Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment, which would require the Department of Justice's report, as mandated under this bill, to examine public-private sector coordination regarding economic espionage threats.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, there have been 224 documented cases of Chinese espionage directed at the United States since 2000, and that doesn't even count the more than 1,200 cases of intellectual property theft lawsuits brought by American companies against Chinese stakeholders. These tactics cost Americans billions, yes, billions with a b, each year.

Individuals tied to the Chinese Government have been caught spying on companies that are producing our Nation's critical infrastructure. In 2022, a Chinese national was convicted of spying while working as an engineer at General Electric. Back in 2024, the Department of Justice charged five Chinese military hackers for spying on U.S. Steel, Westinghouse Electric, and more.

From energy to consumer electronics to advanced technologies, CCP- backed individuals aim to steal secrets that give Chinese industry a leg up over American industry and undermine our country and economy.

This espionage is as much a national security threat as it is an economic issue. As a member of both the Intelligence and Financial Services Committees, I believe it is critical that the public and private sectors work together to detect, coordinate, and develop responses to espionage.

Private-sector companies are the hardest hit by this espionage, and they have been on the front lines of responding to breaches and hackers. We in the Federal Government have much to gain by coordinating with the private sector.

With this amendment, we are making it clear that protecting American innovation is a team effort. We need everyone, business leaders, the intelligence community, lawmakers, and researchers, working together to stop economic espionage, maintain America's economic leadership, and guarantee our national security.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment, which would require the Department of Justice report, as mandated under this bill, to examine the Chinese Communist Party's financial intelligence capabilities and, more broadly, the role of China's intelligence agencies and economic espionage.

Let me start by outlining the scope of the problem. China is the main source of economic espionage against the United States. About 80 percent of the economic espionage cases that the Department of Justice prosecutes involve China and its affiliates. Anything that we can do to monitor the Chinese intelligence ecosystem will help in our fight to stop economic espionage here at home.

As a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I am keenly aware of the public-private sector fusion in China. Because of its 2017 intelligence law, the CCP and Chinese intelligence agencies have disproportionate power over the country's industry. As we have seen with TikTok, industry and government are working in concert, at the direction and funding of the CCP, to undermine our country.

Chinese intelligence agencies are the linchpin to understand the coordinated campaign to steal and profit from American trade secrets. That is precisely why I have offered my amendment. We need the United States Federal Government to monitor these agencies' role in economic espionage.

Maintaining America's economic competitiveness is something that we can all agree on. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment so that we can get a fuller picture of Chinese intelligence agencies' role in economic espionage and actually stop them in the process.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank Mr. Gooden for the support of these two amendments, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I missed the following vote, but had I been present, I would have voted NO on Roll Call No. 327.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Happy Pride to all.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight in support of LGBTQ+ equality, a domain in which we have made so much progress. I am so grateful for that, but we have a long way to go.

I thank Congressman Takano for his phenomenal leadership, his friendship, what he does on the Equality Caucus as co-chair, and what he does in the Halls of Congress every day, standing up to hatred, fighting for doing right and for, of course, coordinating tonight's Pride Month Special. I thank the gentleman so much.

Yesterday was Equality Day, the anniversary of three Supreme Court decisions that transformed LGBTQ+ rights here in our great country: Lawrence v. Texas, U.S. v. Windsor, and Obergefell v. Hodges. In just over two decades, we made a century's worth of progress, unbelievable progress in a short period of time, decriminalizing homosexuality and guaranteeing marriage equality nationally.

Yet, in the midst of this monumental progress, there are forces here in the Halls of Congress and in State legislatures across our country that want to pull us backward and go after Americans for who they love.

So far this year, the ACLU is tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in our State legislatures, embedding hate and cruelty into the letter of their laws. LGBTQ+ rights are personal for me, as they are for many people in Congress and for Americans across our country. For the sake of our brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and friends, we can't, and we won't let extremists roll back the clock on the great progress we have made.

The monumental progress I highlighted just a minute ago originated in the courts, but it really came from the country, in homes, in communities, and people realizing that it is the right thing to do to make sure people can love who they want and live their lives.

I am deeply grateful the courts made the decisions on marriage equality, but we can't rely on the whims of Supreme Court Justices. We need to make these victories permanent through Congress.

That is why, in 2022, I helped pass the bipartisan, bicameral Respect for Marriage Act, which enshrines marriage equality into Federal law. We can and must do the same when it comes to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

I am incredibly proud to be a member of the Equality Caucus and a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which will ban this discrimination outright. We have now passed the Equality Act twice through the House. I urge House leadership to bring it up for a vote once again.

Equal treatment isn't a partisan issue. We can send a message of acceptance to our country by sending this bill to the President's desk. This is a place where we can work together and come together.

Finally, we must stop the mistreatment of our LGBTQ+ community. That is why I am introducing the Elder Pride Protection Act with Congresswoman Angie Craig of Minnesota, an Equality Caucus co-chair, which will combat the runaway abuse facing LGBTQ+ seniors across our country. It is a real issue. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical legislation.

Let's never forget the words of the heart of our country found in the Declaration of Independence: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.''

The best way that we can move forward and live up to the Founders' vision is by standing for LGBTQ+ equality and happiness. I mean equality for everybody here in the greatest country in the world. I know that, if we do that and stand together and work together, our best days will always be ahead of us.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman once again for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I missed the following votes, but had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 283.

Mr. Chair, as the designee of Mr. Pascrell, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the bipartisan amendment to increase the budget of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program by $30 million.

I thank my dear friend and colleague and great leader from New Jersey, the great Congressman Bill Pascrell, and the gentleman from Texas, Chairman McCaul, for his leadership in spearheading this effort.

I also thank my great friend, Chairman Amodei, for his phenomenal leadership and all he does for his State to support all those who benefit from this important legislation.

Mr. Chair, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program is all about protecting religious freedom and our houses of worship, schools, and community centers, including temples, churches, and mosques, the very places everyone should feel safe. We especially need to protect religious freedom now more than ever.

Nonprofit Security Grants fund physical barriers like ballasts and bulletproof glass, technology to help with monitoring threats like cameras, and the hiring of onsite security officers. On top of that, these critical grants equip our nonprofits with the training and education they need to stay secure.

This program is vital and majorly oversubscribed, especially given this moment we are living in.

Applicants requested $679 million in funding this year for a program that only has about $300 million available. As a result, just 42 percent of applicants, fewer than half, receive funding despite their need for these resources to protect the families and our communities more than ever.

Here in America, the greatest country in the world, we must ensure that religious freedom endures. We must do everything we can to protect our children, our families, and communities from hate and discrimination. Unfortunately, New Jersey is a hub for anti-Semitic hate.

Nearly 1 in 10 of the incidents reported to the ADL occurred in our State. Bergen County, where I live, led the State in shameful anti- Semitic attacks. There were almost quadruple the number of insults, assaults, and death threats reported right here in our country in 2023 as compared to the prior year.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, which is a leading vital provider of facts and resources for this kind of information, nonpartisan, 2023 was the worst year for anti-Semitism since they began collecting data in 1979. There were more than 8,000 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2023, including more than 5,000 anti-Semitic incidents reported after October 7.

Anti-Semitism is just part of the story. We must reject hate and bigotry in all forms wherever it is. We are seeing disturbing incidents of Islamophobia and anti-Asian racism in northern New Jersey and in the tristate area.

In New Jersey, during Eid al-Fitr, Rutgers' Center for Islamic Life was vandalized as the suspect smashed artwork and plaques. It is shameful.

Our Asian-American, Pacific-Islander community is also under attack. A March survey from The Asian American Foundation found that one in five Asian-American New Yorkers had been physically assaulted. It is disgusting and completely unacceptable.

We must ensure that all people are safe on college campuses, in our neighborhoods, at our schools, at our churches, at our mosques, and at our synagogues. That is what the Nonprofit Security Grants are all about and why this program is so important.

As the only Jewish Member of New Jersey's congressional delegation, and as the only Jewish Member of the House Intelligence Committee, this is very personal for me. I believe strongly in our American values, one of which is freedom: freedom from fear, freedom from hate, and freedom to worship, live, and learn however you choose.

To safeguard these freedoms that we hold so dear, we must invest in our security to combat hate. Since I was sworn in, I have been focused on clawing millions of Federal dollars from Washington back to north Jersey through this very program to protect our religious institutions, $4.8 million in these vital grants for my district this year alone to protect them. They come to me every day and ask for help.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I missed the following votes, but had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 248 and YEA on Roll Call No. 249.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Patrick Colligan on his retirement as President of the New Jersey Policeman's Benevolent Association or New Jersey State PBA. Over his decade-long tenure as New Jersey State PBA President, Mr. Colligan has stood out as a passionate advocate for law enforcement across the state. Personally, he has been a friend and trusted advisor on key bipartisan bills like the Invest to

Protect Act. Mr. Colligan's tireless advocacy on behalf of New Jersey police will be honored and appreciated for years to come.

Patrick Colligan began his career in law enforcement in August 1992 at the age of 27 with the Franklin Township Police Department He graduated from Class 9-92 of the Somerset County Police Academy, where he served as class president and was the recipient of an academy leadership award.

During his law enforcement career, Patrick received more than a dozen awards, citations, and commendations. He is a founding member of the County Firewatch Program, a preventive program for juvenile fire setters. He also is a charter member of the County Arson Task Force. During his storied thirty-year career in law enforcement, Patrick has worked on and has taken part in thousands of investigations as a Detective from thefts to homicides.

On July 1, 2014, Patrick became President of the 32,000-member-strong New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, one of the largest in the country. In his capacity as PBA President, Patrick has developed very strong relationships throughout New Jersey. Within just a few years in his role, Patrick made a significant mark on the organization. Since 2017, he has been consistently ranked in the Insider NJ ``100 Policymaker Power List'' and the NJ Globe ``100 Power List.''

Patrick was appointed by Governor Jon Corzine to the Task Force on Police Suicides, which developed a successful video and program to curtail what was an alarming trend of police suicides. Governor Corzine also appointed him to the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) where he proudly served from 2009 to 2011.

I salute Mr. Colligan for his steadfast leadership of New Jersey State PBA and his lifelong commitment to public service. He has notched an amazing record of legislative accomplishments that help keep our communities safe and ensure law enforcement have the resources they need to protect and serve. Jersey is truly lucky to have Patrick as a champion of what I believe are the greatest law enforcement officers in the country. I wish him a restful retirement with his wife, Lynette, and his wonderful family.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the bipartisan Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act. This well-reasoned and thoughtful bipartisan legislation is the result of rigorous research and bipartisan negotiation by the Financial Services Committee, which I proudly helped lead with Representatives McHenry and Hill.

I thank them both and all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have worked so hard to make sure that consumers in our country are protected.

Cryptocurrency is here, and it has a tremendous economic potential for our country. My State, New Jersey, ranks second nationwide in crypto ownership by proportion, and the key is now in making sure we protect Americans who own it and ensure our country can realize the economic and jobs potential it has to offer.

For that to happen, we need rules of the road to guide entrepreneurs and businesses, to embrace innovators, and to protect consumers.

This bill offers protections that are fit for the 21st century. FIT21 takes commonsense steps to safeguard consumers in their investments and strengthen market oversight.

The legislation includes key transparency and accountability measures.

At the same time, FIT21 eliminates regulatory redundancies so the SEC and CFTC work together to protect investors and crack down on nefarious crypto users.

Finally, this legislation spurs American-led innovation, encouraging entrepreneurs and businesses to invest here instead of going abroad to other nations with no consumer protections.

Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this important innovative and bipartisan legislation. It is fit to become law if we work together.

Mr. Speaker, I missed the following votes, but had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 196 and YEA on Roll Call No. 197.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan bill, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, to ensure that we are standing up to the Jew hatred that is spreading like wildfire on campuses across our country. I am proud to lead this legislation with my friend and fellow Problem Solvers Caucus member, Congressman Mike Lawler from New York.

As we are voting today in real time, our country's universities are experiencing a tidal wave of anti-Semitism. Protesters have targeted Jewish students, haranguing them with awful Jew-hating insults and cheering on Hamas, a barbaric, foreign terrorist organization that murdered Americans on October 7 and still hold five living Americans hostage, including my constituent, Edan Alexander. I met with hostage families just this morning.

I saw these protests up close, like many Americans did, at Columbia earlier this month. I have heard the sickening Jew-hating, anti-Semitic comments comparing Zionists to Nazis, promising a redux of October 7 a thousand times over, and calling for ``resistance by any means necessary'' and intifada revolution. Intifada is used to call for a violent uprising against Israel and Jewish people.

These protests embolden Hamas, America's enemy and Iranian-backed terrorist. In fact, they have put out a statement lauding professors as the leaders of the future. That is what our enemies said about the pro- Hamas protesters at these universities.

Let me clear up any confusion since I am a huge champion myself of free speech. This bill protects the First Amendment. It allows criticism of Israel. I ensured that. It was critical to me. It doesn't allow calls for the destruction or elimination of the Jewish state, but it certainly allows criticism of Israel.

Even more, it reminds us that our universities have a title VI obligation to stamp out harassment on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot stand idly by as protesters call for the death of Jews on college campuses and across the country. This bill will require the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance or IHRA definition of anti-Semitism when carrying out title VI investigations.

IHRA's anti-Semitism definition is the most widely recognized in the world. It is used by 36 countries. It condemns traditional hatred and the ugly, modern anti-Semitism that we are seeing on college campuses.

There shouldn't be anything controversial about this bill. As was mentioned when it was first introduced in 2018, 50 Democrats and Republicans cosponsored this legislation, including Members who are still in this body.

Right now, the Department of Education has 137 active title VI investigations, some of which have been open for years.

Mr. Speaker, the bill will give investigators a clear framework to evaluate anti-Semitism and finally hold harassers accountable.

Don't just take my word for it. Thirty of our Nation's leading Jewish groups back this bill. Under the last three administrations, the State Department has used the IHRA definition to monitor anti-Semitism worldwide. This bill takes a commonsense step to formalize the IHRA definition for our education systems. Again, three administrations accepted this definition of anti-Semitism.

When I was at Columbia University last week, I told the administrators that we need deeds, not words to protect Jewish students.

Mr. Speaker, I am making the same ask of my colleagues. This bill is a critical step we can take to stand against hate. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join us in supporting this legislation and stand strong against anti-Semitism with no excuses, no claims of commas that they don't like. Standing strong today against hate and anti-Semitism is what our country should stand for.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for convening tonight's Special Order hour.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to honor the life and legacy of our very dear friend and colleague, Congressman Donald Payne.

Donald, as everyone knows, was larger than life. I love that picture of him, and if you could see it in color, it would be even better because he brought so much color everywhere he went--his suits, his personality. He lit up a room. Not only was he a great friend, but a great father and husband. He was an incredible advocate for his beloved city, Newark, and New Jersey overall, and all the hardworking men and women he represented.

He spent his entire career serving New Jersey, including as a distinguished local official for the city of Newark and of Essex County.

It was such an honor to serve here with Don. When I was first elected, Donald was there for me. He showed me the ropes and shared his wisdom. He was never shy to rib me a little bit in the Jersey way with his humor and his kindness, and his signature bow tie.

His legacy will live on through his advocacy and his tireless championing of issues facing so many Americans: health issues and issues of clean drinking water for families and reliable transportation and great infrastructure.

The mark he left is everywhere in New Jersey, and more than his personality, it is the policies he left behind. He will be missed, but never forgotten. His legacy will live on in a big way in the great State of New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, my prayers are with his wife and his three wonderful children. I hope they can find great solace in the work he left behind and the positive impact he had on millions, not just in Jersey, but across our great country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Bobby Allen. Bobby was one of Jersey's best, a hero who put others first as a firefighter and an advocate for his brothers and sisters of labor. He recently passed away after a valiant fight with cancer.

Bobby started his career with the Paterson Fire Department in 1992. He was among the brave first responders on September 11.

In recent years, he became a labor leader, serving as president of FMBA Local 2 and chairman of NJFMBA's legislative committee for more than a decade.

Bobby will live on through his beloved relationships and big personality and those who loved him in the firefighter community, his family, of course, all of his friends, and the legislation he championed, which improved the lives of thousands of career firefighters and retirees. Because of his advocacy for the FIRE Act, firefighters nationwide are safer and better equipped to protect our communities.

As we mourn the loss of Bobby Allen, we think of his wife, Marianne; his parents, retired Paterson Battalion Chief Edward Allen and Peggy; and his many other friends and family members.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Bobby Allen.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Manning for yielding me time and for her leadership. I thank Representative Frankel for her phenomenal leadership on this issue and so many other issues.

I rise today to urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting a bipartisan resolution which forcefully condemns Hamas' use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war on and since October 7.

On October 7, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and committed horrific and repulsive acts of violence, murder, and torture, including sexual assault, rape, and genital mutilation on babies, children, women, men, and the elderly, including Americans.

These deliberate and targeted acts on civilians have been verified through the testimony of first responders, eyewitness accounts, CCTV, pictures, and forensic evidence. If that wasn't enough, Hamas terrorists even recorded their acts using cameras and the phones of their victims, and cheered and celebrated as they did it. Then, these terrorists proceeded to post these videos online and send them to the families of their victims, who they mutilated and murdered.

These terrorists didn't even try to cover up their heinous acts because they wanted the world to know what they did. They wanted the world to know what they think is an acceptable way to treat Jewish people. Since then, they have promised more waves of violence and second, third, and fourth October 7s. Who would do this?

As a Member of Congress, the House Intelligence Committee, and someone who has traveled to Israel since October 7, I have seen these gut-wrenching videos and heard the testimony of survivors of the horrific acts of sexual violence and torture. These stories and images will stay with me forever. I will never forget seeing them.

That is why I continue to wear this dog tag around my neck. It symbolizes the hostages who are still being abused and held by Hamas terrorists, including the Americans still kidnapped and all of those who were victims on October 7 and experienced the most gruesome acts imaginable.

Sexual violence, assault, and rape have no place in our world, and I am shocked by those who continue to deny that these acts were used by Hamas as weapons of war against innocent civilians on October 7.

There are those who equivocate about Hamas and the terrors they have committed. There should be no equivocation. Any equivocation is despicable. Hamas is designated by the United States of America as a foreign terrorist organization. They are terrorists, period. There is no argument to be had.

In the past, the biased United Nations and its affiliated organizations have been quick to condemn acts of brutality, sexual violence, and rape

around the globe. However, the response from UN Women, whose job is to defend and promote women's rights anywhere and everywhere, was egregiously late. I cannot fathom why an organization that exists for the sole purpose of advancing women's rights would hesitate, even a single second, to condemn the use of rape as a weapon of terror. There is no excuse.

There are those today who try to deny what Hamas did on October 7. We see people constantly pumping misinformation on social media, including TikTok, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Government, to further spew anti-Semitic, anti-Israel rhetoric and even denial of acts of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists. Sexual violence is a recognized war crime that must always be condemned.

The silence and lies from those who continue to deny acts of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists and those who vote against this resolution is unacceptable. To deny the events of October 7 is an insult to the many victims of extreme sexual violence in Israel that day and to those who remain hostage today, including Americans we must bring home.

Mr. Speaker, today, my colleagues have a chance to recognize the horrific sexual violence from Hamas terrorists on innocent civilians 131 days ago. I urge them all to vote for and help pass this bipartisan resolution.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Manning for her leadership on this and so many important issues for our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in passing the IGO Anti-Boycott Act. I am particularly honored to have helped introduce this bipartisan legislation with my very good friend and fellow Problem Solvers Caucus member Mike Lawler from New

York. I am grateful for his leadership as well and the words he has just spoken.

On October 7, the world watched Hamas terrorists invade Israel and brutally kidnap, torture, rape, burn alive, and murder innocent babies, children, women, men, and the elderly, including dozens of Americans. Americans remain hostage to this day.

This unprovoked war has underscored why I will always stand with Israel and support our key democratic ally's right to defend herself from those who seek her destruction.

This bipartisan legislation is a key step to counter anti-Israel bias and anti-Semitic BDS movements strung along by enemies of our Nation. As my colleagues have said, the BDS movement is anti-Semitic. We must move quickly to stop international governmental organizations from unfairly and unjustly alienating Israel. It is unacceptable.

Speaking, as my colleague did, about the United Nations and UNRWA, in particular, and what has come out even in the last days about UNRWA-- which is, again, part of the United Nations playing host to a Hamas data center--we know that a significant number of Hamas fighters are employees at UNWRA. I just want people to understand that funding from the United States of America should not be supporting any terrorist fighters like those in Hamas. It is totally unacceptable, and that is not where dollars from the United States should be going.

Right now, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric has spread across the country and the world. According to the ADL, between October 7 and January 7, there were more than 1,300 instances of anti-Semitic acts and expressions of support for terrorism against the State of Israel.

Today, we have a chance to stand up for our ally, Israel, and to stand up against anti-Semitism and all of the disinformation which continues to spread around the world on sources like TikTok.

We know that on TikTok, which is supported by the Chinese Government, the CCP is continuing to spread disinformation. Disinformation is also coming out from many of these organizations. We must stand up against it.

This legislation does nothing to violate the First Amendment. In fact, the importance of being able to stand strong with the First Amendment is what allows legislation like this to make it to the floor in Congress. Leadership from Mr. Lawler and others and the excellent work here of Ms. Manning is the kind of leadership that is critical.

So, Madam Speaker, I, once again, urge my colleagues to vote for and help pass the Anti-Boycott Act. We must stand strong up against Hamas.

Madam Speaker, Israel and Ukraine may be 2,000 miles apart, but the evils they face are connected. Hamas and Putin have waged unprovoked wars on neighboring democracies, murdering thousands of civilians and kidnapping innocent people, including children.

Recently, Moscow hosted Hamas and Iranian leaders. This is incredibly concerning because Hamas is funded by Russia's military ally, Iran.

I fear the extreme ultra rightwing wants to cut and run and hand Putin a win. It sends the wrong message to China and empowers our adversaries.

The United States has a responsibility to support Ukraine in its fight against a murdering dictator and provide the support Israel needs to kill the terrorists responsible for the atrocities on October 7. Hamas terrorists have made it clear that they will not back down and are committed to a second, third, and fourth October 7.

We must pass a bipartisan supplemental aid package that makes sure that we do not ever send the wrong signal about fighting against terror and protecting global democracy and our national security.