Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, Texas is distinctive in many ways. Texas was an independent nation for nine years. In fact, some Texans still think we're an independent country.

Texas had gained independence from Mexico in 1836 and had immediately set up a republic. The reason for the call for independence was because Mexico had abolished its democracy and set up a dictatorship with Santa Anna as the Supreme Dictator. Texans and Tejanos--Mexican or Spanish person born in Texas--were determined not to live under an imperial dictatorship and went to war with Mexico to gain independence. This was a fight for liberty. Independence was gained on April 21, 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto where General Sam Houston and his boys defeated a superior Mexican army under the leadership of Santa Anna.

After Texas set up a government, it then built an army and a navy. Texas then sought official recognition of the Republic of Texas from other nations.

On this day, September 25, 1839, King Louis Philippe of France formally recognized the Republic of Texas. This was the first country after the United States to recognize the republic. This treaty allowed Texas commerce to be admitted to France on a most favored nation basis. Great Britain soon followed in recognizing Texas as an independent nation. Texas would proceed to engage in commerce with the United States, Mexico, France, and Great Britain.

Dubois De Saligny of France was appointed as charge d'affaires and soon moved to Austin. He bought 21 acres just east of the Texas Capitol in Austin and began construction of the house known today as the French Legation. Today, there is a similar site where the Texas Legation was in Paris, France. The French residence is now a historical site in Texas. It acts as a reminder that Texas was once a country.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to remove the veil of secrecy from the hallowed halls of the Supreme Court.

Americans have the right to watch the proceedings in person, but only 50 members of the public can get into the small courtroom at a time.

Technology allows discreet videoing, but for some reason, there are those who want to keep these proceedings hidden from the American public.

We have the best judicial system ever created. We should not hide it.

Cameras should be allowed in the most important court in the world.

I know cameras can be placed in a courtroom without disruption or distraction, because I did it. For 22 years, I served as a felony court judge in Houston, Texas. I heard over 25,000 criminal cases and nearly 1,000 jury trials, and many of those were filmed by the television media.

Justice would be better served if the black robe of secrecy was removed from the United States Supreme Court and the proceedings were filmed. Because justice is the one thing we should always find in America.

And that is just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, it is that time of the year, a time folks in Texas and in the South have been waiting for. It is called football season.

It has been said there are only two seasons in Texas: football season and spring football season.

Football in Texas is its own religion. Whether you are watching the game under the Friday night lights, joining 25,000 of your closest friends on Saturday, or checking your watch in church to make sure your preacher gets you out on time on Sunday, there are more than a few prayers being said in the name of football on any given day in Texas.

Just last week, I headed to Waco, Texas, with my entire family to watch my alma mater, the Abilene Christian Wildcats, take on the Baylor Bears. The outcome wasn't what we were hoping for, but there is nothing better than college football under a Texas sunset.

Texans naturally believe everything is bigger and better in Texas-- because it is. My son, Kurt, started playing football when he was 8 years old, and I have watched him play every game from Humble, Texas, pee-wee football until he took the field wearing the purple and white of our alma mater, Abilene Christian University.

From the beginning, Kurt played quarterback. Being the quarterback is one of those positions that is tough on parents. It is all the fame or all the blame. Every time I saw him take the field, I saw that same little 8-year-old boy full of determination. It was that very determination that led to him being a walk-on at Abilene Christian University and earning a spot as a safety and becoming an Academic All- Conference player.

I was a judge during that time in Texas in Houston, and I would head out on Friday night after court and drive all night to towns such as Abilene; Kingsville; Canyon; Wichita Falls; Commerce; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Ada, Oklahoma, to get there in time for Saturday's game.

There is nothing more fun than being in a stadium on that first weekend and seeing your team and your son take the field to thousands chanting, ``Wildcats, purple, white, purple, white, fight, fight, fight.''

Last week I saw Kurt's son, my grandson, Jackson, take the field, also as safety, for the Georgetown, Texas, middle school team.

Texas football is a legend and legacy. It has spawned books, movies, TV series, and it has been known to ruin a family dinner or two in a house divided over the loyalty of their team. Blood may be thicker than water, but it is not thicker than football.

Yes, Texans love football, right down to the names they choose for their children and to the cars they drive. I am sure there is some big executive in Detroit wondering why they have to send so many maroon pickups to Texas. Well, of course, they are for the Texas Aggie fans.

We may not have too many fall weddings in Texas, but I am willing to bet you that you have been to a wedding where the new Mr. and Mrs. took off down the aisle to the University of Texas' ``The Eyes of Texas'' or got a big Texas A&M ``Whoop'' after the preacher declared them husband and wife.

But it is not just the action on the gridiron. It is the atmosphere; it is the band; it is the drill team; it is the cheerleaders; it is the moms selling T-shirts, the school clubs hanging banners, the same old guys in the same old seats season after season in the stands, and the whole atmosphere of what makes the game great.

So, Madam Speaker, it is that time of the year. Put on your school colors; head for the game; grab some hotdogs and Dr Pepper or Coke; and take part in one of Texas' finest religious traditions: Texas football.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, this is the 1-minute story of Kelly Dore.

Kelly's biological father began trafficking her for sex in the first year of her life. The evildoer continued to do so for 14 years. Kelly spent her childhood in a living hell most of us cannot even contemplate.

Her kindergarten memories are not of playtime and story time; instead, they consisted of hiding in the bathroom because the repeated trauma caused uncontrollable bleeding.

The evildoer threatened to kill Kelly's mother if Kelly ever told.

At 14 years, Kelly liberated herself from this depravity by testifying against her father in a courtroom. Miraculously, she not only survived the ordeal, but she became an advocate.

Today, Kelly works to strengthen trafficking laws, giving an inspirational voice for victims of human trafficking like her.

No child should ever have to go through what Kelly went through. Congress must join Kelly in the fight against the buying and selling of our children on the marketplace of sex trafficking.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the names of the Defenders of the Alamo.

Mr. Speaker, there is a battle brewing back home in Texas. According to news reports, it seems that some in our education system have taken issue with one of the most treasured and significant historical letters in Texas history, Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis and his passionate plea in his letter ``to all the people of Texas and all Americans in the world.''

To add insult to injury, they have also called into question the heroic nature of Travis and the 187 volunteers who sacrificed their lives at the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

A committee evaluating the State's history curriculum standards has proposed that we eliminate the study of Travis' historical ``Victory or Death'' letter. They have also recommended that we remove the word ``heroic'' from the curriculum because it is a value-charged word, a hero and the heroes of the Alamo.

Well, to quote Travis, I have a value-charged word or two to say about that: ``Victory or death,'' Mr. Speaker. These are the most iconic words in Texas history. That is our battle cry and has been our battle cry since 1836. It is who we are.

Texas' defiant, independent nature was born from those words of that letter written from behind the walls of a besieged Alamo mission in Bexar, Texas. The words on that paper are as much a part of who we are as the blood that runs through our veins.

We shall ``never surrender or retreat,'' to quote Travis. We cannot allow political correctness to rewrite any history or, in this case, edit history.

Maybe they didn't take Texas history from Mrs. Wilson, like I did. However, it seems now that this committee is walking back that original suggestion.

Whatever the case, the Travis letter is every bit the core and soul of freedom as the words of Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. He says: ``I have answered that demand with a cannon shot, and the flag still waves proudly over the north wall. I shall never surrender or retreat.''

Mr. Speaker, history is the greatest teacher we have. Book burners who want to erase from textbooks ``the establishment of the Republic of Texas brought civil, political, and religious freedom to Texas'' are just trying to ignore history.

Those elites who want to rip the Travis letter from our Texas history books dishonor the sacrifice of 187 freedom fighters at the Alamo, of all races, from most of the States and several foreign countries, including Mexico. These individuals gave their last full measure of devotion to liberty.

Webster's dictionary may not define ``hero'' with the names of those who died March 6, 1836, at the Alamo, but it should.

Travis isn't just my favorite hero. He has intertwined himself throughout my life. He is the inspiration of why I am a lawyer. He was a lawyer.

My first grandson is named Barrett Houston. And inscribed along the bottom of my stationery are the words, ``I shall never surrender or retreat.''

Travis' letter hung on my wall of the courtroom in Texas and still hangs in my office today in D.C.

Because of men like William Barrett Travis and the Alamo defenders, we are called the great State of Texas. Travis' legacy embodies the passion and loyalty that makes Texans stand out in the world. To consider anything to the contrary is a disgrace.

We must preserve one of our greatest treasures in Texas history so that future generations can learn the meaning of ``what is due to his own honor and that of his country.'' God and Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the Travis letter.

Commandancy of The Alamo

Bejar, Feby. 24th. 1836

To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World--Fellow

Citizens & compatriots--

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under

Santa Anna--I have sustained a continual Bombardment &

cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man--The enemy has

demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison

are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken--I have

answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still

waves proudly from the walls--I shall never surrender or

retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of

patriotism & everything dear to the American

character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch--The enemy

is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to

three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is

neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as

possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due

to his own honor & that of his country--

Victory or Death.

William Barrett Travis.

Lt. Col. comdt.

P.S. The Lord is on our side--When the enemy appeared in

sight we had not three bushels of corn--We have since found

in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20

or 30 head of Beeves.

Travis.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, more than a century ago, one of the most horrific genocides in history took place as the world was fixated on the Great War raging in Europe.

The Ottoman Empire and its successor state, the modern Republic of Turkey, have always denied the atrocities they committed against the Armenian people.

For too long, our own government has played along with Turkey. We have allowed politics to blind us from the mass murder of 1\1/2\ million innocent Armenians by the Ottoman Turks. We must officially recognize this horrific crime to prevent similar events from occurring again. This also means pressuring the Turks to acknowledge their past sins.

Turkey, under dictator Erdogan, has proven to be an oppressor of his own people. Today, we see him adopt similar brutality against the Kurds that was applied to the Armenians more than a century ago.

This behavior is unacceptable by a NATO member and a supposed American ally.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, to a Texan, ``Six Flags'' is more than just the name of an amusement park. As those of us from great state know, the term refers to the six different flags that have flown over our state: those of Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and--since 1865--the flag of the United States.

However, what many folks don't know is that there was a 7th flag over Texas that has long been overlooked: the flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande. Now, if you're from the little border town of Laredo this is no news to you. Laredo has adopted this flag as the city's official flag. It can be found waving on the streets, hanging on houses, and even prominently displayed in halls of City Council. Red, white, and black with three stars and two stripes, this flag is a symbol for a group of fighting Texians that will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, the Republic of the Rio Grande was a small, unrecognized nation. After Texas broke away from Mexico, leaders in other Mexican states were empowered to do the same. In 1840 the courageous leaders met in Laredo, Texas and declared their independence, claiming the territories of Mexican states, parts of current-day Texas, and even New Mexico for the Republic of the Rio Grande.

Those of us who have taken Texas history in school know that Mexico isn't a country keen on giving up territory without a fight. It's no surprise that the young Republic soon found itself facing the well- prepared Mexican army on the battlefield. Despite several months of intense battle, the revolutionaries were soon captured. The Republic of the Rio Grande was no more.

The Republic of the Rio Grande may have been a small and short-lived nation, but it captures the mind and spirit of generations of Texans. The Republic of the Rio Grande reminds us all to never give up without a fight, especially when fighting for freedom.

If you make it out to Laredo, Texas, look up. The flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande will be there, waving in the soft breeze. Look up and remember the brave soldiers that fought for Texas, the stars and stripes of that 7th flag, and remember the Republic of the Rio Grande.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Iranian people are still in the streets calling for the end of the regime. Despite continued violence by the regime's thugs, they persist in their cries for freedom. Across Iran, in more than 80 cities, thousands of Iranians are saying they have had enough with the corruption and repression of the mullahs. The free world cannot ignore their calls. America, the beacon of liberty, must stand with the Iranian people as they confront their oppressors.

For more than two decades, protests in Iran have grown more and more frequent as the promises of the Islamic revolution have proven false. The clerics and IRGC thugs have hoarded Iran's wealth to enrich themselves and support terrorism across the Middle East. The people of Iran know that their nation should be prosperous. They know their country is blessed with abundant resources, a proud history, and population of talented and hardworking people--they should not be struggling to get by. But they know it is the mullahs--not sanctions from the U.S. or the existence of the state of Israel--that starve them and keep them poor. The Iranian people are not fools who believe the hollow rhetoric of the regime.

Even before President Trump rightly chose to abandon the Iran deal, the Iranian people saw no benefit from sanctions relief. The secret shipments of cash from the Obama administration, the flood of foreign investment, the unfreezing of Iranian foreign assets, none of it reached the average Iranian. And so in late 2017 and into this year, the Iranian people bravely came to the streets again to demand that the regime fall. They shouted ``death to the regime'' and ``down with the mullahs.'' And the regime responded, as it has so many times before, with brutality, killing 25 and arresting more than 4,000. But the Iranian people remain undaunted and have not yielded.

The boldness of the protesters who initially took to the streets over the economic hardships quickly inspired others to come forward. Women threw their required headscarves to the ground in public squares, religious minorities spoke-out about their persecution, workers went on strike, and secularists stormed clerical seminaries. Their motives represented a wide-range of grievance against the regime, but they were unified in message: this illegitimate regime must end. These protests continue to expand as Iranians see their futures diminish under the Supreme Leader and his band of terrorists.

There has been an awakening in Iran and we must support it. It is not through bombs or guns that Iran will become free. It will be through the enduring courage and actions of everyday Iranians standing up to the regime thugs. They are demanding change now and, in growing numbers, putting fear into the hearts of the mullahs and their stooges. We can encourage and amplify their heroism. America has the resources and innovative tools to broadcast Iranians' messages of hope. Through our technological edge, the U.S. can help Iranians communicate and provide whatever assistance is requested. We can also ensure that the brutality of the regime is seen by all and that the theocrats become more isolated and punished because of it.

America will never turn its back on people yearning to be free. Whether in Iran or anywhere else. We have learned throughout history that ruthless despots that rule far from our shores still present a threat to us and our ideals. If we stand silently as they savagely crush dissent within their own country, their ambitions will eventually turn to opponents beyond their borders. The regime in Tehran has already demonstrated this intent by spreading terror throughout the region. Therefore we must remain committed to the cause of freedom throughout the globe. The terrorists who rule Iran today will meet justice, and we will help the Iranian people deliver it. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the day was July 21, 1821. The heat of the Texas summer sun beat down upon San Antonio de Bexar, the future site of the Battle of the Alamo. The flag of Imperial Spain billowed in the wind above the roofs of the mission town. This day, however, would be the final day that this flag would fly over Texas.

For nearly three centuries, the Spanish governed Texas. Conquistadores, missionaries, and adventurers made their way to Texas, drawn in by the bountiful opportunities of the seemingly endless land. However, resistance against Spanish rule began to take root within its overseas colonies. In Texas, filibusters from the United States crossed into Spanish territory attempting to claim land loosely controlled by Spanish royal forces. Mexico caught the fever of revolution, and by the early 1800's, certain individuals, including Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, were promoting resistance to aspects of Spanish rule.

To make matters worse, Spain was forced to cede Louisiana as a result of the Napoleonic Wars at home to France, who then sold it to President Thomas Jefferson and the United States.

Eventually, the pressure became too great from within, and the Mexican War of Independence began in 1810. Revolutionaries, both Hispanic and Anglos, living across Spanish Mexico took up arms in open revolt against the Spanish occupiers. In Texas, Jose Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara and Augustus W. Magee captured Nacodoches, La Bahia, and San Antonio, the capital of Spanish Texas at the time, and proclaimed Texas an independent nation in 1813. Despite their early success, the group eventually was defeated decisively by Spanish forces, thus keeping Texas under Spain's control.

However, the days of Spanish rule were numbered, and eventually the independence movement in Mexico under Agustin de lturbide and Vicente Guerrero successfully drove the Spanish from Mexican shores once and for all. Mexico would officially become an independent nation on July 21, 1821. Having provided resistance against Spanish rule, Texas remained a part of an independent Mexico until the Texas Revolution fifteen years later.

Mr. Speaker, we must continue to honor the state's history. The Spanish flag is one of the Six Flags over Texas, part of the rich tapestry of the state's history, and this event represents an important moment in the history of our nation. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the day was September 2, 1945. World War II was in

full swing, but the fighting was about to come to a close.

On August 15, the Empire of Japan announced that it would surrender to the Allies in accordance with the Allied terms laid out at the Potsdam Conference. In Japan, Emperor Hirohito spoke on the radio announcing his country's surrender. It was the first time the Japanese people had ever heard his voice.

Across the United States, soldiers and civilians rejoiced together in the streets. The Japanese announcement represented the end of nearly four long years of war. On foreign battlefields, thousands of brave, young Americans had lost their lives, and many more returned home with the wounds of war. On the home front, laborers worked long hours in the factories, kids collected scrap metal, and families endured rationing. From Kilroy to Rosie the Riveter, all Americans were ready to embrace victory.

The day of the formal surrender finally arrived, and in the morning of September 2, representatives from the Allied powers made their way to the USS Missouri. Anchored in Tokyo Bay, the Missouri proudly displayed the flag flown aboard Commodore Matthew Perry's flagship when he sailed into Tokyo Bay in 1853 to sign a treaty with Japan.

Admiral Chester Nimitz then welcomed aboard General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific, and the two took their places behind the surrender table.

Finally, just before 9 a.m., the delegation from the Japanese surrender cabinet made their way on board.

After brief remarks from General MacArthur, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the government and armed forces respectively. General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz each then signed the document and were followed by representatives from eight other nations. Once all of signatures were made, General MacArthur declared, ``Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are now closed!''

Mr. Speaker, the costly victory won by the United States and her allies in World War II gave the world a new era of peace and prosperity. It allowed millions around the world who had previously been under the yoke of fascism to enjoy the blessings of liberty and freedom. American soldiers dethroned tyrannical regimes in Europe and Asia, and we must never forget the sacrifices they made defending our country. After all, the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, August 7th marked the 236th anniversary of the creation of one of our nation's most iconic military decorations: the Purple Heart.

On August 7, 1782, General George Washington ordered the creation of the Badge for Military Merit, to be presented to soldiers who demonstrated exceptional bravery in battle. The award was marked by a heart-shaped piece of purple cloth, intended to be worn on the left side of the recipient's chest.

Only three soldiers--Sergeants Daniel Bissell, William Brown, and Elijah Churchill--received this decoration during the Revolutionary War. Though this award was the precursor for our nation's highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, the government gave no other soldiers the Badge for Military Merit until the 20th Century. Then, it was General Douglas MacArthur, Chief of Staff of the Army at the time, who helped resurrect this award in 1932, when the War Department created the Order of the Purple Heart.

Since then, millions of American servicemen and women have received this decoration after being wounded in battle. From the World Wars to the current wars in the Middle East, the recipients of this decoration represent a special fraternity--Americans who have shed their blood defending our country and our liberties.

One such individual was Sergeant John W. Hall. Sergeant Hall served with the U.S. Army's 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, during the Korean War. In November 1950, his unit received orders to move from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea. Moving through an area dubbed ``the Gauntlet'' due to the high concentration of Chinese forces threatening the Americans' path to Sunchon, Hall went missing, but his fate was discovered after the war when a returning American prisoner of war reported that Hall had died at the Hofong POW Camp-- more commonly known as ``Death Valley''--in early 1951.

Over the next several decades, attempts were made to recover, identify, and ultimately return Hall's remains to the United States. Finally, in June 2017, state of the art DNA testing successfully identified remains found as his. On July 3rd of this year, his remains were finally transported back to the United States, to my home city of Houston, and under the Texas sun, he was buried with full military honors on American soil. At the ceremony, the Army posthumously awarded Hall the Purple Heart.

Mr. Speaker, the Purple Heart is a vital pillar of the American democracy. It honors the sacrifice of the American warrior, the rare breed, and it reminds us that freedom is not free. May we continue to remember those who wear the Purple Heart on their uniform, because the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, our supposed Turkish allies are holding Americans hostage. At least two Americans, Andrew Brunson and Serkan Golge, are being held by the Turkish regime on fake charges.

President Erdogan, an Islamist who has arrested thousands of Turks who oppose him and puts them in jail, believes that he can also imprison Americans and use them as bargaining chips. He hopes that he can trade American hostages for his political opponents that have fled Turkey.

Even if the individuals Erdogan wanted had clearly committed crimes, which there is absolutely no evidence they have, we should never engage in rewarding Turkey for taking hostages.

Erdogan the bully has proven he has no respect for the rule of law, and, instead, rules by fear, intimidation, threats, and terror. We must not assist him in his destruction of his own democracy.

American hostages like Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been held for more than 600 days, must be returned immediately to America. Until then, Turkey should no longer be considered an ally of Americans but a kidnapper of Americans.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, we are in a new age of warfare. Once was a time when bombs, bullets, ships, planes, tanks, and artillery were all that great powers needed to vanquish or intimate their foes. Now with the rapid rise of the information age, any nation can possess digital weapons to undermine our military edge or disrupt our way of life. These new weapons, existing in cyberspace, can reach anywhere, at any time, and do enormous damage but go virtually unseen. They may not always result in the immediate deaths, but like a virus, they disable our defenses and cripple the basic mechanisms we need to support life-- eventually costing American lives. Their ever expanding abilities could one day even effect life on a scale that rivals the most destructive nuclear weapons man has ever produced.

We have learned that in our new age, it does not take large industrialized states to develop advanced cyber weapons. We have seen impoverished and isolated nations like North Korea prove they possess cyber capabilities that challenge the defenses of our great nation. We have only just entered this new era of cyber-enabled competition, and the full ability of state-sponsored cyber weapons has yet to be realized. But given the remarkable advance of technology today, we must ensure that we have all the tools and resources necessary to compete and win in cyberspace as we would at sea, in the air, or on land.

But this is not a contest limited to the military or our traditional security agencies to defend against. Our enemies are using their cyber weapons to undermine our economic strength and threaten the vary foundations of our democracy. This new age of cyber-enabled warfare, poses risks that require government and the private sector to work together to secure our greatest secrets and guard our most precious rights. Like so many challenges we have faced before, we can overcome this one if we demonstrate our resolve and unshackle America's innovative talents.

That is why I am proud to be an original cosponsor to Mr. Yoho's bill, H.R. 5576, the Cyber Deterrence and Response Act of 2018. This bill will set the policy and direction for our federal agencies to effectively combat the rising cyber challenge. The authorizations in this bill focuses our approach towards state-sponsored cyber activities and allows the President to use our tools of national power to deter and degrade our cyber opponents. Much like our methods to combat terrorism, this bill creates a process to designate adversaries who use cyber weapons against us. We can then bring sanctions to bear on those individuals and entities that are exploiting the cyber realm to wage war or weaken the U.S. Through this bill, our enemies will find that their misbehavior in cyberspace has real costs and that America is already prepared to take on this new challenge.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, billionaire George Soros is undermining our democratic allies in Europe. For decades he has spent billions of dollars financing activists, journalists, and politicians to challenge democratically elected leaders who do not prescribe to Mr. Soros' left-wing worldview. His meddling in foreign politics is far from a noble cause and should be discouraged.

Mr. Soros has targeted much of his efforts on our NATO ally Hungary, where he opposes the policies of the democratically elected prime minister. By trying to subvert an elected leader, Mr. Soros and his network of well-paid activists are working against the will of the Hungarian people. Through his propaganda networks and so-called ``policy institutes'' he is trying to manipulate public opinion to support his left-wing causes and tarnish the image of our Hungarian allies.

Like every sovereign democratic nation, Hungarians have the right to elect their own leaders and not be the target of some billionaire's schemes. Mr. Soros is even using his lavishly funded organizations to lobby other European states to pressure Hungary. This is unacceptable. We too, as an independent free nation, do not want big money or foreign influences meddling in our political process.

Mr. Soros must cease undermining our freedom-loving allies. His foreign wealth should not afford him outsized influence to push his left-wing agenda on the people of Hungary. If we want money and foreign influence out of politics here, we must expect that wealthy Americans show the same respect abroad.

And that's just the way it is.