Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to honor a civic organization in Yonkers that this year is celebrating a remarkable milestone--the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce. 2018 will mark 125 years for the Chamber, which for well over a century now has worked to improve economic development in the region while building and promoting the city of Yonkers.

The Chamber's legacy of service began, officially, on May 1, 1893 when William F. Cochran, a leading Yonkers businessman, entered the old City Court Room and rapped his gavel to officially sanction what was to become a tradition to the local business community. The Yonkers Board of Trade was born. A number of prominent citizens, fifty-two to be exact, gathered to sanction what would later become Yonkers' leading business organization.

A decade later, the Board of Trade continued to address issues of concern and helped establish a visible and viable business community. In 1903 the decision was made to form a Chamber of Commerce, and the process to make this a reality was put into place. On December 8, 1913, the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce officially became the 325th certified member of the United States Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce has served as the guardian and advocate of business, and works to foster a healthy relationship with government to establish programs designed to enhance business opportunities and attract new commercial establishments to the city. The Chamber of Commerce represents a diversified membership of retail, industry, professionals and service organizations, etc. from major corporations to ``mom and pop'' stores. Each member is treated with the same respect and concern, regardless of size.

Today, the mission of the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce ``to serve, build and promote a progressive city'' is alive and well. Congratulations to the entire Yonkers Chamber of Commerce Board, leadership, and membership on reaching this remarkable milestone.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an organization that has done tremendous work both locally and on the global stage for 10 remarkable years now, The AFYA Foundation.

The vision for AFYA began to take shape in a tent in the Serengeti. It was 2008, and AFYA's founder, Danielle Butin, was in Tanzania. She saw a woman sitting in a tent crying, who said, ``I am a highly sought- after physician from London, I took a month off from my practice to come here to volunteer and work in medical clinics. But they have nothing . . . absolutely nothing. I cannot save children from malaria because there are no meds or IV bags of fluids. People come in with infected wounds, and I have nothing to treat them with.'' In that moment, Danielle was compelled to take action. She returned home and immediately put her familiarity with and experience in New York City healthcare to use--cold calling hospitals and asking about materials that are discarded. In January 2008 she launched AFYA, which means ``health'' or ``wellness'' in Swahili.

Almost immediately, hospitals started donating supplies. Since they didn't have a warehouse to store the equipment and supplies, a semi- trailer sat for three weeks outside her home in Westchester County. These humble beginnings are what grew 10 years later into an organization with a staff of 14, 3,000 volunteers annually, and a 17,000 square foot warehouse in Yonkers.

Today, AFYA continues to serve those in need with the same compassion that inspired its vision ten years ago on the African savannah. As the Congressman representing Yonkers and the Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I couldn't be prouder of the work they have done and continue to do. I want to congratulate Danielle and the entire AFYA team on ten remarkable years and thank them for all they have done to better our community and world.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 474.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.

The measure before us reauthorizes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to make protection for survivors more effective, improve the way we prevent this crime, and ensure that we are prosecuting those responsible.

This bipartisan bill passed the Senate unanimously. A very similar version passed the House by voice vote in July of 2017. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me and the chairman in supporting it.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.

This is an important bill that improves our ability to address the acute environmental threats facing tropical forests and coral reefs around the world.

The original Tropical Forest Conservation Act passed the Senate in 1998, and this reauthorization is the companion to H.R. 6982. It is a bipartisan, bicameral bill, and I urge all Members to join me in supporting it.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.

This is an important bill that improves our ability to prevent and respond to genocides and mass atrocities.

This version of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act passed the Senate unanimously and is the companion to H.R. 3030, which the House approved in July.

It is a bipartisan, bicameral bill, and I urge all Members to join me in supporting it.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure. The Protecting Girls' Access to Education Act is a good bill that works to improve access for education for displaced children, especially girls. This bipartisan bill is the Senate version of H.R. 2408, which passed the House by voice vote in October of 2017.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me supporting it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. This is another good measure to strengthen our government's response to the horrific practice of human trafficking. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. This is a bipartisan bill that aims to empower women economically by targeting United States development assistance to women-owned small- and medium-sized businesses. As the gentleman from California pointed out, he is the sponsor of the companion bill in the House.

This legislation passed the Senate unanimously, and is the companion of H.R. 5480. I urge Members to join me in supporting it.

Before I yield back, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say something, since this is probably the last time we will have a chance to debate, the chairman and myself, in this Congress.

I have served as ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for the past 6 years, and in the new Congress will become the chairman of the committee. The gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) has served as the chairman for 6 years. I can tell you that there is no better role model than Ed Royce. The bipartisan work we have done together has really made a difference in people's lives all around the globe.

Mr. Royce has been a chairman extraordinaire. We have always operated under the premise that, when it comes to foreign policy, partisanship should stop at the water's edge. And that is what we have really tried to do.

I want all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to know that I could not be more effusive in praise of the chairman, the gentleman from California. It has been an honor and a pleasure serving with the gentleman and being his friend. I cannot think of anyone doing a better job than he has done for the past 6 years. I hope he will come back and visit.

Whenever I have a question to think about what I will do as chairman in the next Congress, I would think about what my friend, Ed Royce, would do. Then I know I can't go wrong.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I wish the gentleman Godspeed. I know we will be in touch. We have been a good team. It has been great.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority.

While the global community is rightfully concerned about Iran's ties to international terrorism and its destabilizing activities in the region, we must not forget those who struggle for religious freedom and basic civil liberties in Iran.

As the largest non-Muslim religious minority community in Iran, the Baha'i people have long been subjected to severe religious persecution by the Iranian regime. Several of its leaders have been arrested, and members have been executed. According to the 2018 International Religious Freedom Report, Iranian authorities have arbitrarily detained over 1,000 Baha'is over the past decade.

The Baha'i people are routinely and systematically discriminated against on the basis of religion. Since 2014, officials have infringed on the economic pursuits of the Baha'i by closing over 600 of their shops.

In addition, Baha'i children are regularly denied access to schools and higher education. Even if they are permitted to attend school, they are not free to learn about their religion or participate in religious practice. If they do, they face harassment and potentially expulsion.

The discrimination and persecution of this community is shameful and inexcusable. The social teachings of the Baha'i Faith--including the equality of all humans, regardless of gender, race, or class, and the principle of each individual's responsibility to investigate the truth--are universal values that should be guaranteed. These are human rights we must protect.

The United States and the international community must not ignore this egregious abuse and blatant discrimination against the Iranian Baha'i community. We must stand up to the Iranian regime and hold it accountable for its actions.

By passing H. Res. 274, we shine a light on the persecution of the Baha'i, and hopefully move us one step closer to true religious freedom in Iran.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule because, once again, the majority is stifling debate on a critical national security issue.

The gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna) has tried again and again to bring a debate forward in this body about where and how the United States military is engaged around the world. This is Congress' responsibility, and not only has the majority abdicated that responsibility, they won't even let us talk about it.

Resolutions dealing with war powers have special privileges in Congress because these are such grave issues. That is how Congress wrote the law. The other body is grappling with this problem, but the majority in this body wants to pretend these issues just don't exist, and they strip those privileges away with this rule.

That is wrong. It is a betrayal of the men and women who serve this country in uniform. We won't ignore these issues in the next Congress.

We should defeat this rule and have a real debate.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. The Asia Reassurance Initiative is an extremely important and timely piece of legislation. I am glad that we will be able to bring it forward today in a bipartisan manner. And that is no small feat. This legislation is so comprehensive and far reaching, it was referred to six different committees.

I cannot overstate the strategic importance of this bill before us today. In Washington, we all too often focus on immediate crises and fail to focus on the broader but slower moving challenges of our time. This legislation focuses on that bigger strategic picture.

Over the next 100 years, the most significant issue facing American foreign policy will be the rise of the Indo-Pacific. The region will be the most significant driver of economic and demographic growth. Its environmental policies will have immense impact on global health and climate change, and China's rise will have extraordinary geopolitical implications for the future of American leadership in the world.

The Asia Reassurance Initiative Act is an important piece of legislation in directing Congress' attention to its vital foreign policy. The bill states that the United States will develop and commit to a long-term, comprehensive strategic policy for the Indo-Pacific region that secures our and our allies' interests; advances American influence, including through the promotion of human rights; and supports the rule of law and international norms.

This bill also authorizes $1.5 billion in funds to State and USAID, so we can start to put our money where our mouth is on this Indo- Pacific policy.

Passing this legislation is critical, especially at this time, as China's assertive behavior in the Asia region threatens the regional balance of power--as this administration takes unorthodox positions and chooses to carry them out in ways that are of concern--and as much of the world sees the United States in retreat from the international stage, this bill sends a clear and resounding message to the region: American commitment remains steadfast.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this measure and urge all Members to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time, and I will close because there are no other speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I want to again express my same strong support for the bill before us today. The Asia Reassurance Initiative Act is an important piece of legislation. It articulates a bipartisan policy towards the Indo-Pacific, authorizes funding to support American engagement in the region, highlights the importance of coordinating our development, diplomacy, and security interests to create effective foreign policy, and it sends a message to Asia and the world that the United States is investing in our allies and our strategic priorities.

I hope all Members will join me in supporting this bill.

Before I yield the balance of my time, I know I said this the other day, but it looks like it is really coming true now: This may be the last time those of us in the Foreign Affairs Committee get to speak on the House floor for this Congress, and since my good friend and partner, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the gentlewoman from Florida, is here, I want to just say, for everyone to know, what a pleasure it has been to be by her side for all these years and work closely with her on so many important pieces of legislation that I lost count years ago.

But one of the things with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, you can always count on her to work hard, to do the right thing, to be on the right side. It is really just a pleasure to be her colleague and an even bigger pleasure to be her friend.

So I hope she will come back and visit us. If not, I am going to Florida to visit her. And I will always cherish the gentlewoman's wonderful tenure in the House of Representatives and particularly on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, the Foreign Affairs Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Royce, who also has been as bipartisan as you can get, has done a lot of work this year, this Congress. I am really proud of the work that we have done in this Congress, and I look forward to doing even more work in the next Congress.

So I thank Chairman Royce and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.

First of all, I want to thank Mr. Chabot for authoring this resolution. I also want to thank Representative Joe Crowley for his extraordinary dedication to all the people of Burma, including the Rohingya people. I thank Chairman Royce for bringing this resolution forward and for his leadership on this crucial issue throughout the years.

This resolution calls on the Government of Burma to release Burmese Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been sentenced to 7 years following their investigation into the attacks on Rohingya civilians by the Burmese military and security forces. There is overwhelming evidence that these journalists were entrapped by the Burmese Government, who targeted them because of their reporting of the military's horrific crimes.

Their jail sentence is a part of a broader issue. Despite elections in 2015 that brought a pro-democracy civilian government to power, the Burmese Government still operates on antiquated laws that lead to locking up prisoners of conscience, even when their only crimes are reporting information that is unflattering or inconvenient for the government or for the military.

This resolution rightly calls on the civilian government in Burma to repeal the laws that have been used to crack down on civil society and free expression and to pardon prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned under these unjust laws.

We must take a moment and reflect on the context of these arrests.

The journalists were investigating what we now know were the crimes against humanity and genocide of the Rohingya people. They should not be sitting in a prison cell. They should be celebrated for faithfully carrying out their obligation to report the truth.

This resolution does something else that is very important. It states that, in the opinion of the House, the atrocities inflicted on the Rohingya people by the Burmese military constitute genocide.

It is important that we call it by name. It is a critical step towards justice for the victims. So we need to use the word ``genocide.''

I am glad that this resolution urges the Trump administration to call this atrocity what it is and pursue accountability for this heinous violence.

With this resolution, Congress continues to assert our leadership and show that we stand with the Rohingya people. We will not be silent as the Burmese Government allows or tacitly encourages attacks on the press and on civil society. We will call out injustice when we see it.

So I support this measure, and I urge all Members to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), who retires this year and leaves an extraordinary legacy in this Chamber.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to, again, thank my colleagues and Chairman Royce for their hard work on this measure, as always. This is an important resolution. It gives a name to the atrocities that occurred in Rakhine State, calling them genocide, and urges the Trump administration to take appropriate action to hold the Burmese military accountable for these crimes.

I agree with what everybody has mentioned. The resolution also calls for the release of two journalists wrongly imprisoned in Burma; and by passing this resolution today, we not only speak on behalf of these two journalists, but call for an open, civil, transparent, and increasingly democratic society in Burma.

Mr. Speaker, I hope all Members will join me in supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, let me once again start by thanking Chairman Royce. He has been one of Congress' most active leaders, if not the most active leader, on policy related to the Korean Peninsula. He leaves behind a great legacy after a distinguished career in this Chamber and a remarkable record of bipartisanship and leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The measure before us today affirms that the United States-Republic of Korea alliance will continue to defend against outside aggressors, uphold the peace, and guard the prosperity built by our two nations.

This resolution is before us at a critical time. The American alliance with South Korea is under intense strain. It is critical that we coordinate with our partners in Seoul when it comes to North Korea, but we see the administration and our South Korean partner are not on the same page when it comes to this important security issue. I am deeply concerned about the potential consequences of this gap between our administration and our ally, and many of us in both parties share the concern.

Now, the question of how we handle American policy toward North Korea is very important. This resolution rightly lays out that we should continue to apply economic pressure to the Kim regime, but we need to remember sanctions are a tool, not a complete strategy. We need to fully articulate a diplomatic strategy to accompany sanctions and enable them to work properly.

I also think it is important that our sanctions policy provides specific humanitarian exemptions. Life-saving humanitarian aid has never been held hostage to the political whims of the Kim family. We need to continue that tradition and not allow the impoverished, mistreated people of North Korea to pay the price for their dictator's political machinations.

I agree with the chairman that we need to put economic pressure on the North Korean regime. But Congress should continue to provide space for diplomacy and humanitarian assistance, as we do now in our current sanctions policy. The resolution before us today would be a stronger piece of legislation if it contained mention of this principle.

Although I wish the resolution laid out more explicitly the importance of a holistic strategy to accompany sanctions, it is a good measure that I am proud to support.

Our alliance with Korea is of paramount importance to our strategic and security interests, and I am glad this

measure reaffirms our strong commitment to that partnership.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), one of our most senior and ranking members on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee.

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

Let me say, Mr. Speaker, I again thank Chairman Royce for his years of leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee and his remarkable legacy on setting the agenda for American policy in the Korean Peninsula.

The United States-South Korea alliance is essential to our strategic posture in Asia. Our commitment to the Republic of Korea will persevere as a critical part of American foreign policy. It should be our utmost priority to deepen and strengthen our cooperation, and this resolution continues and aids that strong partnership.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.

First of all, I want to acknowledge the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo), my colleague, for her longstanding advocacy of American engagement in the Pacific region. I thank her for introducing this resolution.

This measure supports cooperation with the Pacific Islands in the areas where we both have critical interests, including support for regional organizations and promotion of sustainable economic development.

The resolution rightly focuses on a critical threat facing the Pacific Islands and the United States, which is climate change.

In September of this year, Pacific Island leaders reaffirmed in a joint declaration that ``climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific.''

I wish that the President and the administration would act on that threat, but, instead, the United States refuses to acknowledge climate change at recent international conferences. The refusal to acknowledge established scientific fact is really wrong and dangerous.

Our country has a critical role to play in the effort to address climate change, and when we abdicate that responsibility, we endanger future generations and the regions most at risk, like the Pacific Islands.

So this is a good resolution, affirming America's commitment to advance self-government, economic development, and self-sufficiency for all the people of this strategically important region.

It is important to note that this resolution expresses our continued support for our compact agreements with the Freely Associated States. The Pacific Islands remain a region critical to our interests and the interests of our partners, including Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. It makes sense that we would continue to support investments that enhance our partnership with the Pacific Islands.

I support this measure, and I urge all Members to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).

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

I want to again thank Congresswoman Bordallo for introducing this resolution.

American engagement in the Pacific Islands region is critical to our strategic posture in the Western Pacific. With its passage, we reaffirm our commitment to the islands. I support this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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