[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
VARIOUS MEASURES
=======================================================================
MARKUP
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
H.R. 1918, H.R. 2061, H.R. 2408, H. Res. 128,
H. Res. 259, H. Res. 311, H. Res. 357, H. Res. 359,
and H. Res. 449
__________
JULY 27, 2017
__________
Serial No. 115-56
__________
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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida BRAD SHERMAN, California
DANA ROHRABACHER, California GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
JOE WILSON, South Carolina GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
TED POE, Texas KAREN BASS, California
DARRELL E. ISSA, California WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina AMI BERA, California
MO BROOKS, Alabama LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
PAUL COOK, California TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
RON DeSANTIS, Florida ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
TED S. YOHO, Florida DINA TITUS, Nevada
ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois NORMA J. TORRES, California
LEE M. ZELDIN, New York BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois
DANIEL M. DONOVAN, Jr., New York THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York
F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Jr., ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York
Wisconsin TED LIEU, California
ANN WAGNER, Missouri
BRIAN J. MAST, Florida
FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida
BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
THOMAS A. GARRETT, Jr., Virginia
Amy Porter, Chief of Staff Thomas Sheehy, Staff Director
Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
MARKUP ON
H.R. 1918, To oppose loans at international financial
institutions for the Government of Nicaragua unless the
Government of Nicaragua is taking effective steps to hold free,
fair, and transparent elections, and for other purposes........ 2
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1918 offered by
the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Florida........................... 18
H.R. 2061, To reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights Act of
2004, and for other purposes................................... 30
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2061 offered by
the Honorable Ted S. Yoho, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Florida......................................... 37
Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to
H.R. 2061 offered by the Honorable Ted S. Yoho........... 45
H.R. 2408, To enhance the transparency, improve the coordination,
and intensify the impact of assistance to support access to
primary and secondary education for displaced children and
persons, including women and girls, and for other purposes..... 49
H. Res. 128, Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging
inclusive governance in Ethiopia............................... 56
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 128 offered
by the Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in
Congress from the State of New Jersey........................ 66
Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to
H. Res. 128 offered by the Honorable Christopher H. Smith 72
H. Res. 259, Expressing concern and condemnation over the
political, economic, social, and humanitarian crisis in
Venezuela...................................................... 73
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 259 offered
by the Honorable Ron DeSantis, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Florida.................................... 79
H. Res. 311, Recognizing that for 50 years the Association of
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has worked toward stability,
prosperity, and peace in Southeast Asia........................ 87
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 311 offered
by the Honorable Joaquin Castro, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Texas...................................... 100
H. Res. 357, Reaffirming the strategic partnership between the
United States and Canada, recognizing bilateral cooperation
that advances United States national interests, and urging
increased bilateral cooperation on security, economic issues,
and energy, and for other purposes............................. 105
Amendment to H. Res. 357 offered by the Honorable Jeff Duncan,
a Representative in Congress from the State of South Carolina 109
H. Res. 359, Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in
its entirety as a terrorist organization and increase pressure
on it and its members.......................................... 112
Amendment to H. Res. 359 offered by the Honorable Theodore E.
Deutch, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Florida...................................................... 118
H. Res. 449, Urging the Government of Kenya and Kenya's political
parties to respect democratic principles and hold credible,
peaceful, and transparent elections in August 2017............. 122
APPENDIX
Markup notice.................................................... 148
Markup minutes................................................... 149
Markup summary................................................... 151
VARIOUS MEASURES
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THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:08 a.m., in
room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Edward Royce
(chairman of the committee) presiding.
Chairman Royce. This committee will come to order.
Pursuant to notice, we meet today to mark up nine
bipartisan measures and, without objection, all members may
have 5 days to submit statements or extraneous materials on
today's business.
As members were notified yesterday, we intend to consider
today's measures en bloc and so, without objection, the
following items previously provided to members and also in your
packets will be considered en bloc and are considered as read.
We have H.R. 1918, this is the Nicaraguan Investment
Conditionality Act with the Ros-Lehtinen Amendment 33 in the
nature of a substitute; we have the deg.H.R. 2061,
the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act, with Yoho
Amendment 60 in the nature of a substitute and Yoho Amendment
58 to Amendment 60; we have H.R. 2408, Protecting Girls' Access
to Education in Vulnerable Settings; we have House Resolution
128, Supporting respect for human rights in Ethiopia, with the
Smith Amendment 48 in the nature of a substitute and Smith
Amendment 49 to Smith Amendment 48; we have House Resolution
259, Condemning the crisis in Venezuela with the DeSantis
amendment in the nature of a substitute to House Resolution
259; House Resolution 311, Recognizing the work of ASEAN
nations with the Castro amendment in the nature of a substitute
to the House resolution; we have House Resolution 357,
Reaffirming the U.S.-Canada partnership with Duncan Amendment
29; House Resolution 359, Urging the EU to designate Hezbollah
as a terrorist organization with Deutch Amendment 27; and,
lastly, House Resolution 449, Urging peaceful and transparent
elections in Kenya.
[The information referred to follows:]H.R.
1918 deg.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Royce. I now recognize myself to speak on today's
business.
I recognize here the good work of Representative Deutch on
this House Resolution 359. This urges the European Union to
designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has
one leadership, fungible finances, and a singular hostile
mission. All its branches and operations serve its terrorist
agenda and it is dangerous to try and distinguish among its
arms. We must work with our allies to deprive this terrorist
organization of its financial support and its logistical
support.
H.R. 2061 reauthorizes important provisions of the North
Korea Human Rights Act. This is the decades-old U.S.
humanitarian policy that provides much needed assistance to
North Korean defectors and to refugees.
It also promotes freedom of information inside North Korea
through radio broadcasting, an issue on which this committee
has a long history of promoting critical reforms. As the Kim
regime desperately tries to preserve its monopoly on
information, these broadcasts are critical to empowering the
people of North Korea, and I want to thank Chairman Emeritus
Ros-Lehtinen and Asia Subcommittee Chairman Yoho for their work
on this bill's provisions.
House Resolution 311 recognizes the growing importance of
the ASEAN nations. For 40 years, the U.S. has expanded its
cooperation with this collection of 10 Southeast Asian nations.
It has a combined economy of $2.5 trillion. Southeast Asia
represents a major opportunity for strengthening U.S. commerce
and security interests across that region.
On the other side of the globe, the situation in Venezuela
continues to deteriorate and President Maduro continues to dig
in with plans to rewrite Venezuela's constitution and give
himself full dictatorial powers. This would undo any semblance
of democratic order.
I want to thank Mr. DeSantis for his leadership on House
Resolution 259, which echoes strong words and actions from the
administration including yesterday's sanctions--these are
sanctions on certain individuals in Venezuela who are part of
that dictatorship--to warn Maduro against his illegal efforts
to rewrite the constitution.
As we look at the crisis in Venezuela, we must be mindful
that Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has been decidedly
unhelpful to regional efforts to respond. Indeed, he has been
among the corrupt few trying to bolster President Maduro, not
to mention pursuing his own undemocratic consolidation of power
at home.
So I want to thank Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen for
authoring H.R. 1918. This measure requires U.S. representatives
to international financial institutions to oppose any loan that
benefits the Government of Nicaragua unless we can certify that
Nicaragua is taking steps to reestablish free and transparent
elections and respect basic human and democratic rights.
I want to thank Chairman Duncan of the Western Hemisphere
Subcommittee for his leadership on these measures and his
resolution reaffirming the U.S. Canada relationship. Canada
continues to be one of our most important allies and a vital
trading partner, and House Resolution 357 encourages even
greater commercial collaboration.
Mr. Duncan will be leading a delegation of lawmakers to
Canada in September for the U.S.-Canada IPG. So we wish him
well.
I am also proud to support Representative Chabot's bill to
protect girls' access to education in vulnerable settings. With
many developing countries hosting large numbers of refugees for
longer stretches of time, we are seeing a concerning trend of
more children out of school due to conflict. These children,
and girls in particular, face an increased risk of exploitation
and less hope for their future.
So I am pleased to support H.R. 2408, which authorizes U.S.
support for improving girls' access to education in conflict
settings.
I also want to thank Mr. Smith, chairman of the Africa
Subcommittee, for his work on House Resolution 128. While we
recognize our longstanding partnership with Ethiopia, we must
also stress the importance of that government's respect for
human rights and democratic principles, including the need for
Ethiopia to take tangible steps to ensure opposition voices are
protected, are respected, and are welcomed.
And I would also like thank my colleague, Representative
Coffman, for his dedication and leadership in ensuring that
this resolution be considered today.
And, lastly, I want to thank Ranking Member Engel for his
timely resolution underscoring the importance of Kenya's
upcoming elections. As a critical leader in the region, this
election holds important significance as an example for other
African countries with their upcoming elections.
I understand two of our colleagues--Representative Bass and
Representative Frankel--will travel to observe these elections
next month, and we look forward to monitoring the results and
wish Kenya the best as they prepare for this momentous
occasion.
I now recognize our ranking member, Mr. Engel, for his
remarks.
Mr. Engel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for calling
the markup. We have a number of good bipartisan measures and I
am glad to support all of them.
I would like to start with the measure I authored which
sends a strong message as Kenya prepares for its next elections
and I am grateful to you, Mr. Chairman, for bringing this
resolution up today. I also am grateful to Mr. Smith of New
Jersey and Ms. Bass of California, the chair and ranking
members of the Africa Subcommittee, who are lead co-sponsors of
this legislation.
Kenya is an important partner of the United States. This is
a country that promotes regional stability and serves as an
economic and humanitarian hub for East Africa. We want Kenya to
remain strong and that's why the State Department and USAID
have long supported credible, open elections in that country.
This has been a challenging time for Kenya. A decade ago, a
wave of violence following elections and, in 2013, troubling
irregularities plagued the voting process there.
In advance of the election scheduled for August 8th, this
resolution calls upon Kenya to hold credible, peaceful, free,
and fair elections and condemn in the strongest terms hate
speech and the incitement of violence by political candidates,
the media, or any Kenyan citizen.
It also calls upon the United States and Kenya's other
international partners to continue to support Kenya's efforts
to address the remaining electoral preparation challenges and
to identify gaps where additional resources or diplomatic
engagement could make important contributions to the conduct of
the elections.
This measure isn't about taking sides in Kenya's politics
but instead reaffirms the importance of our partnership with
Kenya and our support for the people of that country as they go
to the polls.
I wish Ms. Bass and Ms. Frankel well. I am proud that they
are representing us during that election and I ask all members
to support this resolution.
I would like to say a few words about some other measures
we are conducting today. I am proud to be an original co-
sponsor of the North Korean Human Rights Act introduced by my
friend, Representative Ros-Lehtinen. This measure authorizes
the current law until 2022, extending American efforts to
promote the human rights of North Koreans and making important
adjustments to U.S. broadcasting and other efforts to get
unbiased information in to the people of North Korea.
These are timely changes as we are all very concerned by
North Korea's advancing weapons capability. I know the chairman
has done a lot of work with Korea. I have been there twice. I
don't think we are going to go in the short future. But I am
glad to support this measure. I think it sends a very strong
message to the North Korean regime.
I am also glad to support another resolution from Chairman
Smith calling on authorities in Ethiopia to lift the state of
emergency and end the excessive use of force by Ethiopian
security forces, urging protestors to refrain from violence,
and calling on the administration to hold accountable
individuals responsible for gross human rights violations.
I am grateful to Mr. DeSantis for his resolution
highlighting the devastating political, economic, and
humanitarian prices in Venezuela. With its massive energy
resources, Venezuela should be one of the wealthiest countries
in the world.
It marks a profoundly sad day when our Congress and others
and the international community must consider how to most
effectively provide food and medicine to the Venezuelan people.
But that's the deeply troubling record of the Maduro
government, and we have all been very vocal on that, Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen probably the most vocal and right on the money, so the
speak, through the years by talking about Maduro and his
predecessor, Mr. Chavez, both of whom have run that country and
are running that country to the ground.
Chairman Duncan of our Western Hemisphere Subcommittee has
offered a good resolution reaffirming the strategic partnership
between the United States and Canada. I am particularly pleased
that this resolution takes note of extensive cooperation
between our two countries within NATO at a time when our own
administration has questioned the importance of this alliance.
Next, I would again like to thank Representative Ros-
Lehtinen and also Representative Sires for introducing the
Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act, also known as the
NICA Act.
President Ortega and his lackeys have shown zero regard for
democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua. This legislation is
an important step in holding the Nicaraguan Government
accountable by opposing loans to these corrupt leaders while
taking precautions not to make things worse for the many
Nicaraguans who are already suffering in what is the second
poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
I remember when I was the chairman of the Western
Hemisphere Subcommittee and we visited Ortega in Nicaragua, and
we knew there were problems then. There are certainly even
greater problems now.
I am also glad to support a measure by Mr. Deutch of
Florida urging the EU to name the Hezbollah organization as a
terrorist organization and put greater pressure on Hezbollah
fund-raising within Europe.
In July 2013, the European Union announced that it would
consider the military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization after a spike of terrorist activity in Europe.
This came after a wave of attacks and attempted attacks
perpetrated by Hezbollah in Europe. The United States does not
make the distinction, and rightfully so, between the military
and political wings of Hezbollah and, frankly, neither does
Hezbollah. We consider the whole organization to be a terrorist
organization and the European Union should do the same.
I appreciate Representative Castro and Wagner's leadership
on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which we call
ASEAN, both in offering this measure and launching the
Congressional ASEAN Caucus. This resolution recognizes the 50
years ASEAN has promoted stability, prosperity, and peace in
Southeast Asia and underscores why this institution and, most
importantly, the countries that make it up, matter to America's
economy and security.
And lastly, I am glad to support a bill by Representatives
Chabot and Kelly to help improve access to education to
displaced children, especially girls.
Around the world, nearly 4 million displaced children don't
have access to public education. We know, obviously, this
disadvantage can set these young people back for the rest of
their lives. So this bill would make it a priority for the
State Department and USAID to work with multilateral
organizations with civil society and with private sector
partners to help these vulnerable young people access education
and get on a better path forward.
I am grateful to both of my colleagues for introducing this
measure and I am grateful to members on both sides of the aisle
for all their hard work, their willingness to collaborate, and
their commitment to advancing good, bipartisan legislation that
enhances American leadership and security.
Mr. Chairman, this has been a hallmark of our committee
under your leadership and I am delighted to play a part in it.
Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We go now to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Chairman Royce and
Ranking Member Engel, for bringing forth these various
bipartisan measures before us today.
Mr. Chairman, H.R. 1918, the Nicaraguan Investment
Conditionality Act (NICA) of 2017 is a bipartisan bill that I
authored alongside my colleague, Albio Sires. I am also
thankful that Mr. Duncan, chair of the Western Hemisphere
Subcommittee, has also supported the legislation. The bill aims
to press the Ortega regime to improve its human rights
practices to address its problems with corruption within the
government and increase its transparency.
And until the government starts implementing some reforms,
there should be no reason for the United States to support the
Ortega regime receiving more cash while it continues to violate
human rights, ignores the rule of law, and perpetuates
fraudulent elections. The U.S Congress has passed bills which
have become law, imposing similar conditions on El Salvador,
Honduras, and Guatemala, and they have been effective in moving
these countries in the right direction.
The NICA Act seeks to do the same with Nicaragua. If the
electoral system is not changed in Nicaragua, the fraud
orchestrated by Ortega will continue, and let us not forget
that Ortega invited the Russians into Nicaragua, has let them
set up operations there to undermine U.S. national security
interests and it is Ortega who has been leading the charge at
the Organization of American States to undermine our efforts to
hold the Venezuelan regime accountable.
So passing this measure is the right thing to do because
the time to take action in support of the people of Nicaragua
and their democratic future is now.
The House already passed a similar version of this bill
last Congress. Let us make sure that this becomes law.
And the next bill, Mr. Chairman, the Reauthorization of
North Korea Human Rights Act--I first authored it in 2004. It
has been an important piece of our U.S.-North Korea policy ever
since. I am proud to lead the law's reauthorization in 2008 and
then again in 2012, and I am thankful to Ranking Member Engel
for being our Democratic lead on this bill.
Thank you to Chairman Yoho and Ranking Member Sherman for
also joining us in introducing this measure. This bill ensures
that essential tools for promoting North Korea human rights
continues to be available, including grants for advancing human
rights, democracy, and rule of law, humanitarian assistance for
North Korean refugees, defectors, migrants, orphans, and women
victims of trafficking, and continued reporting by the special
envoy for North Korea human rights issues.
I also want to thank Chairman Yoho for his leadership and
his important amendment which makes some valuable additions to
the bill, including adding new methods of communication so that
North Koreans can be aware of their inherent rights and their
absent freedoms.
I want to briefly express my support for Ted Deutch's and
Gus Bilirakis' resolution, House Resolution 359. Because the
idea that somehow a terrorist group can be split into a
military wing and a political and that somehow one part is a
terror group yet another is not is beyond absurd.
Iran is a state sponsor of terror. Hezbollah is its biggest
tool. There can be no justification for this bifurcation.
And, finally, briefly to express my support for Ron
DeSantis' resolution in support of the Venezuelan people. Mr.
DeSantis has been a real champion in this.
The deteriorating situation in Venezuela is unacceptable
and I am grateful that the administration took action yesterday
to sanction regime officials in anticipation of the illegal
Constituent Assembly planned for this Sunday.
We have to keep the pressure on Maduro, staying in
solidarity with the people of Venezuela as they continue with
their quest for freedom, democracy, and fundamental human
rights. So thank you to Mr. DeSantis.
And I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Royce. I now recognize Mr. Connolly to speak on
today's bills.
Mr. Connolly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to
support all of the bills in front of us en bloc and
congratulate all of our colleagues for their fine efforts.
I thank you and Mr. Engel for your leadership of bringing
these bipartisan measures before us. Would that all committees
in the Congress could have such comity as we have today.
I would like to speak to one of those bills in particular,
which is H.R. 2061, the North Korea Human Rights
Reauthorization Act of 2017. I want to thank my friend, Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, for introducing this bill, the Korean Human
Rights Reauthorization Act.
The North Korean regime has conducted 17 ballistic missile
tests in 2017 alone, including the July 4th launch of an
intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching Alaska.
The United States, the Republic of Korea, and other regional
stakeholders must demonstrate a commitment to addressing this
threat.
At the same time, it is vital that our North Korea policy
be informed with an understanding that there are human victims
of the ongoing conflict on the peninsula who reside on both
sides of the 38th Parallel. This bill responds to that
imperative by reauthorizing the Human Rights Act of 2004 and
prioritizing the protection of North Korean refugees and
defectors.
I want to thank Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for working with me on an
amendment we adopted to H.R. 2061 that requires a report on
ongoing or planned efforts regarding the repatriation of
members of the United States Armed Forces, the reunification of
Korean Americans with relatives in North Korea, and an
assessment of security risks posed by travel to North Korea for
U.S. citizens. And, of course, we now have a ban on such
travel.
The division of North and South Korea along the 38th
Parallel offers one of the world's most striking dichotomies.
Yet, on both sides of the DMZ resides a shared pain. The pain
is that of families ripped apart by the Korean War and an
enduring division of one people into two countries.
Reunions are a welcome respite from that separation but, in
the end, provide yet another reminder that family reunification
on the peninsula is all too fleeting. Many of these Americans,
more than 100,000 according to the last estimate, have been
waiting to reunite with their family members in North Korea, in
some cases since the armistice or the cease fire of the Korean
War 60 years ago. Too many have already passed away without
realizing that fervent hope that they would see the faces of
their loved ones one more time.
This amendment would require an update on efforts to
conduct family reunification for those Korean-Americans. It
would also help heal old wounds by addressing the issue of
repatriation of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have been
missing since the Korean War 60 years ago.
I thank the chair, thank all of my colleagues for their
hard efforts, and I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
I now recognize Mr. Smith to speak on today's bills.
Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Let me, first of all, thank you for co-sponsoring, and
Eliot Engel, a resolution that Karen Bass and I put together--
H. Res. 128--and I want to thank Mike Coffman for his
leadership--it has been extraordinary--on this resolution as
well. Thank you, Mike.
This resolution is like a mirror held up to the Government
of Ethiopia on how others see them and it is intended to
encourage them to move on reforms.
Ethiopia is an important ally and partner in international
peacekeeping. However, the continuing violations of human
rights are absolutely unacceptable.
I would note that the Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices couldn't be more clear, put out by the U.S.
Department of State, and they cite serious human rights
violations including arbitrary arrests, killings, and torture
committed by security forces, restrictions on freedom of
expression and the freedom of association, politically-
motivated trials, harassment, and intimidation of opposition
members and journalists. And when you read the report, it is
like an indictment against the Government of Ethiopia.
Let me say to my colleagues that just yesterday I sent a
letter to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on
behalf of Demssew Abebe to get his family humanitarian parole
to enter the United States and to remove the threats expressed
to them by government forces.
Demssew was a track star, a world-class track star, who was
tortured by the Ethiopian security forces in a way that made
his ability to run go away. They tortured him on his feet so he
couldn't run.
I mean, that is so despicable and it is just part of what I
think is a very malevolent attitude toward people who disagree
with them on human rights.
I spoke to him in person on this. We had him at a press
conference, and again, his story was absolutely compelling.
Another victim of government torture, Abaguya Deki,
testified at our subcommittee's hearing on Ethiopia on March
9th. Abaguya is disabled and headed a government organization
for disabled persons in Ethiopia.
When he refused to join the ruling party or to sign off on
what he described as the misuse of donated equipment for
disabled people, he was jailed and made to crawl around his
cell without his wheelchair, and in a subsequent imprisonment
he was taken from his cell and left in a forest without his
wheelchair to die, vulnerable to wild animals. Fortunately, he
was able to set a fire and was saved by some kind people who
spotted the fire and came to his aid.
These are not actions of a government that respects human
rights as they say they do and they have a very good PR
campaign, I have to admit. But it is all about the deeds, not
the words, and the deeds, again, continue to be, I think,
egregious.
My staff and I--Greg Simpkins and I--first traveled on one
of the many trips to Ethiopia in 2005 and I can tell you, we
had been trying to get this government to respect fundamental
human rights and one of the findings or the sense of Congress
statements is that we want individuals to be held accountable
for gross violations of human rights in Ethiopia through
appropriate mechanisms, including using the new Global
Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to hold those
individuals to account.
Again, I want to thank the 50 members how have co-sponsored
and I do hope the members will support the resolution.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Ted Deutch of Florida.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to join my colleagues in expressing support
for all of the measures before us today and to join all who
have already expressed their appreciation for the bipartisan
leadership of this committee from our chairman and our ranking
member.
I would like to especially thank the chairman for bringing
forward my resolution urging the EU to designate Hezbollah as a
terrorist organization and I thank the members of this
committee on both sides of the aisle who have co-sponsored this
legislation.
Mr. Chairman, in 2013 the EU designated Hezbollah's
military wing but not its political wing as a terrorist
organization. This is a false distinction. Hamas in Gaza, ISIS
in Iraq and Syria--they both administer government services.
But the EU, no one would ever suggest that they aren't
terrorist organizations.
Hezbollah is a terrorist organization--one unified
terrorist organization. It has one leader, Hasan Nasrallah, a
U.S.-designated terrorist, who even before becoming leader of
Hezbollah was directly involved in attacks, hostage taking, and
airline hijacking.
Hezbollah was responsible for the 1983 bombings in Beirut,
one on the U.S. Embassy that killed 17 Americans and 46 others,
and one on the U.S. Marine barracks that killed 241 American
Marines and dozens of French service members. Hezbollah killed
23 more Americans the following year in an attack on the U.S.
Embassy annex in Beirut, and then in 1985 summarily executed a
U.S. Navy diver during the hijacking of TWA 847.
Hezbollah is also responsible for the 1992 Israeli Embassy
bombing in Argentina, which killed 29 people, and the 1994
bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85
people. In 1996, Hezbollah killed 19 more U.S. service members
in the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, and 5 years ago
this month a Hezbollah suicide bomber blew up a bus in
Bulgaria, killing six Israelis and Bulgarians. And thousands of
Hezbollah fighters at the direction of Iran have now been sent
to Syria to prop up the brutal Assad regime, which is
responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Iran's leaders seek to cement Hezbollah's hold on parts of
Syria so there is a direct line to Hezbollah in Lebanon and to
add to its arsenal over 150,000 rockets at every corner of
Israel.
This is not an organization that should be allowed to skirt
the consequences of its terrorist activity by parading as a
political entity.
Last year, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League
both designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization. I urge our
European friends to take note and to finally designate
Hezbollah without artificial distinction as a terrorist
organization.
The EU's designation of Hezbollah's military wing has
already enabled substantial cooperation with the United States
to uncover and to thwart Hezbollah's international criminal
activities including drug trafficking, counterfeiting, and
money laundering, and we appreciate that cooperation. The full
designation, though, would allow for significantly improved
cooperation to freeze Hezbollah's assets in Europe and prohibit
fund-raising activities in support of Hezbollah, all to help
prevent more devastating terror attacks by this terrorist
organization.
I urge my colleagues to join me in sending this important
message to our European friends and allies, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Chairman Royce. I recognize Mr. Rohrabacher of California
to speak on today's bills.
Mr. Rohrabacher. Thank you very much. I rise in support of
the bills that have been presented to us today. I especially
would like to focus on a number of areas.
Ethiopia, for example--I want to congratulate Chairman
Smith on a great job of analyzing the type of tyranny that is
evident in Ethiopia. This is a corrupt regime that is also
oppressive and brutal with its own people.
Let me note that its corruption spills beyond its own
borders. We have U.S. citizens whose property was confiscated
by the Ethiopian Government and, arrogantly, the Ethiopian
Government expects the U.S. to continue in a good relationship
with it and perhaps even giving some type of aid to Ethiopia
when it actually has stolen property that it refuses to give
back to U.S. citizens.
I know that personally because we have a very prominent
family in Orange County, California, whose property was
confiscated and after continuing to try they get nowhere after
years of attempting.
But that property damage and property theft is nowhere near
as offensive to our values as is the murder and repression and
the torture that goes on in Ethiopia. What we have is a
dictatorship that knows no bounds. So I appreciate this bill.
I also would like to note that Venezuela keeps sinking
further, further into the depths of tyranny and injustice. Let
us hope that while the situation is still fluid enough that we
stand with the people of Venezuela in creating a real democracy
there rather than these tough guy leftists who love Fidel
Castro and other lowlife dictators who then serve as their
model.
And finally, about Hezbollah--I identify myself with the
remarks that were just made by my colleague about Hezbollah.
Look, it is time for the Palestinians to understand peace
is in their hands and they have the ability to make peace with
Israel. There was a two-state solution that was accepted and
there was great hopes for that. But it is the continuing
violence against Israel--organized violence against Israel that
is destroying any chances for peace in that region, and we
cannot blame Israel for retaliating against forces that are
killing their own people and shooting rockets into their
country.
So today we are reaffirming that Hezbollah should be
designated as a terrorist organization as it continues to push
for war and continues to kill innocent people.
Let me just note that there was a hearing here--I believe
it was yesterday--in which we were talking about Qatar, and one
of the things they said about Qatar was the good was that they
helped rebuild destruction in Gaza. That is not a pro-peace
solution and in fact Qatar's rebuilding those buildings that
had been destroyed in retaliation for the missile attacks and
rocket attacks on Israel only encourages more missile attacks
on Israel.
So Hezbollah and Hamas and the other Palestinian
organizations that are active in that part of the world, we
must be very clear that we want peace. We want them to make
peace with the rest of the world and they are not doing so and
they are conducting themselves in a way that they should become
the pariahs of decent peoples and countries throughout the
world.
That whole notion is something that runs through this list
of resolutions. I want to thank the chairman and I want to
thank the ranking member for helping focus this committee with
this--you know, with our basically bipartisan support on these
type of values.
So thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I rise in support
of these resolutions.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We go to Lois Frankel of Florida on today's bills.
Ms. Frankel. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I want to thank you,
the ranking member, and all the members who have participated
in putting together these very fine bills, which I proudly co-
sponsor some of them.
I really wanted to make a comment on three of those. The
first, on urging the European Union to designate Hezbollah in
its entirety as a terrorist organization and increase pressure
on it and its members, so I am going to try--I am going to
start with an analogy. It is probably not the best one but
maybe my colleague here can help me figure out a better one.
But I came in here today and I saw a bottle of water, which
is pretty good. You can drink the water but when you think
about it what is water made out of? Hydrogen and oxygen. Is
that right?
So, to me, and I don't think you can have water without the
hydrogen or the oxygen, and to me this is what this resolution
is.
I know it is an analogy. I am not sure if it is that great.
But I think--you all tell me, all right? Yes. You know, to try
to separate the political and the military wing of Hezbollah,
to me, is like saying, well, you know, separating the hydrogen
and oxygen is saying, well, you have water. Okay. I think you
get what I mean.
My colleagues have made a lot of good comments about this.
I think that the piece that I want to stress is how Hezbollah
is really being used as a proxy by what I think many of us
consider one of the most if not the most dangerous country in
the world and that is Iran, which is trying to take over Iraq,
Syria, to name a couple of countries--Yemen. They are
destabilizing and dangerous in many areas that we are very,
very concerned about and so they have to be stopped. And I
think this resolution goes toward that direction.
On what I would hope is a more positive note of inspiration
is our urging or our resolution to work with displaced children
toward education.
You know, in reading about it, I think there is about 25
million of the world's out of school children who are in
conflict zones. Think about that.
What does that mean? We are talking about a lost
generation, and here is what is happening. Not only are the
kids not getting educated but here is what is happening. We
will use Syria as an example. They are not only not getting
educated but the number of young girls who are now forced into
child marriage has doubled from 12 to 26 percent. I mean, you
imagine 12-year-olds, 14-year-old girls being forced to get
married.
You have child labor rapidly increasing in very illegal and
unsafe conditions and I think as important is a complete lack
of hope for young people. What happens to young people when
they have no hope, no education, no potential of a real job
other than maybe 1 day joining some terrorist organization or
being the victims of one? So I thank this committee for that
resolution on education.
And then I know Ms. Bass is not here but I also want to say
something about urging Kenya to have a fair and safe election.
Some of us will be traveling to the region to monitor that
election and I wish us well on that.
But I think it is very important for us to support
democracies and fair election anyplace in this world. And with
that, Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Steve Chabot of Ohio on today's bills.
Mr. Chabot. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
holding this important markup. I support all the bills. I will
focus on one in particular.
It has become apparent that the challenges that many girls
across the globe face are daunting. Many of those difficulties
begin at birth when millions of children, mostly girls, are not
properly registered. They don't have birth certificates, making
it easier for those children to disappear in human trafficking
networks or be coerced into a childhood marriage, as Ms.
Frankel just indicated, or forced labor.
That is why in the House Betty McCollum and myself, in a
bipartisan way, and Marco Rubio and Senator Shaheen over in the
Senate introduced legislation to bolster efforts to develop
birth certificates and national registries for children in
developing countries. That legislation was passed by this
committee, it was passed by both Houses, and President Obama
signed it into law. That was about 2 years ago.
However, another equally important aspect of the problem
facing girls, as Ms. Frankel just indicated, is access to
education. As a former teacher, myself, in an inner city school
I've seen firsthand how education empowers children.
Unfortunately, millions of children receive no education
due to circumstances beyond their control. This is particularly
true for the growing number of displaced people around the
world as it is exceedingly difficult for children in conflict
zones to receive a primary or a secondary education.
Armed conflicts across the world, particularly in places
like Syria, South Sudan, and others have resulted in the
internal displacement of millions of women and children and
forced them to literally flee their homes.
Education is one of the key components in helping lift this
most vulnerable population out of the depths of poverty and the
difficult circumstances that they are facing. Access to
education not only gives children the opportunity to grow and
learn but also offers safety and shelter from the violence that
is going on and the circumstances around them, safety from
extremist ideology and human trafficking networks and a
horrible cycle of abuse.
Simply stated, access to education provides stability and
consistency to children living in extremely unstable
conditions, especially girls. Boys also are involved in this
but girls are particularly vulnerable to this.
It is our responsibilities as leaders of the free world to
step up and ensure that education, a basic right, is accessible
to all.
I want to thank my colleague on the other side of the
aisle, Robin Kelly of Illinois, for her leadership in
introducing the legislation--one of the pieces that we are
discussing here this morning, H.R. 2408, the Protecting Girls'
Access to Education Act.
It will move us in the right direction by calling on the
Secretary of State and U.S. AID, previously known as USAID--I
still have a hard time, whether it is U.S. AID, USAID. USAID
makes more sense but if you've been around here a while like I
have, sometimes you struggle with that one. But USAID now--to
prioritize access to primary and secondary education.
It aims to directly benefit displaced children,
specifically girls, and will help to address one of the world's
biggest challenges facing refugees. This legislation also
encourages greater international coordination and promotes
needed education for refugees where they are through local
schools.
The Protecting Girls' Access to Education Act will ensure
that millions of child refugees will have an opportunity to
reach their highest potential, even those in the most dire
conditions.
So I, again, want to thank my colleague, Robin Kelly, for
her hard work on this legislation and hopefully we can continue
to work on things down the road because, as the chairman knows,
this is one committee that really does work in a bipartisan
fashion.
I wish the rest of the Congress did it. The other committee
that I happen to chair, the House Small Business Committee with
Nydia Velazquez, we actually work in a pretty bipartisan way as
well.
So the rest of the Congress should model themselves after
those two committees.
So with that, I will yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii to speak on today's bills.
No? We then go to--Norma Torres, I think, is next in the
queue. All right. Who seeks recognition? Joaquin Castro of
Texas.
Mr. Castro. Thank you, Chairman.
I want to thank all of the members whose bills are being
considered before us today.
Representative Wagner and I co-founded the Congressional
Caucus on ASEAN earlier this year to deepen the United States
and Congress' engagement with Southeast Asia.
ASEAN, as you know, serves as an example of successful
regional cooperation. The nations of Southeast Asia, despite
distinct histories, cultures, and religions have placed their
faith in cooperation rather than conflict.
U.S. security interests in Southeast Asia are wide ranging
and supported by many regional partners. Members of ASEAN have
worked closely with the United States to address mutual
security concerns.
Two members--the Philippines and Thailand--are treaty
allies of the United States. Singapore and the United States
cooperate closely to safeguard the maritime passageways of
Southeast Asia and maintain a rules-based order in the Asia
Pacific region.
U.S. relationships with other ASEAN members such as Vietnam
have grown in recent years as we not only acknowledge our past
but also partner for a brighter future the member states of
ASEAN hold significant economic promise and our economic
relationship underpins much of U.S. engagement with the region.
My home state of Texas exports over $13 billion worth of
goods to ASEAN countries each year. These exports support over
70,000 Texas jobs and over 500,000 jobs across the United
States.
The U.S.-ASEAN relationship is also built on history and
cultural exchange. Millions of Americans can trace their family
roots to the countries of ASEAN including over 400, 000 Texans.
Tourism to and from ASEAN exposes hundreds of thousands of
people to our cultures and communities across the Pacific.
Language, literature, food, and music link our cultures across
the ocean, set roots, and enrich both of our societies.
House Resolution 311, the resolution we are considering
here today, is part of America's continuing engagement with
ASEAN. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the founding of
ASEAN and I am proud to present it here today.
Thank you.
Chairman Royce. Is Mr. Duncan seeking recognition?
Mr. Duncan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Just a few quick words. I want to thank you and the
committee for continuing to stand up for the people of
Venezuela against oppression.
I want to commend Mr. DeSantis for his Resolution 259,
which I fully support, and I appreciate the president talking
about sanctions yesterday and continuing to point out how bad a
Constituent Assembly would be in the face of democratic
principles that should be in place in Venezuela.
I also want to thank the committee for its continued
efforts to support democracy and human rights all across the
globe, not just in Venezuela but anywhere that human rights are
violated.
On the Canada Resolution 357, the time is right to reaffirm
our partnership with our close friends and Canada is our best
friend. They are our second largest trading partner. The
strategic alliances that we have with our friends to the north
are important and this resolution reaffirms that.
Thirdly, I want to point out that Hezbollah is a terrorist
organization and anytime we can point that out and point out
the fact that they are backed by Iran--and neither Iran nor
Hezbollah has America's best interest at heart. We should
encourage our allies, whether they are in Europe or anywhere
they may be, to point out that Hezbollah is a terrorist
organization. So I commend and even support the words of Ms.
Frankel.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, this is a good markup with a
good slate of bills and I look forward to supporting them all.
I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Duncan.
Any other members seeking recognition?
Mr. Brad Sherman of California on today's bills.
Mr. Sherman. I want to commend the chair and the ranking
member for bringing to us nine well-crafted bipartisan bills. I
want to commend the authors of each of them.
I particularly want to thank the committee for focusing at
the full committee level on human rights in east Africa. My
wife works on that every day at the State Department and it is
good that I can go back and tell her that I am also doing my
part.
In particular, I want to praise the chair of the Africa
Subcommittee, Mr. Smith, and I would lavishly praise the
ranking member, Karen Bass, if she were here, and in any case,
the work of that subcommittee is to be commended.
I want to associate myself with Ted Deutch's remarks about
Hezbollah. This is an international terrorist organization and
no one in Europe should be fooled into thinking that it is a
Lebanese political party or that you can separate the actions
of the political wing from the military wing, which is like
blaming some of the fingers but not all of the fingers on the
hand that holds the gun and shoots the innocent person.
Keep in mind that Hezbollah has done more than any other
organization that I--perhaps but along with Russia and Iran to
support Assad's tyranny in Syria kill nearly 500,000 people and
create a refugee crisis that Europe is suffering from. Perhaps
if Europe had dealt with Hezbollah effectively in the past
Europe would not face the refugee crisis that it faces today.
We can't be sure.
As ranking member of the Asia Subcommittee, I commend to
the full committee two bills on Asia and thank Chairman Yoho
for his leadership of that subcommittee.
The first deals with North Korean human rights. I want to
commend our former chair of the full committee, Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, and I also support Chairman Yoho's amendment to
authorize the President to distribute or provide grants to
provide information-receiving devices--electronically reachable
devices. So many North Koreans get their information smuggled
in through devices that simply didn't exist 10 or 20 years ago.
Finally, I should commend the gentleman from Texas, Mr.
Castro, for his bill on ASEAN.
And with that, I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Yoho of Florida on today's bills.
Mr. Yoho. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to share my support for H.R. 2061, the North Korean
Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017. I commend Chairman
Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen for leading this reauthorization effort
as she has done in the past.
The substitute amendment I have offered for this
legislation reflects the work performed at the subcommittee
markup and I thank my colleagues on the Asia Pacific
Subcommittee for joining me to move this legislation forward in
the legislative process.
The horrific human rights abuses committed by Kim Jong-Un
are an integral part of his power structure. Countering these
unspeakable crimes however we can is both a moral imperative
and sound strategy.
I have also offered a second amendment to this legislation
and I thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for
including it in today's en bloc package.
This amendment will attach the distribution and promotion
of Right to Knowledge Act to today's reauthorization.
Importantly, this amendment will expand the authority of the
President and the Broadcasting Board of Governors to transmit
and distribute information inside North Korea, one of the
surest ways to weaken Kim's regime's grip on power.
The two bills are natural partners and represent an
important step to promote human rights and the free flow of
information in North Korea.
Again, I thank the chairman and ranking member, and yield
back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We go to Brad Schneider of Illinois to speak on the bills.
Mr. Schneider. Thank you, Chairman Royce.
I want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for
holding this markup today. I appreciate the consideration of
these bipartisan pieces of legislation that address key foreign
policy issues and I am proud to add my voice to those of my
colleagues in supporting these measures.
I am particularly pleased that today we are marking up
House Resolution 359, which I am honored to cosponsor with my
colleagues. This resolution urges the European Union to
designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist
organization.
The EU designated Hezbollah's military wing as a terrorist
organization in 2013 and has made notable progress in
countering Hezbollah activities.
But more must be done. As the resolution states, we urge
the EU to take practical and tangible steps to reduce the
terrorist threat posed to the United States, Europe, Israel,
and our other allies in the Middle East by Hezbollah.
For example, increasing cross-border intelligence sharing,
freezing Hezbollah's assets, prohibiting Hezbollah fund-raising
activities, and issuing arrest warrants for Hezbollah members
and supporters in Europe would not only send a strong message
but it would have a concrete impact, inhibiting the ability of
Hezbollah to operate with impunity.
Let us be clear. There is no distinction between the
military and political wings of Hezbollah. They are part and
parcel of the same entity and that is a terrorist organization
that threatens the United States and our allies and contributes
to the instability in the Middle East and the suffering of
millions of people.
I am also proud to co-sponsor H.R. 2061 that reauthorizes
the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, extending its
provisions until 2022.
While North Korea poses a grave and growing threat to the
security of the United States, those who suffer most at the
hands of the brutal regime of Kim Jong-Un are the North Korean
people themselves who lack basic freedoms, are subject to
torture and oppression, and are denied access to the basic
goods and services.
This bill also authorizes support for democracy and
governance and humanitarian assistance programs for North Korea
in recognition of the vital role that our diplomacy and
development programs play in addressing conflict situations.
In addition, I offer my support for the other pieces of
legislation being marked up today supporting human rights and
democratic elections, protecting vulnerable women and girls,
and reaffirming the United States' enduring bilateral and
multilateral relationship with allies around the world.
The national security of the United States rests upon three
pillars--defense, diplomacy, and development.
We must ensure that our foreign policy continues to use all
of the tools available to us in appropriate balance with each
other.
Indeed, these pieces of legislation exemplify how crucial
it is that we maintain robust support for the Department of
State and the U.S. Agency for International Development so that
they can continue to advance our national priorities and
sustain our position as a global leader in democracy, human
rights, poverty alleviation, and defense of the world's most
vulnerable populations.
I would like to thank the committee again for considering
these important and relevant bills, and with that, I yield
back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We go to Mr. Ted Poe of Texas on today's bills.
Mr. Poe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to comment on two of these pieces of
legislation. First, the North Korea Human Rights
Reauthorization Act. If we look around the world there is no
greater violator of human rights than North Korea. The people
of that country live in a life of hopeless slavery and they are
denied nearly all the basic human rights that most countries
believe in. Freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and
freedom of movement are nonexistent in the kingdom of North
Korea.
Little Kim and his cronies have absolutely no concern for
human life and decency. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans
are held in camps for political prisoners. In many cases, three
generations of the same family are detained together in these
prison work camps. They are routinely beaten, they are
tortured, and if they are not executed, many die from
starvation. Live births are prohibited in these prison camps.
Forced abortions, killing of the newborn babies, are standard
procedure in North Korea in these prison camps.
The North Korean regime is not content simply with
controlling these camps. Little Kim is a paranoid dictator. He
and his fathers have tried to control all aspect their people's
lives, even their beliefs. According to the regime, only the
Kim family should be worshiped and they expect that. Christians
are particularly singled out for persecution. Bibles are
outlawed. A person can be thrown in jail for professing any and
all religious beliefs.
The people of North Korea suffer on a scale not imaginable
anywhere in the world today. Two million people--two million
people have died of starvation since the 1990s. Nearly one out
of every 10 children suffers from malnutrition and 4 out of 10
are chronically malnutritioned.
These tragic figures are the direct result of decisions of
the North Korean regime. Their slavery of their people does not
just include the borders of North Korea.
North Korea takes people in North Korea and sells them on
the marketplace of slavery to other countries like China and
sends their workers to China where they work and the money that
is paid to the workers never goes to the workers. It goes to
the Government of China. China is complicit in this slave trade
and the slavery of humans from North Korea going to its
country.
The world basically did away with slavery many, many years
ago but yet we see it raising its ugly head again in Little
Kim's regime.
It is amazing to me what a country can do to its own
people. I think we are morally and legally obligated on behalf
of those people who cannot help themselves and we can't just
watch while millions starve to death.
I support this reauthorization of the North Korean Human
Rights Act. I commend my colleague, the gentlelady Ros-
Lehtinen, for her work. North Korean people deserve basic
humanity.
The other issue that I'd like to mention is the Hezbollah
bill, 359, and encouraging our European friends to recognize
them as a terrorist organization.
Historically, if we look at Europe especially since the
'30s, they are late coming to the table to realize threats to
their own nation and their own continent. And then Europe tries
to act, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, to threats that
are obvious from outsiders.
And I would hope that Europe understands that Hezbollah is
a threat to them--that they are not, as my friend, Mr. Sherman
said from California, a political organization. They are a
terrorist organization that does things politically as well.
So I hope they realize the importance of working with the
United States on Hezbollah. Hezbollah is in many places in the
world, not just one place, and Hezbollah is funded from the
number-one terrorist state in the world out of 195 countries
and that is the country of Iran.
Europe needs to recognize the threat within their own
borders and they need to do it as soon as they can, and that is
just the way it is, Mr. Chairman.
I will yield to you.
Chairman Royce. Thank you. Thank you for yielding back, Mr.
Poe.
I think--I think our last speaker is Robin Kelly of
Illinois on this measure.
Ambassador Wagner, did you seek time as well?
We go to Robin Kelly in Illinois.
Ms. Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am honored to
introduce, with Congressman Steve Chabot, H.R. 2408, the
Protecting Girls' Access to Education Act, a bill that would
provide all children of all genders access to quality
education.
I thank the chairman for including this bill in our final
markup before August recess and I encourage all of my
colleagues to support it.
At the beginning of this year, 65 million people had been
displaced from their homes, half of whom were 18 or younger.
Too often these children are not only subject to violence and
discrimination but they are also stripped of their basic human
right to an education.
The U.N. refugee agency recently reported that 4 million
displaced children are without access to elementary school and
88 percent of displaced children will never attend college.
Without access to primary and secondary education these
children become increasingly vulnerable to the most appalling
human rights abuses. Lacking comfort and stability, displaced
children are targeted for sex trade, abduction, child labor,
early marriage, extreme poverty, and abuse.
For the millions of displaced children, especially young
girls, school may provide their only means of escape. Education
helps children cope with trauma, avoid sexual violence, and
transition into their new lives. The classroom environment
gives them a sense of normalcy, community, support, and helps
them overcome isolation and resentment.
In addition, college and career training programs equip
displaced students with the skills and confidence they need to
become responsible members of their communities. For this
reason, I have worked closely with Congressman Chabot to
introduce H.R. 2408, the Protecting Children's Access to
Education Act.
With this bill, Congressman Chabot and I hope to provide
displaced children, especially young girls, with economic,
emotional, and educational opportunities they deserve.
H.R. 2408 calls on the U.S. Government to collaborate with
donors, private organizations, and other countries to include
displaced children into the global public school system.
Our bill supports programs that close the language barrier
between teachers and displaced students and that train
displaced students for college and careers.
The Protecting Girls' Access to Education Act would
authorize the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the
U.S. Agency for International Development to provide efforts
that provide safe accessible education to displaced children
and to measure the success of these efforts.
Most importantly, our bill would help educational
institutions prevent discrimination against displaced children,
especially young girls, who often become victims of bullying
and sexual harassment.
I also applaud Congressman Rubio and Congressman Menendez
for introducing their companion bill in the Senate. Together,
we have led a comprehensive bipartisan effort to improve the
lives of displaced children. I look forward to seeing its
enactment.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Ambassador Ann Wagner of Missouri.
Ms. Wagner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to first state my strong support for all of
the bills that we are marking up today but I want to speak
specifically in support of House Resolution 311, the resolution
that I was honored to introduce with my colleague,
Representative Castro, to commemorate ASEAN's 50th anniversary
and the 40th anniversary of U.S.-ASEAN relations.
Southeast Asia has tremendous cultural, political,
historical, and religious diversity. ASEAN was formed in part
to create a bulwark against communism in Southeast Asia among
these diverse nations. Today, ASEAN's goals have evolved and
the region is experiencing tremendous growth. Nearly $100
billion of U.S. goods and services are exported to the ASEAN,
rivaling our $113 billion market in China.
In January, I founded the bipartisan Congressional Caucus
on ASEAN with my friend and colleague, Congressman Castro. The
caucus acknowledges America's special relationship with ASEAN
and is pushing Congress forward in strengthening engagement in
Southeast Asia.
House Resolution 311 was one of our first initiatives and
the resolution encourages the enhancement of economic and
defense cooperation with ASEAN.
It reaffirms the U.S. commitment to continue joint efforts
with ASEAN to halt human smuggling and human trafficking and
urges ASEAN to improve assistance to refugees and migrants.
I am grateful that the chair and ranking member are strong
supporters of this effort and I look forward to next seeing
this resolution on the House floor.
I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Wagner.
Hearing no further requests for recognition, the question
occurs on the items considered en bloc.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
measures considered en bloc are agreed to.
Without objection, the measures considered en bloc are
ordered favorably reported as amended. Staff is directed to
make any technical and conforming changes and the Chair is
authorized to seek House consideration under suspension of the
rules.
And that concludes our business here today. I thank the
ranking member and all of our committee members for their
contributions and assistance with this markup.
And the committee is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:16 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
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