Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Randy Espinet has been a leading figure in our Cuban-American community for decades.

A fellow graduate of the University of Miami, my alma mater, Randy has devoted his time to improving our beloved community each and every day.

He never ceases to put the needs of others before his own, and his determination to better the lives of those around him is a testament to his character.

As a political activist in South Florida, Randy works hard to advocate for those who need it most.

Whether he is supporting national Cuban-American initiatives--or advocating for a noble cause at the municipal or state level--his commitment to public service is unwavering, and South Florida is proud to have him in our corner.

Mr Speaker, I am honored to recognize Mr. Randy Espinet, an upstanding member of our community, and I am confident that he will continue to better our slice of paradise for years to come.

Thank you (Gracias) to Randy for all he does

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the historic Temple Moses in Miami Beach and its Executive Director, Rabbi D. Galimidi-Hadar.

Temple Moses is a staple and beacon of our beloved South Florida. It serves as a hub for Turkish-Spanish or Sephardic Jews across the world, a community of which I am proud to be a part through my grandparents who emigrated to Cuba from Turkey. Originating in Spain over 500 years ago, Sephardic Jews continue to celebrate that heritage through food, song, and prayer. From Spain to Turkey, beginning a hundred years ago, until the present time, the Sephardic Jewish community has become a leader in scholarship, events, and celebration of the Judeo-Spanish life. They are a shining example of diversity and modernity as well as culture and faith.

At Temple Moses Rabbi D. Galimidi-Hadar leads the largest Judeo- Spanish community in the world. He founded the `Next Sephardic Generation', a grassroots organization aimed at revitalizing and rebuilding the Judeo-Spanish community, and was named one of America's `Most Inspiring Rabbis' by Forward magazine. He's also been recognized in the Sun Sentinel newspaper and honored for his work by both the Miami Beach Commission and Mayor as well as by the Florida Senate. Rabbi D. Galimidi-Hadar was the only member of the clergy to address the Florida Senate after the Parkland shooting and has been an advocate for those in need throughout Florida. He has written the commentary for the Sephardic Siddur series and is currently working on a book about the Sephardic experience in America.

Mr. Speaker, Temple Moses and Rabbi D. Galimidi-Hadar have been a shining light in South Florida and I am grateful to have them representing us worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate my constituent Helen Witty on being named the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also known as MADD.

Helen, along with her husband, John, experienced the ultimate tragedy when their 16-year-old daughter, Helen Marie Witty, shown in this photo with her brother John was killed by a young drunk and drugged driver while she was rollerblading on a bike path near her home in Pinecrest in June of 2000.

It was not long after that nightmare that Helen joined this magnificent organization where she was able to channel her unbearable loss into a forward-looking outlet where she could be a champion for her daughter's legacy, while also making an effective and positive impact on society.

Although 18 years have passed, it seems like just yesterday that we lost our bright, beautiful Palmetto Senior High School honors student who became a beloved treasure in our hometown and who is still widely talked about and referenced throughout our community today.

Helen, congratulations on this incredible achievement, and this opportunity is rightfully deserved to spread your message that it is a crime to drive drunk and drugged.

South Florida is fortunate to have Helen, and I am confident that Helen Marie is looking down from Heaven and could not be any more proud of you.

Thank you, amiga.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague and good friend Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Spanish was perfect, ``perfecto.''

As she has pointed out, I have long supported the cause of statehood for Puerto Rico, but the lack of action on our part has kept Puerto Rico from having a voice and a vote on this very floor, which is imperative for our great democracy.

For over 100 years, the people of Puerto Rico have been proud American citizens. Plebiscite after plebiscite, Puerto Ricans have voted that they will no longer accept the territory status.

Statehood will promote economic development and jobs on the island so that these American citizens can have a better life and stop losing its people to the mainland after the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon--that is her proper title, that is what it should be--whom I am proud to call my friend, has made statehood for Puerto Rico her priority, urging Republicans and Democrats alike, as you have heard, to act. We must listen and we must do what is right.

As chairman emeritus of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I recognize that statehood will enhance our national security, serving as our Nation's third border in the Caribbean.

Mr. Speaker, the status quo is simply unacceptable. I urge my colleagues to support statehood for Puerto Rico.

Mr. Speaker, on December 1, we commemorated World AIDS Day, celebrating our many accomplishments in the fight against HIV/AIDS around the globe. One important program for which we are also celebrating 15 years of success this year is PEPFAR.

Mr. Speaker, before Congress enacted PEPFAR, the HIV rates were skyrocketing, especially across the developing world. New cases of HIV infection were outstripping AIDS deaths by more than 60 percent.

Serving in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, we followed this issue closely, hearing from advocates and administration officials on what to do. There was an almost unchallenged notion that we were about to lose a whole generation in sub-Saharan Africa. It just seemed to be an utterly hopeless situation.

In 2003, our tremendous leader, President George W. Bush, called on us in Congress to take action in responding to this global crisis, and I am proud that we swiftly answered the President's call. Today, there are over 14 million people receiving HIV treatment globally, and over 2 million babies born HIV-free to HIV-positive women--simply astounding.

PEPFAR morphed from an emergency plan to a sustainable program, and I am so glad that USAID is at the helm of this lifesaving program. Since his time as Ambassador to Tanzania, USAID Administrator Mark Green has had a clear-eyed strategy to address the challenges posed by the HIV/ AIDS epidemic. What he has done has reinvigorated this program.

We are so proud as Americans of what PEPFAR has achieved. It is something that we need in order to continue to be a global leader against the HIV pandemic.

I will never forget standing in the Oval Office as President George W. Bush signed this essential program, PEPFAR, into law. I hope that my colleagues continue to protect and strengthen this vital program.

I am also proud of the many organizations like the One Campaign that, day in and day out, are working to get us closer to our goal of an AIDS-free generation.

Recognizing the Simon Family

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Simon family of Key Biscayne for their exemplary work on the yet-to-be-named park located in my congressional district at 401 Hampton Lane in Key Biscayne, the first neighborhood park for their community.

I would like to thank Arielle Simon, the horticulture adviser; Brett Simon, the architectural designer; and their father, Steven Simon, the project coordinator, who worked tirelessly as volunteers to see this vision into fruition.

This is not just any park; it is not just any effort. In an editorial, the community, newspaper, The Islander News, wrote:

The park, put simply, is beautiful--but the story behind it

is even more so.

From the beginning, Steven, who has a history of effective community leadership, saw an opportunity to work with local elected officials to tackle a problem which they inherited.

Steven brought in his daughter, Arielle, who worked at Miami's renowned botanical garden and became a certified horticulturist, and his son, Brett, who has a master's degree in architecture and craftsmanship education in furniture design, and other volunteers and seasoned professionals.

Together, they all worked as a team, drafting proposals and securing the necessary funds to see this project through.

And here is how the Simon family beautifully described and included south Florida limestone in their proposal. They said:

We incorporated that natural material in our park design so

that, metaphorically, we bring the bedrock upon which this

island community of shifting sands was founded to the

surface. Functionally and aesthetically, limestone is an

integral part of our creation of a gathering place . . . in

our first neighborhood park.

The story, which is well documented in Key Biscayne's Islander News over the past 3 years, truly shows what is possible when people come together with a desire and a drive to do something positive for the betterment of their community. I invite all of my congressional colleagues to come to Key Biscayne and visit that island paradise and especially to see this park for yourself.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2736) to develop a long-term strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Indo-Pacific region, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Indo-Pacific region is of critical importance to the United States. It is home to some of our most urgent security challenges, our closest people-to-people links, and our strongest commercial and economic ties. The administration has recognized this priority in both the National Security Strategy document and the subsequent free and open Indo-Pacific strategy.

The United States must adapt to new and emerging geostrategic realities and recognize the competitive nature of our relationship with China. The Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018, or ARIA, is a key component of this effort. It provides the administration with the direction and resources it needs for meaningful implementation of this free and open Indo-Pacific-Asia strategy.

ARIA cements U.S. leadership in the Indo-Pacific region by reassuring our allies and deterring our adversaries. It strengthens our security commitments with our allies and builds the capacity of our many partners in the region to combat terrorism and to stop aggressive actors.

The bill reaffirms longstanding treaty alliances in Asia with Australia, South Korea, and Japan, and it calls for building new regional security partnerships. It also expresses unequivocal support for Taiwan by authorizing new arms sales; supporting enhanced, high- level contacts with Taipei; and countering any efforts to forcibly change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

On security, ARIA commits the U.S. Government to the full implementation of sanctions on North Korea and its enablers. It enshrines a policy of regularly enforcing U.S. freedom of navigation and overflight rights in the East and South China Seas, where we are seeing increasingly aggressive activities by Chinese ships and aircraft.

Mr. Speaker, this bill also supports robust U.S. commercial presence in the region. It promotes U.S. exports and trade facilitation efforts, while also authorizing penalties against those who steal United States' intellectual property. This is essential for the growth of the U.S. economy and the success of American businesses operating in the region.

Unfortunately, there are also many challenges to human rights, nonproliferation, and democratic values in the Indo-Pacific. For that reason, this bill bolsters the critical work of the State Department and USAID to promote democracy, strong civil society, and the rule of law.

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased that we are taking up this bill, which earned unanimous bipartisan support in the Senate. The Asia Reassurance Initiative Act demonstrates the strong, continuing commitment of the United States to Asia. It reaffirms American values, strengthens American commitments to our many partners and allies in the region, and makes clear our enduring pursuit of peace and mutual prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the United States must continue to reassure the nations of the Asia-Pacific region of the enduring commitment of the United States to being a peaceful presence in the region, dedicated to universal values and mutual prosperity.

Senate bill 2736 provides the United States with a long-term and whole-of-government strategy for the Indo-Pacific region that advances American national security interests, prosperity, and promotes the values of freedom and human rights. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this measure.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from New York, the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, soon to be the chairman of our committee, for his friendship and for his kind words. I look forward to treating him to a nice cafe con leche in Miami. So come on down--the weather is fine--rather than me going to New York.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Affairs be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 274) condemning the Government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the text at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the preamble at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Ways and Means be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 6219) to support the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Georgia, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may include in the Record an exchange of letters with the other committees of jurisdiction on H.R. 6219.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an exchange of letters.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC, December 12, 2018.

Hon. Edward R. Royce,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing with respect to H.R.

6219, a bill ``To support the independence, sovereignty, and

territorial integrity of Georgia, and for other purposes,''

on which the Committee on Ways and Means was granted an

additional referral.

As a result of your having consulted with us on provisions

in H.R. 6219 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the

Committee on Ways and Means, I agree to waive formal

consideration of this bill so that it may move expeditiously

to the floor. The Committee on Ways and Means takes this

action with the mutual understanding that we do not waive any

jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or

similar legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately

consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation

moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues

that fall within our jurisdiction. The Committee also

reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate

number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving

this or similar legislation, and requests your support for

such request.

Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter

confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of

our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the

Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 6219.

Sincerely,

Kevin Brady.

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H. Res. 1169, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to rise today in honor of Judge Caryn Canner Schwartz upon her retirement from the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida where she has proudly served since 1993.

Throughout her long and distinguished career as a judge, she has worked in the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the Miami-Dade County Court and as an Acting Circuit Court Judge in the Civil, Criminal, Domestic Violence and Family Divisions of the Circuit Court.

When Caryn is not sitting on the bench, she volunteers her time and experience through many different charitable and educational organizations, including mentoring law students and young attorneys. In fact, for the first 10 years of her career, Caryn taught high school students science and math and worked tirelessly to educate our Nation's youth.

Our south Florida community has benefited substantially from Judge Schwartz's leadership and her public service; and for this I truly thank her.

Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to join Caryn's family, her friends, and her peers as they honor the many accomplishments of her outstanding career. I wish her and the entire Schwartz family all the best in this new exciting chapter of her life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my friend Steve Chabot's resolution, H. Res. 1091, which calls for the release of two Burmese journalists who were unjustly imprisoned for what crime? Courageously reporting on the genocide against the people known as the Rohingya.

In September, I joined Jan Schakowsky and Steve Chabot in sending a letter to Secretary of State Pompeo expressing our grave concern for the 7-year sentence given to these brave journalists. Unfortunately, the stories of these men are just two of the many, many sad examples of the erosion of press freedom and other basic rights in Burma.

At a time when these brave men should be rewarded for helping make the evidence available to the U.N. commission investigating these crimes, they get jail time. This resolution sends a strong message that the world is paying attention.

In 2012, I was worried that it was too soon for the Obama administration to ease sanctions on Burma. Unfortunately, it has proven to be too soon. In the aftermath of the massacre of the Rohingya, we must hold all individuals responsible for these crimes against humanity accountable. I call on the Burmese Government to release these journalists and reform the law so that freedom of the press is not obstructed.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, once again, our chairman, Ed Royce, and Eliot Engel for their continued commitment to bringing forth bipartisan and important bills to the floor.

I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Chabot's resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their leadership in bringing this bipartisan measure to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to especially thank the author of this important resolution, my Florida colleague, Brian Mast, for his efforts in calling attention to the bloody Assad regime. What a highly valued member Mr. Mast is to our committee and to this institution. He is an American hero and an American treasure.

There is no one more responsible for what is going on in Syria, as Mr. Mast

has pointed out in his resolution, than Bashar al-Assad. Who is the one responsible for this massacre of his own people? Al-Assad.

Assad brutally repressed peaceful Syrians who were demanding change in their country. Assad unleashed thousands of terrorists from the prisons into Iraq in 2003, helping to create the precursor to ISIS, and he did so again during the Syrian protests of 2011, leading to the founding and growth of ISIS.

And Assad, with his brutal and insidious tactics, is responsible for the hundreds of thousands of murders, for war crimes, for crimes against humanity. He continues to be responsible for the daily terror occurring in Syria to this day. Bashar al-Assad is the one responsible.

This is not a man who can lead a country. So we must use every tool at our disposal to put pressure on Assad and his backers, including pressure on Iran, pressure on Russia. They are the ones who are backing him. We have got to pass my good friend Mr. Engel's bill, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, and the bill that he puts forth with Mr. Royce, the No Assistance for Assad Act. These are important bills, and they are still pending in the Senate, as all good bills go, pending in the Senate.

We must ensure that Assad is not allowed to participate in any future election in Syria.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Mast of Florida, for authoring this important resolution. I urge all of my colleagues to give it their support.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway), the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and the author of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

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

Mr. Speaker, Russia's ongoing aggression has taken many forms, from outright invasion and annexation of territory in Ukraine to cyberattacks and other assaults against the U.S. and our NATO allies.

One of the most powerful weapons in its armory is its export of energy, especially oil and gas. The Nord Stream II pipeline from Russia to Germany will hand Moscow another source of influence to wield against our NATO allies and Ukraine. The result will be to undermine Europe's energy security and perhaps the will to resist Russian aggression.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote for this resolution and urge the President to use all of the means at his disposal to prevent this pipeline from being constructed. Only then can U.S. interests in Europe, including the integrity of the NATO alliance, be made secure.

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