars. Various leaders in the region have used this antipathy for political purposes, pitting their supporters against their perceived opponents. Can the inter- ethnic problems in the DRC and its neighbors be finally resolved so that a lasting peace among all the people in the DRC can be achieved?

Our witnesses last month were well-positioned to address questions regarding a path toward sustainable peace in the DRC and the obstacles that lie in that path. It is time now to find a way to bring to an end the suffering of the people of the DRC.

Mr. Speaker, the two-tiered amendment disaster relief bill that we had hoped to bring to the floor to get us to the $60 billion that is desperately needed to assist families, businesses, and municipalities devastated by Superstorm Sandy. Our appeal--and it's a bipartisan appeal--is that there is still time to bring this vital legislation to the floor for a vote back to the Senate and then down to the President for signature.

Numerous towns in my district, Mr. Speaker, as well as well as our friends in New York and further north, are still coping with and recovering from the most destructive storm ever in our region--and perhaps the second or third most costly in all of American history.

Today, families lack housing. Businesses are in shambles, and municipalities have been decimated.

In New Jersey, some 346,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed, with 22,000 units rendered absolutely uninhabitable.

An estimated 11,000 housing choice vouchers will be needed to ensure that residents at least have a roof over their heads this winter.

Approximately 100,000 new storm-related unemployment claims have been filed in New Jersey, 100,000, attributable to the storm.

Over 235,000 people in New Jersey have already registered with FEMA for individual assistance.

Seventy-five percent of New Jersey's small businesses were adversely affected, 10 percent of which, or nearly 19,000 businesses, sustained damage of $250,000 or more, far in excess of the loss to businesses from Katrina. Total business losses are estimated to be a whopping $8.3 billion.

Furthermore, an estimated 10,000 structures statewide will need to be demolished, and 1,000 sites across New Jersey will require remediation after hazardous materials discharge.

Fifty-one schools sustained serious damage, including six that will not reopen this school year.

Transit, roads, and bridges have been damaged to the tune of $2.9 billion, which includes 294 damaged railcars and 75 damaged locomotives.

One of the main roads that runs through my district, Route 35, will require an estimated $120 million to repair.

Power and gas lines are expected to cost roughly $1 billion, understandably, given that, at the peak, power outages left 2.4 million people in the dark.

Waste and water and sewer will require about $3 billion to repair and to protect.

Hospitals, assisted living, and other health facilities will have seen over $150 million worth of storm damage. These facts--and there are many more--underscore the devastation unleashed by Sandy, and it is without precedent.

I would say to my colleagues that no recovery is ever accomplished in a single year, but it's about predictability and the certainty of funds to rebuild and to restore that ensures that the work proceeds immediately, comprehensively, efficaciously, and without interruption.

Mr. Speaker, for days and weeks, like many of my colleagues, after that horrible storm hit, I met with hundreds, even thousands of tenacious women and men who, despite crippling losses, were determined to rebuild.

I'll never forget one resident in Belmar who came up to me the day after Superstorm Sandy, and said, I've lost everything, but at least I'm alive.

We need to now backstop these individuals. We need to ensure that the monies are there, that they flow quickly but prudently to ensure that they can rebuild, and their homes and businesses and community.

You know, Congress assisted those pummeled by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with $62 billion in a mere 2 weeks. We are now past 2 months. And we need to be clear: The President didn't send to Sandy Relief package to Congress December 7. There was a loss of several weeks, but we do have a proposal. It's about 25 percent less than what the affected States have said they needed.

New Jersey, New York and the other estimates about $80 billion. It's down at approximately $60 billion, so it is less.

And I've seen and gone through the numbers that my State has sent to Congress as well as to the President. They are very well vetted.

Governor Chris Christie used to be a U.S. attorney. Many of the people around him are former prosecutors. Their tough and disciplined. They hate waste, fraud, and abuse, and they're trying to ensure that the money is there in the amounts needed to make a difference in the lives of your constituents.

Finally, let me just say, Mr. Speaker, we need to act now. As my colleague before me said a moment ago, New Jersey especially as well as New York, are contributing States not takers. We get back far less from the Federal Government than we pay in every year. That's a good thing. We have very, very good businesses that really provide employment for our people.

But we've been devastated, and I would hope and urge the Speaker to bring the Sandy Relief bill to the floor as quickly as possible, hopefully today, tomorrow, but as quickly as possible, because the people who have suffered, the victims, deserve no less.

Mr. Speaker, I do join my colleagues in asking that the Speaker reconsider. I want to thank Majority Leader Eric Cantor who has worked tirelessly through these many days right up to the last couple of minutes. Today, families lack housing, businesses are in shambles, and municipalities have been decimated; 346,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed in New Jersey with 22,000 units today uninhabitable. Approximately 100,000 new storm-related unemployment claims have been filed in New Jersey--100,000--and over 235,000 people have already registered with FEMA for individual assistance.

This is a dire crisis. People are hurting. I talk to people in my district who have been mal-affected, and they're looking to us for help, and they're looking for timely help. We need to pass this.

Please, Mr. Speaker, reconsider.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation, and thank my good friend Mr. Kelly for authoring it.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution urges the governments of Europe and the European Union to designate Hezballah a terrorist organization, so that it will not be able to raise funds and recruit operatives in Europe.

Since Hezballah is one of the most active, dangerous, ruthless, and evil terrorist groups in the world, this should be the most obvious thing in the world for the European governments to do--the minimum action which they should be in a hurry to do on their own, without any urging from anybody.

One reason many European countries have not done so is the ongoing presence of anti-Semitism in Europe. It's a very sad story, but it's undeniably true that in many European countries large minorities or even majorities of the population hold attitudes that can only be described as anti-Semitic. Regarding this I'd like to recommend to my colleagues a March 2012 study of the Anti-Defamation League on ``Attitudes Toward Jews in Ten European Countries.'' It is shocking but necessary reading--I will be happy to share it with any of my colleagues.

Further, in Europe anti-Semitic opinion doesn't hide its head furtively. Rather people who are not anti-Semitic accept various forms of anti-Semitic statement and attitudes into seemingly ``mainstream'' discussion, where it's allowed to influence government policy--that is, anti-Semitic public opinion limits what some governments are willing to say and do in fighting anti-Semitism.

So with this resolution we are also urging the European governments, and the European Union, to deal more pro-actively, much more pro- actively, with anti-Semitism in Europe. Denounce anti-Semitic actions and statements whenever they occur--this is a fundamental responsibility of every elected official. As elected officials, we always have a special responsibility to anyone in danger--and this resolution documents very well that Hezbollah is an extraordinarily dangerous terrorist group.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I do want to recognize the many European parliamentarians who have worked hard in fighting anti-Semitism in Europe. I've worked with many of them over the years, particularly in the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and in the Interparliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism.

This resolution, with its careful documentation of the extraordinary danger posed by Hezballah, will provide Europeans engaged in fighting anti-Semitism with a tool they can take to their governments and demand that they be much more pro-active against anti-Semitism. For it is anti-Semitism that creates the poisonous atmosphere in which Hezballah operates.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this excellent resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 193, calling on the new government of Egypt to honor the rule of law and immediately return American citizens Noor and Ramsey Bower to the United States. It is absolutely appalling and inexcusable that more than three years after a textbook abduction, the new government of Egypt has yet to right the terrible wrong that has been perpetrated upon Noor and Ramsey, as well as upon their father, Colin Bower.

Noor and Ramsey were abducted and hidden with the assistance of the previous Egyptian government August 2009. The boys' mother had lost custody of the children in the United States because of her drug use and psychological problems. Their father, Mr. Bower, was their primary caregiver.

For the last three years, Colin Bower has been doing everything in his power to find out if his sons are safe and to be reunited with them. In July of 2011, he testified before my subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights--and conveyed his frustration over the lack of priority abduction cases receive in U.S. foreign policy.

This sentiment is shared by the thousands of American parents whose American children have been abducted to foreign jurisdictions, often in violation of valid U.S. court orders. Every year, more than a thousand additional families are anguished by an abduction. We are losing our children and are not bringing them home.

At that same hearing, we heard from Michael Elias, an Iraqi veteran from New Jersey, who told this committee of his anguish after his ex- wife used her Japanese consulate connections to abduct Jade and Michael Jr., after the New Jersey court had ordered surrender of passports and joint custody.

His ex-wife flagrantly disregarded those valid court orders telling Michael Elias, ``My country [Japan] will protect me.'' She was right. Both the U.S. embassy personnel and Mr. Elias have been unable to even see the American citizen children since 2008--much less return them to their home.

The U.S. talks about the problem with Japan, and talks, and talks-- but Japan has yet to issue and enforce a court order to return a single American child.

In the case of Egypt, we have provided more than $4 billion in aid and debt relief since the abduction of Noor and Ramsey in 2009--despite the fact that Egypt has continued to flagrantly violate valid U.S. court orders, prevent Mr. Bower from seeing his sons, and otherwise aid and abet a kidnapping.

The United States can and must do more to demand that our would-be allies respect the rule of law and return our abducted children. H. Res. 193 is a step in the right direction. Specifically, H. Res. 193 ``urges Egypt and all other nations--such as Japan--to join and fully participate in the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and to establish procedures to promptly and equitably address the tragedy of child abductions, given the serious consequences to children of not expeditiously resolving these cases and of denying them access to a parent.''

H. Res. 193 also urges the House of Representatives to take other appropriate measures to ensure that Hague Convention partners return abducted children to the United States in compliance with the Hague Convention's provisions--and to work aggressively for the return of children abducted from the United States to countries that are not Hague Convention Partners and for visitation rights for left-behind parents while return is negotiated, establishing memorandums of understanding where necessary for the expeditious return of children.

Mr. Speaker, it may soon be time for this body to consider additional steps if we do not see immediate cooperation from our would-be allies in the return of American children. H. Res. 193 is ample warning to Egypt, Japan, and other nations that American patience with abductions has run out. I strongly support the passage of H. Res. 193--and the passage of additional steps if the warning is not heeded.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Michael Ochs has announced his retirement from the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, which I chair. So at this time I'd like to pay tribute to him for his 25 years of service to the Commission. Michael began his work as a member of the professional staff on October 1, 1987, a time when the changes to come in what was then the Soviet Union were unimaginable. Yet within a few years, the Soviet Union had disintegrated, succeeded by newly independent states facing difficult and sometimes complex transition periods.

Dr. Ochs joined the staff of the Commission after completing his doctoral work in Russian history, and began his career by monitoring human rights abuses in the Soviet Union. He participated in the first international human rights conference to be convened in the Soviet Union, a meeting eventually interrupted by the KGB.

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Michael was an early voice promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in post-Soviet states, particularly in the Caucasus and Central Asia. In the early 1990s, he traveled regularly to the region, working with authorities, opposition representatives, journalists and human rights activists to promote democracy and human rights, as well as participating in early OSCE election observation missions. This early involvement in the newly independent states gave Michael a remarkable depth of understanding of the region. His extensive network of contacts has made him indispensable to the Commission as well as other U.S. government agencies. He is certainly one of our government's top experts on the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Michael's extraordinary expertise has served the Commission well over the years, and has also been recognized and called on by other U.S. government agencies. He has earned a reputation for his thoughtful and thorough analytical skills, which are respected not only within the U.S. government, but also within the region by both opposition and authorities alike. He also is known for his outstanding language skills, including near-native proficiency in Russian, as well as a command of Polish, Azeri and several other languages.

Michael's tenure at the Commission has seen color revolutions in Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, tragic massacres and violence in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and steps forward towards democracy throughout the region, and, sadly, many steps backward in the region. He has worked hard to advocate for activists, journalists, and others arrested for opposing authoritarian regimes--and, sometimes against the odds--has been successful in getting individuals released from prison.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize and commend Dr. Michael Ochs for his faithful service to the Commission and in defense of human rights and freedom. As he will be retiring at the end of this month, this is also a sad good-bye for me--I have known Michael almost since he joined the Commission, have traveled abroad with him, benefited greatly from his expertise, enjoyed his company immensely, and will certainly miss him.

Mr. Speaker, this week and even today Israel's terrorist enemies massively escalated their rocket attacks on our country's closest ally, Israel--Hamas has fired its rockets at large cities whose population has not been under attack for decades, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the latter of which had never been subject to rocket attack. Sadly, three people have been killed.

Words cannot express the inhumanity and barbarity of these rocket attacks. The number of Israelis who live under daily threat of air attack has increased exponentially: more than a third of Israel's population lives in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area alone, which was last under rocket fire during the first Gulf War.

This is the moment for America to send a clear message: Hamas's rocket attacks are completely and totally unacceptable and unjustified and intolerable, their escalation even more so. The Israeli government has not only the right but the duty to defend its people. I want to recognize and applaud Israel for vigorously doing so, and for taking every reasonable precaution to avoid civilian casualties. I want to remind my colleagues that Hamas's goal is not to avoid civilian casualties, but to initiate conflict that will cause it, so that all the people killed, whether Israeli or Palestinian, are in fact Hamas's victims. Our hearts and prayers go out to their families.

Madam Speaker, almost 40 years ago, this body heard the cries of the Jewish refuseniks trapped behind the Iron Curtain, and it passed the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which brilliantly linked the free movement of goods with the free movement of people. It was a congressional initiative, opposed by the White House, which sought ``reset'' at all costs--at that time it was called ``detente''-- with Russia.

It's a sad commentary on what the Russian people continue to suffer that now, more than 40 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we meet in the same House Chamber to struggle with similar issues.

Russia is now a market economy and permits emigration, but human rights and the rule of law are trampled with impunity and often violence. Since Jackson-Vanik--a marvelous tool for promoting human rights in the seventies and eighties--doesn't address Russia's current problems, we need a new tool. The need for one should be evident to anyone who follows the news. Madam Speaker, the Magnitsky provisions of the trade bill we are considering provide such a tool.

These tools couldn't be timelier as some lament a perceived decline in American influence abroad. The Magnitsky sanctions shouldn't cost us a dime--and the howls from the Kremlin suggest we are on to something. While threats like cutting off aid or military cooperation mean nothing to the Russians, its kleptocratic elite deeply value access to the West. The privilege of a U.S. visa affords a measure of respectability as well as a quick exit for those who worry daily that somebody may be held to account for the crimes against their countrymen. Further, corrupt Russian officials know better than to keep their fortunes inside Russia, risking confiscation by other corrupt officials.

The penalties imposed by Jackson-Vanik applied to the entire Russian economy, but those envisioned by the Magnitsky legislation look to personal responsibility and target the individual bad actor. What this bill is saying is that murderers and torturers are not welcome in this country. I would certainly hope that we are not so compromised in our security and commercial relations that to publicly name and shame these individuals would be seen to hurt our interests. It is a great bill, and it will have, hopefully, good, strong bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from New Jersey, the Honorable Donald M. Payne, Jr., be permitted to take the oath of office today.

His certificate of election has not arrived, but there is no contest and no question has been raised with regard to his election.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say how happy I am, and the New Jersey delegation, and what a privilege it is to welcome Don Payne to the U.S. House of Representatives, a Member from the 10th Congressional District.

Don is a former city councilman where he served in Newark as president of that council, a county freeholder. And of course he takes over after the very tragic passing of his dad, Don Payne, who all of us have worked with over the years. I personally, as chairman of the Africa Committee, Don before me, we worked side by side on issues related to Africa. Again, I will be very brief, but he takes over, of course, after the tragic passing of Don Payne, who all of us loved, admired and respected.

I sat next to Don for years on the Foreign Affairs Committee. He was the chairman of Africa, I chaired it and do so today; and we worked side by side on malaria and a whole host of other very important issues relevant to the health and well-being of the people of Africa, global health, and human rights. So, Don, you have very big shoes to fill. I'm sure you'll do it, and it is a great pleasure.

Members should know Don has been an activist on a number of issues, including Embracing Arms. He works very strongly on job creation in Newark, which has been very hard hit by the recession. So it's great to welcome you, Don. And, again, I look forward to serving with you in this Congress and the next.

I yield to my friend and colleague, Frank Pallone.

I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

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

Mr. Speaker, I held a hearing that examined U.S. policy toward Rwanda following the release on June 26th of a United Nations report confirming Rwanda's support of rebels who have ravaged the provinces of North and South Kivu in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC. In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide until the issuance of this report, the international community declined to comment on Rwanda's interventions in the DRC. We need to better understand the devastation caused by these interventions and gauge how the United States can play a helpful role in bringing this crisis to an end.

Unfortunately, our previously scheduled Administration witnesses-- Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson and USAID Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Africa Earl Gast--are unable to testify this morning due to events in the world involving heightened security for U.S. embassies and aid missions. This would have been an opportunity to present a full statement of the Administration position on what has happened in the DRC and what needs to be done to more effectively address the root causes of the ongoing conflict there. We expect that they will be available to speak publicly on these matters at a later date.

We had a distinguished private panel that was more than able to shed light on the crisis in the DRC, as well as Rwanda's involvement in the ongoing rebellion in eastern DRC. The crisis in the DRC is both tragic and complex, and the ethnic cleavages have developed over more than a century, although they have been heightened in recent decades. The first significant recorded influx into the DRC of Rwandan Tutsis and Hutus dates back to the 1880s.

Other ethnic groups in DRC (then known as Zaire) began to fear the influence of the Rwandans, especially in the East. The Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda led to the 1994 genocide there, but Hutu-Tutsi animosity also spilled over into the DRC. Hutu militiamen, who fled Rwanda after the genocide, have repeatedly attacked Rwanda, and fighting involving Tutsis and Hutus inside the DRC have terrorized the inhabitants of the eastern part of the country.

As one of our witnesses today, Congolese Bishop Ntambo Ntanda, told us, six million people have lost their lives in the DRC as a result of recurring conflict. Far from resolving ethnic disputes, the interventions by Rwanda in the DRC have exacerbated tensions among the ethnic groups who live there.

In the wake of activity by Rwandan troops or militias that they create or support, Tutsi and Hutu people living in the DRC have become targets as a result. Rwanda has been engaged in armed intervention in the DRC for at least 17 years. If this is the most successful method to halt cross-border attacks into Rwanda by Hutu rebels operating from DRC territory, why is there continued devastation in the region? Why do Tutsis and Hutus living in the DRC seem more hated today than they have been previously?

During the summer of 2008, the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a Congolese rebel group, reportedly was backed secretly by Rwanda. It was initially led by Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda, an indicted war criminal. A March 23, 2009, agreement between the DRC and Rwanda led to the arrest of Nkunda, but replaced him with Bosco Ntaganda, even then a suspected war criminal for whom the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant in 2006. When the CNDP judged that DRC President Joseph Kabila had broken the 2009 accord, Ntaganda led a mutiny that named itself M23 for date of the broken agreement and began a reign of terror in eastern DRC.

In June of this year, a United Nations Group of Experts report confirmed that Rwandan Defense Minister James Kabarebe and other top Rwandan military officers played a central role in organizing, funding and arming the mutineers in eastern DRC. The report also stated that Rwandan military officers engaged in efforts to convince Congolese businessmen, politicians and former rebels that had joined the Congolese army to join the M23 mutiny in order to wage ``a new war to obtain a secession of both Kivus.'' The report further charged that Rwanda was protecting Ntaganda from arrest. Meanwhile, Nkunda remains in Rwanda--immune from prosecution for his crimes.

Aside from ethnic divisions and allegations of breach of faith in agreements, another source of conflict has been the abundant mineral wealth in DRC, including 70% of the world's coltan (used to make vital components of cell phones and other electronic equipment), 30% of the world's diamond reserves and vast deposits of cobalt, copper and bauxite. The UN report stated that rebels in the East export precious minerals for profit to fund their continuing mayhem and that Rwandan officials also were benefiting from DRC's mineral wealth.

We have held this hearing to begin the process of finding a way to address the factors that have caused Rwanda's armed intervention in hopes that the U.S. Government can offer a lasting solution to the long crisis in the DRC.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you and the other members of our House leadership for introducing this important, bi-partisan resolution.

Tragically, our country will now be commemorating not only the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but also the attacks on the United States consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that occurred on the same date last week.

The four U.S. citizens who lost their lives, especially Ambassador John Christopher Stevens, and those who were injured in this unjustified act of violence demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to our country's national security and Libya's democracy. I would like to convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.

I also want to express my ongoing support and gratitude for all the Foreign Service men and women who are promoting American values and interests abroad. It is on occasions such as this that we are reminded of the many sacrifices that they make in service to our country. In addition to living in foreign lands away from their families and adapting to new cultures and languages, many of them daily face the possible ultimate sacrifice of their lives. The violence that occurred last week at our diplomatic missions in several countries must renew our national commitment to doing our best to ensure their safety.

Mr. Speaker, there is no justification for the recent attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions and the taking of innocent American lives in Benghazi. All governments must take appropriate measures to ensure the security of U.S. diplomatic facilities within their borders, and to end these acts of terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my strong support to H.R. 3783, Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act, which provides for a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's growing presence and hostile activity in the Western Hemisphere. I would also like to thank the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Jeff Duncan, for introducing this legislation highlighting the very real threat of Iran at America's front door.

If we have learned anything from the complete lack of progress in negotiations to keep Iran from making a nuclear weapon, it is that Iran is persistent in hostile action and insistent on establishing itself as a counterweight to U.S. power and ideals.

Iran has engaged the U.S. through its Iran Revolutionary Guard Corp (IGRC) in Iraq, resulting in the deaths of American men and service women. Iran is buttressing the morally bankrupt Assad regime in Syria as Syria massacres its own people. And Iran is attacking our friends and allies through its proxies, like Hezbollah, which boasts and arsenal of 60 to 70,000 rockets, many of which were supplied by Iran and are aimed at Israeli neighborhoods.

Iran has earned its title as a state sponsor of terrorism. No target is off limits, and simply being of Jewish descent is apparently provocation enough. In 1994, Iran orchestrated one of the worst terrorist attacks in the Western Hemisphere against the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, murdering 85 people and injuring 300 more. The peace of 200,000 Jewish individuals, many of whom fled to Argentina during WWII, was shattered by this barbarous attack.

Media reports over the last few years have shown an alarming trend of increased Iranian IGRC Qods force presence and activity in Latin America. Iran's President Ahmadinejad, famous for his repeated denials of the Holocaust and dedication to wiping Israel off the map, has made visits to Latin America to cultivate alliances with Chavez, Ortega, Morales, Castro, and Correa.

These leaders have stated their commitment to Iran's nuclear activities and their faith that ``Iran can give a crushing response to the threats and sanctions imposed by the West and imperialism.'' There is no question that Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela are helping Iran evade the sanctions intended to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear sponsor of state terrorism. The question is, what are we doing about it?

If Iran succeeds in creating a nuclear weapon, it is all too conceivable that these allies of Iran in the Western Hemisphere would be willing to provide a local launch pad, as Cuba did during the Cold War for Russian missiles aimed at the U.S.

Mr. Speaker, these threats are all too real and all too proximate. With H.R. 3783, the Administration will be required to create a coordinated, inter-agency plan to ensure that the United States is working effectively to counter Iran's hostile aspirations in the Western Hemisphere. I urge my colleagues to support this important and timely legislation.

Mr. Speaker, at the request of the colleagues and friends of Kevin Frechette of Howell, New Jersey, I submit the fitting tribute they composed following the sad news of his passing at the young age of 52.

Kevin Frechette, Government Relations Executive, New Jersey Public

Service Activist, Life-Long Monmouth County Resident Passes Away

Kevin Frechette, 52, of Howell, NJ, passed away peacefully

at his home on September 5, 2012. Mr. Frechette, who leaves

behind a beloved son, Kyle Frechette, also of Howell, a

student at Ramapo College, was a Senior Vice President and

General Manager at MWW, an independent global public

relations firms with offices across the nation including a

headquarters in East Rutherford and an office in Trenton, NJ.

Mr. Frechette ran MWW's Trenton office and worked for the

company for 12 years. As a member of the firm, Mr. Frechette

was influential in the creation and funding of NJ211, a toll-

free, state-assisted hotline that directs New Jersey

residents to available community resources, and was critical

in successful efforts to curb the privatization of the New

Jersey Turnpike. A respected and knowledgeable figure at the

Statehouse in Trenton, noted for his sense of humor, good

nature and humility, he was a consultant to many leading New

Jersey businesses and nonprofits such as NJCURE, Parsons

Corporation, the New Jersey State Library, the Jewish

Federation of New Jersey and dozens of other prominent

organizations. In a previous career, Kevin served as a court

house and political reporter at the Daily Register of

Monmouth County.

Before joining MWW, Mr. Frechette spent eight years as the

Deputy Director of Press and District Operations in the New

Jersey General Assembly Majority Office, where he worked with

lawmakers on issues of media relations, marshaling district

resources, connecting with constituents and overall

communications strategies. He also served as Chief of Staff

to NJ Assemblyman and later State Senator Joe Kyrillos.

Mr. Frechette was born in Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, NJ

and grew up and lived in Monmouth County nearly all his life.

He was a product of Holmdel Township Schools and also lived

in Little Silver, Red Bank and, most recently, Howell, New

Jersey.

He received a degree in Mass Communications from St.

Bonaventure University. Active in politics at a young age, he

served in Student Government in Holmdel High School where he

also played a leading role in the school's production of

``Bye Bye Birdie.'' His family members were long-time

parishioners at St. Catherine's Church in Holmdel, NJ.

Among friends, Mr. Frechette was known for his sharp wit

and sense of humor, but also for the truly selfless way he

cared for people. Even while sick, he would visit friends in

the hospital as if his illness was irrelevant. Mr. Frechette

was known for being very honorable with a relentless work

ethic in every aspect of life; it earned him the respect and

love of all he came in touch with. Ultimately, Mr. Frechette

had two great passions in life, his son Kyle, over whom he

doted, and music, which he collected and immersed himself in

throughout his life.

In addition to his son Kyle, Mr. Frechette leaves behind

his parents, Charles Frechette, a former manager at Anchor

Glass, and his mother, Virginia Bishop Frechette, formerly

the assistant editor of The Catholic Digest, and author of

the children's book, ``Fighting Father Duffy.'' He is

survived by five loving siblings, all of whom adored him, Pam

Galiastro (husband: Frank,); Robin Kjersgaard; Jim Frechette;

Charles ``Chip'' Frechette (wife Donna); Chris Frechette

(wife Heidi); Ami Miano (late husband Charles); Kelly

Davidson (husband: Alistair), and six nieces and nephews:

Farrah Rizzo, Jamie and Kristen Galiastro; Ryan Kjersgaard;

and Tara and Noah Miano. Mr. Frechette is a grandson of the

late Jim Bishop, the syndicated columnist and author of 22

books, including ``The Day Christ Died'' and ``The Day

Lincoln Was Shot.''