[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 23 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 23

   Recognizing the catastrophic impact of the 2022 monsoon season in 
   Pakistan and the devastation inflicted upon the Pakistani people.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 11, 2023

Ms. Jackson Lee submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
 to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 
  on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing the catastrophic impact of the 2022 monsoon season in 
   Pakistan and the devastation inflicted upon the Pakistani people.

Whereas, in June 2022, catastrophic monsoon rains began in Pakistan and 
        intensified to Biblical proportions by August, leaving over one-third of 
        the country under water and directly impacting the lives of 33,000,000 
        Pakistanis;
Whereas despite flooding having subsided by 56 percent from the July-August 
        peak, over 1,700 people have lost their lives, one-third of whom were 
        children, 12,900 people were injured, 20,600,000 currently require 
        humanitarian assistance, and 7,900,000 have been displaced;
Whereas over 5,500,000 Pakistanis currently do not have access to clean drinking 
        water, flood waters in many areas remain stagnant, and waterborne 
        diseases remain a major concern as the floods left the country's most 
        economically vulnerable regions imperiled and struggling with a 
        humanitarian catastrophe;
Whereas over 7,000,000 women and children are in desperate need of nutrition and 
        immediate lifesaving support, with food shortages causing pregnant women 
        to be at heightened risk of having low birthweight babies, and 1 in 9 
        Pakistani children suffering from acute malnutrition;
Whereas accelerated glacier melt, brought on by climate change, descending from 
        the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalaya mountain ranges in northern 
        Pakistan, is a major contributing factor to the Indus River's 
        unprecedented level of overflow and the enormous destruction that 
        resulted;
Whereas a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment by the Pakistani Ministry of Planning 
        and Development estimated that the country's economy has sustained a 
        $15,200,000,000 loss;
Whereas an estimated 2,300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the floods, 
        many of which were swept away, demolished, or rendered uninhabitable, 
        leaving the housing sector with financial losses estimated to be upwards 
        of $5,600,000,000;
Whereas the total cost of damage to transportation infrastructure is estimated 
        to be $281,000,000, 13,000 kilometers of roads were damaged or 
        destroyed, and about 3,100 kilometers of in-service railway tracks were 
        damaged, around 40 percent of the country's total in-service railways;
Whereas damage to fiber optic transmission lines, feeder cables, and 
        transmission towers threatens the performance of Pakistan's 
        telecommunications infrastructure;
Whereas the floods have resulted in approximately 1,200,000 livestock deaths, 
        and damaged 9,400,000 acres of agricultural land around the country, 
        including a 35-percent loss of this year's Kharif season cash crops 
        including rice and cotton, which are among Pakistan's major exports;
Whereas the flooding's economic implications to the country will long outlast 
        the persistent standing water, which the World Bank evaluated and 
        estimated that 2.2 percent of the fiscal year 2022 gross domestic 
        product was lost as a direct impact of the floods;
Whereas the Pakistani government's ``2022 Post-Disaster Needs Assessment'' 
        suggested that the flooding will cause the country's poverty rate to 
        increase by up to 4 percentage points, pushing up to 9,000,000 people 
        newly into poverty;
Whereas Pakistan is a longtime ally and strategic partner of the United States 
        linked by strong diplomatic relations since Pakistan's independence in 
        1947;
Whereas, from September 4 through 6, 2022, a congressional delegation visited 
        the areas in Pakistan that were most severely plagued by the floods;
Whereas the congressional delegation met with Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, 
        Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, United States Ambassador Donald 
        Blome, and the United States Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer to 
        assess the damage, receive a briefing from Pakistani military rescuers, 
        and discuss short-term relief efforts;
Whereas the congressional delegation met with the National Disaster Management 
        Authority Chairman, Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz Satti, who presented 
        dozens of images of schools, hospitals, bridges, thousands of miles of 
        roads, and entire towns decimated by the flood water;
Whereas the congressional delegation met with representatives from the Pakistan 
        Red Crescent and met with Pakistani Climate Minister, Sherry Rehmen, who 
        provided her assessment of measures necessary for rehabilitation efforts 
        in the flood-affected areas;
Whereas the congressional delegation flew over the most severely impacted areas 
        and witnessed devastating human and territorial destruction, with water 
        extending in every direction, women and children racing to be rescued by 
        helicopters, and displaced people everywhere who, having been on the 
        frontlines of the floods, suffered tragic losses;
Whereas the perils in Pakistan have made it unsafe for Pakistanis to return to 
        their home country amid this crisis, and on September 8, 2022, 19 
        Members of Congress co-authored a letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas 
        urging the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protected 
        Status to eligible Pakistani nationals residing within United States 
        borders;
Whereas the United States Government has appropriated $83,543,866 in 
        humanitarian funding for the Pakistan flood response in fiscal years 
        2022-2023, of which the United States Agency for International 
        Development has provided Pakistan with $35,924,587 in humanitarian 
        assistance since August 30, 2022;
Whereas the Governments of France, Japan, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, and other 
        nations have provided Pakistan with food and other emergency relief 
        assistance and the European Commission deployed personnel to support 
        logistics and supply chain management needs; and
Whereas the House of Representatives supports Pakistan, a longtime friend and 
        ally of the United States, for moral humanitarian reasons, strategic 
        reasons, and the importance of maintaining favorable diplomatic 
        relations: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United States is a world leader in providing 
        humanitarian assistance to those in need, and amid the recent 
        flooding and devastation, will continue to support Pakistan and 
        its people for humanitarian, diplomatic, and strategic reasons, 
        and to reinforce the resplendent friendship between our 
        peoples;
            (2) the Biden administration should act expeditiously to 
        grant Temporary Protected Status to eligible Pakistani 
        nationals who currently reside in the United States;
            (3) the American people stand in solidarity with the people 
        of Pakistan and share their emotions of sadness during this 
        grave time and will continue to support Pakistan during the 
        arduous rebuilding efforts; and
            (4) the Pakistani-American community is a treasured and 
        intrinsic component of American society that feels Pakistan's 
        tragedy personally, and with whom all Americans are united.
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