Floor Statements

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

Madam Speaker, H.R. 5720 is a thoughtful piece of legislation authored by my colleague, Congresswoman Ross. It does something that seems like common sense when you look at it. Senior members of the executive branch, not just Cabinet officers or sub-Cabinet officers, but all of the most highly compensated individuals in the executive branch, similarly, the highly compensated members of this branch and Members of Congress, both the House and Senate and the Delegates, all routinely make these filings so that if a vote appears to be self- serving, the public is aware of it. This is important when you are looking at elective office.

But it is even more important, Madam Speaker, when you are looking at people who have a lifetime appointment, people who do not stand for election, and cases that may involve 10s or 100s of millions of dollars of company or individual money and the outcome, if later overturned due to the potential malpractice, such as the 60 judges who actually traded while cases were in front of them, the cost can be devastating in dollars.

But as the chairman so rightfully said, the cost can be more devastating in public confidence. I want to commend, on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, the work that has been done to recognize this oversight and, quite frankly, push against the members of the court who have not yet supported this and who somehow believe that these are exceptions and that somehow those exceptions are not sufficient to create a mandate on the third branch of government that is the equivalent almost identically of the first two.

It is a small step, and it does not affect a vast amount of judges who routinely look carefully at this.

There is one more thing that I think needs to be understood that members of the committee understand, and that is the available databases for these judges to appropriately do these tests

to find out whether they do have a potential conflict will need to be added.

So the legislation talks about reporting, but we will work diligently with the members of all the Federal courts to make sure the assets are available for them to quickly and routinely make these checks--the same as lawyers have had in the private sector for conflicts for many, many years now.

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

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire whether the majority is prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Once again, I want to thank the chairman, Ms. Ross, and the others who worked so diligently on this legislation.

In closing, I think the judicial branch needs to take notice of the vote here today, not because we vote overwhelmingly in support of this legislation, but because we stand here today trying to vividly separate 130 judges who either didn't know or knew and did not do the right thing from 600 or so that sit on the bench today, and, over the period of this investigation, more than 1,000 Federal judges who do the right thing, who are careful in their personal life and in their disclosures, who do recuse themselves.

The confidence in the court belongs to the overwhelming majority of judges at the district court, at the appellate court, at the Federal circuit, and, yes, at the Supreme Court, who carefully maintain their personal lives, personal matters, and their family assets in a way that they can be accountable. And when in doubt, many of them recuse themselves even when it is a judgment call.

So I want to thank the many in our third branch of government who do the right thing as we bring about this new era of transparency that has become necessary because of the bad action of 130 judges.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of these technical changes.

Congress' work requires that we maintain an accurate sense of what the laws are and how they are portrayed. Today's technical changes, although not controversial and completely bipartisan, are extremely relevant and important.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the immediate passage of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

In closing, there is a great deal of thank you required today for the little-known Office of the Law Revision Counsel for their hard work. This is tedious to look through changes and their effects and to find the appropriate language.

Additionally, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania for working with that office to bring this legislation to our attention and to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is a technical correction bill, but it is well-needed. The minority has not only no objection, but we fully support its passage.

I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is always good to take yes for an answer. I believe this is an easy ``yes'' bill that has no opponents, but is, in fact, necessary.

Mr. Speaker, I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, once again, the minority has not only no objections, but we support this important legislation, thank the office for bringing it to our attention, and move its immediate passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, in support of H.R. 5961, I might take special note that since it affects the Inspector General Act, an act that deserves to be clearly understood and clearly delineated, because nothing could be more important for our government on a daily basis than the transparency and accountability created by the hardworking members of the inspectors general's offices. Throughout government, they represent the watchdogs, the real daily watchdogs of government, so I appreciate this technical correction and hopefully a little shout- out to people who work unsung, sometimes unappreciated, but clearly needed to maintain the kind of accountability that Congress demands of the executive branch.

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

Mr. Speaker, as this section for the Judiciary Committee comes to a close, I want to thank the chairman for his hard work and cooperative nature as we went through each and every one of these pieces of legislation, first at the committee and now in the full House.

Often members of the public see Members of Congress not getting along, not getting things done, and sometimes the most tedious work is that which we do in the most congenial and noncombative manner. This is a good example of it. Hopefully the public will take note that Members of Congress can and do work together to do the American people's work.

Again, I want to thank the chairman for his diligent work. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it was 16 years ago that we first authorized Johanna's Law, it was a long time ago. I was a fairly junior Member and Congresswoman DeLauro had worked on it for a number of years before that. It is something that today will easily be reauthorized--and America has been and will be better for--and seems easy. But it is never easy to begin the process of helping people understand what they don't know.

Misinformation or a failure to have information continues to cause young women to die of cancer needlessly: whether it is ovarian cancer, gynecological cancer of any sort, whether it is related to HPV, or some other fashion. The fact is, Johanna's Law, H.R. 1550, which it is merged with, in fact, is something that America needs to understand today and in the future.

When we originally passed Johanna's Law, we had 257 cosponsors and could have had more. More than 100 Republicans and Democrats signed on before we brought it to the floor. On that day, we said, if we can only get $10 million to get the awareness. We passed the bill and then we went looking for the money.

Over time the money has increased. The fact is, Americans today, especially young women, are not as informed as they need to be. Reauthorizing both of these bills in one goes a step further to educating people about preventable death, preventable cancer.

The fact is, I am thrilled that Congress, in such a tumultuous time, from time to time, comes together across the aisle and does something so important.

These bills do not cost much, but the lives they save are precious and priceless. Mr. Speaker, I urge its support.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a community leader who is retiring after four decades of service to the people of San Diego County.

Over the last three decades, Barbara Ryan has served as Vice President of Government Affairs at Rady Children's Hospital, a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center that is the largest children's hospital in California serving patients from San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties. Rady is a thriving hub of the region's healthcare system that employs more than 700 physicians, 1,000 nurses, 3,000 employees, 450 active volunteers and 1,200 auxiliary staff. Barbara has been a powerful and successful advocate for children and healthcare, for the region's healthcare systems and providers, and for patients. She is among

the most trusted voices regularly sought out by local, state, and federal elected officials. Prior to joining the Rady team, she worked as a senior staff member to a state senator.

Barbara's leadership and advocacy extends far beyond the industry where she was employed. Since 1979 she has served as a Member of the Board of Education serving the Santee School District, where she has held terms as President, Vice President, Clerk, and Legislative Representative over the course of her tenure.

She has also been a leader in statewide education groups, serving as a delegate to the California School Boards Association and as a member of its Masters in Governance Faculty, service that helped earn her the San Diego County School Boards Association School Board Member of the Year in 2011. Barbara has been recognized with the YWCA Women in Business Award; the Santee Chamber of Commerce President's Award; Santee Kiwanis Citizen of the Year; California State Assembly Woman of the Year; Citizen of the Year from Phi Delta Kappa and the Women in Leadership Award from the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce, among many other honors.

But perhaps her greatest honor is being a parent and grandparent--and this experience has guided every aspect of her career as a children's health advocate, education leader and community leader. I am proud to call her my friend and am grateful for her decades of service to the children, families, and healthcare professionals in San Diego County. Rady Children's is consistently ranked top in the nation across many categories, and that exceptional leadership is reflected in its community engagement, professionalism, and advocacy, demonstrated by Barbara throughout her career.

I ask my colleagues to please join me in extending our gratitude for her decades of service community leadership, and commitment to education and healthcare.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. As the chair and ranking member said, this is bipartisan, and I am sure will be bicameral, and, in fact, it is necessary because not only is H.R. 1975 necessary in order to put land in trust, but we, for more than 20 years now, have had to put most land that gets into trust in trust because of action by the Congress.

I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the 18 Tribes that I represent and have represented for most of my 20 years in Congress and say that this is the kind of bill that I hope we will pass further legislation to make unnecessary. The essential right of our first people to reclaim their ancestral land and have it placed into trust on a pro forma basis, on a nearly automatic basis, should not require action by Congress time and time again.

The Pala Band of Indians had to buy this land at their own expense in order to gift it, essentially, to the Federal Government. They do so because of the importance of their ancestral land and their pride in the people they are and the people they have been since before man, Western man, walked into California and disrupted their lives.

So I am proud that, once again, we are putting land in trust. I am proud of the Pala Indians who worked for more than 30 years to recapture this land, to keep it from being effectively taken away in perpetuity. They have done the right thing.

They have reinvested their hard-earned money, in fact, on putting, for their nearly 1,000 members, together a future of Tribal land in which the public can be aware will be taken care of better than it was under private land.

It is interesting to me that, in fact, we have had to get assurances that the Tribe would not use this for gaming, which is understood. But the idea that they cannot use it--they do not, in fact, regain their water rights that they historically would have, and others--quite frankly, is a giveaway that should not be necessary.

I am happy to take the opportunity to thank the chairman and ranking member, but I ask that we really take a hard look at the inefficiency of the system that has caused every single land in trust that has been done for my 18 Tribes, or many of my 18 Tribes over 20 years, to require this action.

I believe we should streamline the process to make the bias in favor of the Tribe's right to reclaim their land, to place it, in fact, into what is trust land, which is another name for it belongs to the Federal Government even though it has been bought out of the hardworking representatives in my district; in this case, Pala.

So I want to thank the gentleman for moving this. I believe this is noncontroversial. I know I brought up a point that is more controversial which is getting the bureaucracy to do a job they should do on behalf of Tribes throughout the United States. As somebody who has been honored to represent much of Indian Country in California, I hope I speak accurately for all 18 Tribes that they believe that what was theirs and is theirs again, should be placed in trust as soon as possible.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues and this House to oppose H.R. 3755. This legislation overrides nearly all pro- life protections on the books and codifies a federal right to abortion at any stage of pregnancy until birth. This bill isn't just misleading. It's a radical departure from the national consensus that exists in America right now in favor of life. But if H.R. 3755 goes forward, laws that protect unborn children with Down Syndrome and babies with other disabilities go away everywhere. Laws allow parents to be involved in their minor children's decision-making disappear. Laws that provide for medical consultations prior to this procedure--

gone. This isn't just politics as usual. It's a power play that targets the powerless. It should never come to this. There is a common-sense consensus on this issue. A great majority of the American people want to see life protected. This is worth the fight. This is the time to stand up for our most vulnerable. This is the time to reach for what matters most. This is the time to choose life. H.R. 3755 must not become law of the land.

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, August 26, 2021, as the U.S. military was working to airlift thousands out of Afghanistan amid chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, terrorists murdered more than 180 people including 13 members of the U.S. military there to assist American citizens seeking to come home.

Ten of those 13 U.S. troops were from a single unit at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, just outside my district. Nine of them were Marines, part of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. The tenth was a Navy corpsman attached to that unit. Their stories are now part of the long and valiant history of Camp Pendleton and the 2/1 battalion, known as ``The Professionals.''

The battalion saw combat at Guadalcanal and Okinawa in World War II and fought in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq as well. It helped run a temporary shelter at Camp Pendleton for thousands of Vietnamese refugees following the fall of Saigon in 1975.

In the days since the devastating news of last week's terrorist attack, the local community has embraced the families whose loved ones paid the ultimate price, creating a memorial of flowers and American flags outside Camp Pendleton's main gate in Oceanside.

Five of the marines were only 20 years old, and all but one were under 25. Four were from California.

They died doing an honorable job in an honorable way. As the official Pentagon announcement described it, they were ``supporting non- combatant evacuation operations.'' In other words, they were helping innocent civilians make it home safely.

In devotion to their country, they were willing to risk their own homecoming to secure a safe homecoming for others. That's selfless service. That's a meaningful life. Their families can be proud of how they lived their brief lives.

While words seem powerless to ease the grief of loved ones suffering such a profound loss, I pray that their families can find some small comfort that a grateful nation honors the service and mourns the loss of these American heroes:

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover: 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo: 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee: 23, of Sacramento, California.

Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez: 22, of Indio, California.

Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page: 23, of Omaha, Nebraska.

Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez: 22, of Logansport, Indiana.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza: 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz: 20, of St. Charles, Missouri.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. Mccollum: 20, of Jackson, Wyoming.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola: 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui: 20, of Norco, California.

Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak: 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio.

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss: 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.

More than just names on a list, they were each an individual hero who will be missed. The following is some of what has been reported about each of them and their loved ones, according to CBS News:

Navy Corpsman Maxton ``Max'' W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio

Corpsman Maxton ``Max'' W. Soviak played football at Edison High School before graduating in 2017.

``As a football player he was full tilt 100 miles an hour, fearless, which leads you to understand, you know, where he was and what maybe happened,'' Jim Hall, head football coach at Edison, told CBS Cleveland, Ohio, affiliate WOIO-TV.

``It didn't seem real,'' Hall said. ``It still really doesn't, you know, great kid, loved life. He was bright, bright kid, and it doesn't seem right. It doesn't seem fair, you know. I just hope the best for his family.

Soviak joined the Navy after high school graduation.

``He just loved life,'' Edison High School superintendent Thomas Roth told WOIO-TV. ``He was out there and enjoyed things, and he was helpful for others as I think we all can see from what happened yesterday. You know, he was always there to help other people. He wanted to be of service and that's what he did.''

army staff sergeant ryan c. knauss, 23, of corryton, tennessee

Sergeant Ryan C. Knauss went to Gibbs High School before he enrolled in the Army, his family told CBS Knoxville, Tennessee, affiliate WVLT- TV. Knauss was a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne division and a staff sergeant.

Knauss had only been in Afghanistan for a week before his death but had previously spent nine months in the country, his grandmother told

Madam Speaker, our colleague Rahm Emanuel famously said: ``You never let a serious crisis go to waste.'' Today, my Democratic colleagues are not letting a serious crisis go to waste.

While America is focused on the tragedy halfway around the world in Afghanistan, a plan to fail that now has successfully failed, the reality is, here, instead of holding real hearings, looking at the causes, and maybe, in fact, being more helpful in preventing further suffering of the 37 million people

in Afghanistan, what are we doing? We are codifying a permanent majority of the Democratic Party everywhere they can. We are making changes to election law that pull into Washington and into the Attorney General's office control of elections that the Constitution clearly gave to legislatures.

What we are doing, by the statements of my own colleagues on the other side of the aisle, is we are clearly saying we don't like the Supreme Court's decisions, so we are going to find a way to do what we want to do even though, in fact, the time and the success of the Civil Rights Act has, in fact, mostly passed.

Why can't you take success? Because it no longer benefits the goals of a permanent Democratic majority. I am sorry for my Democratic colleagues that, in fact, the people of America do not at times approve of things like the tragedy in Afghanistan or, in fact, are not willing to accept a permanent smear of we can never have elections without Federal intervention.

Madam Speaker, I rise today regarding the cease-fire brokered between Israel and Gaza earlier this year after 11 days of attacks against Israel. I include in the Record the following article, ``Let This Be the Last Israel-Gaza Ceasefire'' published by CNN on May 25, 2021, written by Ambassador Motaz Zahran.

[From CNN, May 24, 2021]

Let This be the Last Israel-Gaza Ceasefire

(By Ambassador Motaz Zahran)

Egypt worked around the clock over the past two weeks to

end the deadly fighting between our Palestinian and Israeli

neighbors. Since the early hours of the conflict, Egyptian

mediators led de-escalation talks with both Hamas and Israeli

leadership. We supported humanitarian efforts on the ground,

including by opening the Rafah border crossing for the

provision of immediate medical care to the injured in Gaza.

Ultimately, in close partnership with the United States and

others, we were able to broker a ceasefire.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden called Egyptian President

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reiterated the vital role mutual

coordination between the US and Egypt can have in the region.

Egypt will spare no resource in bringing about peace in

there, whenever violence erupts. This was true during the

2014 war, when we were instrumental in forging a truce. It

was true during the conflict this May. And it will be true at

any point in the future.

However, we will also never accept the notion that this

cycle of bloodshed is inevitable. That is why we refuse to

let this issue recede in international priorities--as it has

in the past--until the next crisis emerges and imposes.

Building a lasting solution must start now. Egypt is ready

to do everything to help negotiate a lasting peace to the

core conflict in

the Middle East. We are calling on the US to work with us to

restart that process immediately.

Egypt's historic role in planting the seeds of peace, our

substantive contributions toward a Middle East peace plan,

our proximity to the conflict, and the direct ramifications

of belligerency to our nation, all make Egypt singularly

positioned to help restart negotiations toward a two-state

solution between Palestinians and Israelis--and with the full

span of their rights upheld; prime amongst them is statehood

to the Palestinians and security to the Israelis. But we need

sustained international efforts.

Working together, Egypt and the US can broker an honest and

open dialogue with Israel on concrete steps it should take to

work towards peace, such as refraining from taking any

further steps detrimental to the wellbeing of the population

and the status of the city of Jerusalem, which was occupied

by Israel since the 1967 War.

In turn, Cairo and Washington must impress on Palestinians

the need to work for peace. While having the militants lay

down their arms for good might seem a long way off, stopping

further attacks is essential to move forward. Those factions

rejecting peace efforts and seeking instability, whatever

their name or affiliation is, have to be contained, including

by undermining their international network of support and

finance. After all, armed attacks and military operations,

whatever their cause is, never serve the path towards peace

and only sets back the ultimate objective of a two-state

solution.

We must work to uphold and enable the Palestinian National

Authority. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian

Authority, has a crucial role in furthering any future peace

negotiations. His role as a national leader has been

overshadowed by Hamas' recent conflict with Israel, yet he

has all the credentials and willingness to return to the

table for serious and meaningful discussions. Elevating Abbas

in the eyes of the world will bring him back into his

historic role as chief negotiator for the Palestinian people;

after all, no one on the Palestinian side has worked more on

the vision of a two state solution than President Abbas.

A strong and lasting peace in the Middle East may seem far

off given the recent heightened tensions in the West Bank,

including Jerusalem, and Gaza, but that should still be the

goal for the US, Egypt and, most importantly, Israelis and

the Palestinians.

We must continue to march forward toward peace, or we risk

continuing to suffer with this vicious cycle of despair and

bloodshed.

The continued partnership between Egypt and the United

States in peace efforts is a crucial cornerstone to achieving

peace in the Middle East. It is indeed no coincidence that

the latest ceasefire was declared mere hours after President

Biden called President Al-Sisi. When it comes to giving peace

a chance in the Middle East, Washington and Cairo must

continue to work together as peacemakers and arbiters.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the negotiations regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. I include in the Record the article, ``Only Washington Can Save the Renaissance Dam Negotiations Now,'' written by Ambassador Motaz Zahran, published on April 29, 2021.

[From Foreign Policy]

Only Washington Can Save the Renaissance Dam Negotiations Now

(By Motaz Zahran, Ambassador of Egypt to the United States)

In early April, Ethiopia thwarted yet another mediation

process, this time led by the African Union, to resolve an

escalating crisis on the Nile--where Ethiopia is building the

massive Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which would

disrupt a primary source of water for Egypt and Sudan. The

negotiations represented what the Egyptian foreign ministry

called Ethiopia's ``last chance'' at a resolution to the

dispute, which has been ongoing for 10 years.

With Ethiopia edging closer to unilaterally filling the

dam's reservoir for a second time--and thus crossing the

``red line'' set by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi--

it may be up to the United States to help broker a peaceful

solution and prevent unrest in the region, which forces of

extremism and terrorism would undoubtedly look to exploit.

The Biden administration, which is currently mulling over

the best policy for managing this situation, must act now. At

stake is the future of the Nile, a lifeline for millions of

Egyptians and Sudanese. In 2011, without consulting either of

its neighbors downstream, Ethiopia began constructing a 509-

foot-tall concrete dam--large enough for a reservoir that can

store twice as much water as Lake Mead, the largest

artificial reservoir in the United States--on the Blue Nile,

a vital upstream portion of the Nile River. If unilaterally

filled and operated, the GERD could inflict incalculable

socioeconomic and environmental harm downstream in Egypt and

Sudan. Last year, flouting a 2015 treaty, Ethiopia started an

initial filling of the dam.

Now, balking at calls for an equitable resolution and

consistent with its established policy of unilaterally

exploiting of international rivers, Ethiopia is vowing to

press ahead with a second substantial phase of reservoir

filling this summer.

The threat the GERD poses is not hypothetical but real.

Choking off an essential supply of water would exponentially

increase the dangers posed by climate change in the region.

As one of the most arid countries in the world, with less

than one-sixteenth the amount of rainfall as Ethiopia, Egypt

is already facing severe water shortages, largely because of

rising temperatures and rising sea levels. In fact, Egyptians

are currently living around 50 percent below the water-

poverty line, and with very little annual rainfall, the

country is almost entirely dependent on the Nile for

renewable water. To manage such conditions, Egypt has adopted

a nationwide system of reusing water several times for

agriculture, achieving one of the world's highest overall

irrigation system efficiencies.

Despite Ethiopia's claims that hydropower projects will

cause no harm, the unilateral filling and operation of

Ethiopia's dam would quickly make matters far worse for both

Egypt and Sudan, causing serious environmental and

socioeconomic damage, potentially forcing droves of families

from their homes.

Further, the GERD would also have deleterious effects on

Egypt's Aswan High Dam, a multipurpose dam, which is the

biggest source of renewable energy in Egypt and is

indispensable in securing the water needs of Egypt and Sudan.

The United Nations notes that every 2 percent drop in

available water impacts 1 million people.

An impact study, conducted by the reputable Dutch firm

Deltares, found that unilateral filling of the GERD could

lead to a water shortage in Egypt of more than 123 billion

cubic meters, and that in the agricultural sector alone,

every 1 billion cubic meter shortage of water caused by

unilateral filling or operation of the GERD, would result in

forcing 290,000 people out of work, destroying more than

321,230 acres of cultivated land, an increase of $150 million

in food imports, and a loss of $430 million of agricultural

production.

The threat the GERD poses is not hypothetical but real.

Right now, another dam built by Ethiopia is causing enormous

harm in Kenya. The fallout is so severe that UNESCO warned of

the extinction of Lake Turkana in Kenya. There has also been

reporting and research on other Ethiopian unilateral actions,

including in the Juba and Shabelle basin, without prior

consultation with Somalia, and their significant negative

impact on water access and security in Somalia.

The social and economic instability triggered by such

unilateral policies could generate greater unrest in the

region. And Ethiopia is stoking the flames by villainizing

Sudan and Egypt by pushing the misleading populist narrative

that attempts to characterize any and all concerns about the

GERD as being rooted in colonialism, claiming that its

downstream neighbors are against Ethiopia's development and

are trying to impose upon Ethiopia ``colonial treaties.''

The situation as it stands today was entirely avoidable.

This mischaracterization is designed to allow Ethiopia to

divert attention from its actual international legal

obligations toward its downstream neighbors, which include

several international treaties that Ethiopia signed--all,

with no single exception, as a sovereign independent state--

including in 1902, 1993, and 2015. These treaties served and

continue to serve Ethiopia's national interests, including,

for example, in relation to its borders. Nonetheless, while

Ethiopia has reaped the benefits from signing these treaties,

it repeatedly attempted to shirk its obligations related to

the Nile River under the very same treaties.

The situation as it stands today was entirely avoidable. A

viable solution has been on the table. In 2019, following a

decade of adamantly rejecting any kind of agreement, much

less the participation of any mediators or observers,

Ethiopia finally accepted the participation and input of

Washington and the World Bank in the process. The three

countries were on the verge of signing an equitable

agreement, a compromise deal inspired by the successful model

of cooperation governing the Senegal River Basin. But at the

eleventh hour, Ethiopia abruptly backed out and claimed that

the proposed agreement deprived Ethiopia from its right to

generate electricity efficiently from the GERD or undergo

future projects, and that it tried to impose water shares to

which Ethiopia does not subscribe.

Contrary to Ethiopian claims, this compromise deal assured

Ethiopia that it will generate hydropower from the GERD

sustainably at optimum levels, in all hydrological

conditions, while protecting the downstream countries from

ravaging droughts. It unambiguously stipulated that it is not

a water-allocation agreement, clearly recognized Ethiopia's

right to undertake future projects on the Blue Nile in

accordance with applicable international law, and allowed the

parties to revisit the agreement in 10 years.

Today, one year later, negotiations are still faltering

under the auspices of the African Union, and Ethiopia's

statements have now disclosed the actual reason it abandoned

the Washington talks: Ethiopia rejects any legally binding

agreement on the rules of filling and operation of its new

dam, demanding a framework of nonbinding guidelines that it

could alter at its whim. This is in contradiction with the

2015 Agreement on Declaration of Principles among the three

countries.

Even though Ethiopia's political statements speak to its

commitment to the African Union-led mediation process,

invoking the shared principle ``African solutions for African

problems,'' Ethiopia's actions clearly undermine, in effect,

the role of the African Union. This has been evidenced by

Ethiopia's categorical rejection, in the most recent meeting

in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in April, of

multiple joint proposals from Sudan and Egypt to empower the

African Union-led process. That's because Ethiopia prefers a

nominal role for the chairperson at the African Union rather

than an active role.

A new era of stability and shared economic prosperity is on

the horizon in Africa and the Middle East, due in large part

to the steady leadership of the United States. One example of

the welcome changes sweeping through the region is the recent

U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and a

number of Arab states, which was reminiscent of Egypt's

trailblazing treaty with Israel--also mediated by the United

States--more than 40 years ago.

Through principled diplomacy, the Biden administration can

reset the faltering negotiations. The United States has the

leverage needed to successfully encourage Ethiopia to engage

in good faith in the GERD negotiations and to refrain from

unilateral actions and the pursuit of narrow self-interests,

which have been detrimental to its neighbors' legitimate

interests. Soliciting expertise from international partners,

including the United Nations, the European Union, and the

United States, in support of the African Union-led mediation

process would be invaluable in bringing the negotiations to

fruition as soon as possible. This proposal would also ensure

there's no room to falsely point fingers; it would not be

feasible to challenge the impartiality of all these partners

led by the chairperson of the African Union, the way Ethiopia

did with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration after

Ethiopia abandoned the U.S.-led mediation process last year.

History shows that progress along the Nile can be fragile,

and a single dispute can have harmful ripple effects that

destabilize the region and reach our allies in the West.

Failing to resolve the rapidly escalating issue over the GERD

would accelerate the already devastating impacts of climate

change in the area, unleash a wave of illegal migration to

the West, and open the door to new conflicts and even

terrorism in the Middle East and East Africa.

Through principled diplomacy, the Biden administration can

reset the faltering negotiations, bring about an equitable

solution for all parties, and, in doing so, ultimately

safeguard its strategic interests with three important

regional allies.