[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 805 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 805

Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the murder of James Wright Foley 
and calling for the moral courage to prioritize the return of Americans 
      held captive abroad and take all necessary efforts to deter 
         international hostage taking and arbitrary detention.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2024

   Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Graham) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the murder of James Wright Foley 
and calling for the moral courage to prioritize the return of Americans 
      held captive abroad and take all necessary efforts to deter 
         international hostage taking and arbitrary detention.

Whereas James W. Foley was an American freelance journalist, an author, teacher 
        and humanitarian from New Hampshire;
Whereas James dedicated his career to robust, independent, and compassionate 
        journalism that took him to war zones and classrooms alike;
Whereas, upon his return after being detained for six weeks in Libya, James 
        said, ``for some reason I have physical courage, but, that's nothing 
        compared to moral courage. If I don't have the moral courage to 
        challenge authority, to write about things that might have reprisals on 
        my career, if I don't have that moral courage, we don't have 
        journalism'';
Whereas, on November 22, 2012, James was kidnapped while reporting on the 
        conflict in northern Syria;
Whereas, on August 19, 2014, James Wright Foley was publicly beheaded by ISIS, 
        his death then used as propaganda to recruit for jihad against the 
        United States of America;
Whereas, on September 4, 2014, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation was 
        established to inspire the moral courage needed to secure the freedom of 
        Americans taken captive abroad, prevent future hostage-taking, and 
        promote journalist safety;
Whereas the Foley Foundation participated in the National Counter Terrorism 
        Center task force, ordered by President Barack Obama to evaluate United 
        States hostage policy and engagement with families of those held 
        captive;
Whereas, on June 24, 2015, President Obama issued Presidential Policy Directive 
        30, which committed to ``achieving the safe and rapid recovery of U.S. 
        nationals taken hostage outside the United States'' and established the 
        current United States hostage enterprise, which includes the Hostage 
        Response Group (HRG) at the National Security Council, the Special 
        Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA), and the Hostage Recovery 
        Fusion Cell (HRFC) that together pursue recovery strategies, support 
        returned hostages and families of current hostages, and coordinate the 
        use of diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligence, and military 
        capabilities to resolve international hostage-takings;
Whereas the Foley Foundation has worked since 2014, in collaboration with the 
        United States Government's hostage enterprise and families of United 
        States nationals taken hostage abroad by terrorists or criminals and 
        those wrongfully detained by nation states to help reunite families;
Whereas, in 2019, after negotiating the release of a United States citizen 
        wrongfully detained in Iran, President Trump reiterated that ``the 
        highest priority of the United States is the safety and well-being of 
        its citizens. Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to 
        my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all 
        our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas.'';
Whereas, since 2019, the Foley Foundation has annually published research in the 
        ``Bringing Americans Home'' report, which evaluates the experiences of 
        American families with a loved one held captive abroad, returned 
        hostages and detainees, and government and nongovernment experts;
Whereas, in December 2020, Congress passed, and President Trump reaffirmed the 
        United States commitment to bringing home American citizens by signing 
        into law the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking 
        Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) to prioritize and provide 
        assistance to Americans wrongfully detained abroad and to their family 
        members;
Whereas, in September 2021, Alexanda Kotey pleaded guilty to eight counts of 
        kidnapping, torture, and accessory to murder of four Americans, 
        including James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff, 
        and Peter Edward Kassig;
Whereas, on August 19, 2022, the Department of Justice convicted former British 
        jihadist, El Shafee ElSheik in Federal Court in the Southern District of 
        Virginia for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Americans Sotloff, 
        Kassig, Mueller, and Foley, as well as three British citizens;
Whereas, under Democratic and Republican presidents, the United States has 
        successfully freed more than 120 Americans from unjust captivity abroad;
Whereas President Joe Biden's July 2022 Executive Order 14078 (relating to 
        bolstering efforts to bring hostages and wrongfully detained United 
        States nationals home) declared that hostage taking and the wrongful 
        detention of United States nationals constitute an unusual and 
        extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and 
        economy of the United States; and
Whereas the targeting of United States nationals for use as political pawns by 
        nation states is a grave threat to the security of United States 
        nationals traveling abroad, seeks to hold the United State Government 
        hostage, and strains international stability: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) stands with all those who have been taken hostage or 
        wrongfully detained, those who have been released, and the 
        families and friends who fight for their freedom;
            (2) prioritizes the return of all innocent United States 
        nationals targeted for kidnapping or wrongful detention abroad 
        and will continue to take the necessary steps to deter our 
        adversaries from using Americans as tools for their 
        geopolitical ambitions;
            (3) acknowledges the need to urgently work with allies and 
        partners to develop a coordinated approach to deter and prevent 
        international hostage-taking;
            (4) condemns the practice of targeting and wrongfully 
        detaining Americans in order to threaten American sovereignty 
        and interfere with United States foreign policy;
            (5) supports efforts to ensure that the United States 
        Government hostage enterprise is properly resourced and 
        authorized to address the evolving dynamic of hostage-taking 
        and wrongful detention, including through the Hostage Response 
        Group at the National Security Council, the Hostage Recovery 
        Fusion Cell, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage 
        Affairs, and supporting departments and agencies to speed the 
        safe return of United States nationals held hostage abroad and 
        deter future hostage-taking;
            (6) commends the personnel, past and present, of the 
        hostage enterprise who have endeavored to faithfully execute 
        the mission of recovering Americans unjustly held captive 
        abroad; and
            (7) recognizes August 19, 2014, as a solemn remembrance of 
        the national security threat posed by maligned captors and its 
        sacred obligation to protect United States nationals abroad 
        from being taken captive unjustly.
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