[House Hearing, 114 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
DEPARTMENT OF STATE OPERATIONS
AUTHORIZATION AND EMBASSY SECURITY ACT,
FISCAL YEAR 2016
=======================================================================
MARKUP
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
S. 1635
__________
MAY 26, 2016
__________
Serial No. 114-182
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
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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 BRIAN HIGGINS, New York
MATT SALMON, Arizona KAREN BASS, California
DARRELL E. ISSA, California WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina ALAN GRAYSON, Florida
MO BROOKS, Alabama AMI BERA, California
PAUL COOK, California ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California
RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas GRACE MENG, New York
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
RON DeSANTIS, Florida TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
TED S. YOHO, Florida ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
CURT CLAWSON, Florida BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin
DAVID A. TROTT, Michigan
LEE M. ZELDIN, New York
DANIEL DONOVAN, New York
Amy Porter, Chief of Staff Thomas Sheehy, Staff Director
Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
MARKUP ON
S. 1635, Department of State Operations Authorization and Embassy
Security Act, Fiscal Year 2016................................. 2
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to S. 1635 offered by
the Honorable Edward R. Royce, a Representative in Congress
from the State of California, and chairman, Committee on
Foreign Affairs.............................................. 162
Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to
S. 1635 offered by:
The Honorable Mo Brooks, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Alabama............................ 242
The Honorable Steve Chabot, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Ohio...................... 245
The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly, a Representative in
Congress from the Commonwealth of Virginia........... 247
The Honorable Scott DesJarlais, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Tennessee................. 249
The Honorable Jeff Duncan, a Representative in Congress
from the State of South Carolina..................... 250
The Honorable Jeff Duncan.............................. 251
The Honorable Eliot L. Engel, a Representative in
Congress from the State of New York.................. 252
The Honorable William Keating, a Representative in
Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...... 255
The Honorable Robin L. Kelly, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Illinois.................. 257
The Honorable Alan S. Lowenthal, a Representative in
Congress from the State of California................ 258
The Honorable Grace Meng, a Representative in Congress
from the State of New York........................... 259
The Honorable Ted Poe, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Texas.............................. 260
The Honorable Ted Poe.................................. 262
The Honorable Ted Poe.................................. 264
The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Florida................... 267
The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen...................... 270
The Honorable Edward R. Royce.......................... 272
The Honorable Brad Sherman, a Representative in
Congress from the State of California................ 274
The Honorable Brad Sherman............................. 275
The Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in
Congress from the State of New Jersey................ 277
The Honorable Christopher H. Smith..................... 279
The Honorable Christopher H. Smith..................... 281
The Honorable Ted S. Yoho, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Florida............................ 282
APPENDIX
Markup notice.................................................... 298
Markup minutes................................................... 299
Markup summary................................................... 301
The Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in Congress
from the State of New Jersey: Material submitted for the record 302
DEPARTMENT OF STATE OPERATIONS
AUTHORIZATION AND EMBASSY SECURITY
ACT, FISCAL YEAR 2016
----------
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:38 a.m., in
room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Edward Royce
(chairman of the committee) presiding.
Chairman Royce. The committee will come to order.
Pursuant to notice, we meet today to mark up Senate bill
1635, our Department of State Authorities Act. And without
objection, all members may have 5 days to submit statements or
extraneous material for the record.
So I now call up the bill, S. 1635.
Without objection, Royce Amendment 109 in the nature of a
substitute, circulated and posted earlier this week, will be
considered base text, is considered as read, and is open for
amendment at any point.
[The information referred to follows:]
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Chairman Royce. As members were notified yesterday, I am
going to go ahead and call up the bipartisan en bloc before
recognizing myself and others for statements. And so, without
objection, the following amendments circulated to your offices
yesterday, which all members have in front of them, will be
considered en bloc and are considered as read.
There is the Brooks amendment 46, the Chabot amendment 40,
the Connolly amendment 77, DesJarlais amendment 10, Duncan
amendments 64 and Duncan 65, Engel amendment 95, Keating
amendment 14, Kelly amendment 42, Lowenthal amendment 75, Meng
amendment 83, Poe amendment 105, 106, and 107, Ros-Lehtinen
amendment 46 and 47, Royce amendment 120, Sherman amendment 37,
Sherman amendment 38, Smith amendments 94, 96, and 98, and the
Yoho amendment 97.
[The information referred to follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Royce. After recognizing myself and the ranking
member, I will be pleased to recognize any member seeking
recognition to speak on the bill and on the en bloc amendments.
So here is the concept. The annual authorization of the
Department of the State is the signature legislative action of
this committee. It is our responsibility. The House has passed
an authorization bill in each of the last six Congresses, and I
think we are all proud of that. But, unfortunately, when we
bring the Senate into the mix, it has been 15 years since this
legislation was signed into law.
We have an opportunity to break this streak.
A lack of regular authorizations undermines this
committee's ability to influence the agenda and activities of
the Department of State, and as a result, we have seen the
Department go to other committees to advance priorities. Now,
that undermines our congressional oversight.
Today, we will take up the Senate's recently passed State
Authorities bill from Fiscal Year 2016, which we have
collaborated on with them. It has been 12 years since the
Senate passed such a bill. So we should be enthusiastic about
the opportunity we now have. The process for Fiscal Year 2016
is completed.
So today we are considering State Authorities for Fiscal
Year 2017. In particular, this legislation includes a number of
critical Embassy security reforms and improvements. And, for
example, thanks to an amendment by Representatives Frankel and
Randy Weber, the Department will be authorized to use so-called
best value criteria when contracting for local guards at U.S.
facilities overseas, and we all know, in retrospect, how
imperative this is to make this change.
The bill requires the State Department to designate a list
of high-risk, high-threat posts, effectively prioritizing
resources, prioritizing security for these posts. The State
Department and Defense Department are directed to jointly
develop enhanced contingency plans for emergency situations,
including planning for rapid deployment of military resources
to keep our personnel safe in time of crisis. And we have
included important provisions that improve security for
children and families of U.S. diplomats abroad.
The bill also contains important provisions to increase
accountability for sexual exploitation and abuse by U.N.
peacekeepers. This has been the subject of committee hearings.
We have also included important provisions to strengthen the
oversight capacity of the Inspector General, an office that
this committee successfully fought to have filled after sitting
vacant for 5 years.
Lastly, the bill increases flexibility in the Department's
workforce, allowing civil servants more opportunities to serve
overseas, authorizing a pilot program to acquire skilled
workers from the private sector at the midcareer level.
So I want to thank the many members who contributed to this
bill. I want to thank our ranking member, Mr. Engel, and let me
include Chairman McCaul for his language to improve the Rewards
for Justice Program, and Mr. Brooks for his language to
increase financial transparency and accountability at the
United Nations, among others.
And as a result of these many contributions from members on
both sides of the aisle here, this is a strengthened and
important product, a bipartisan bill that bolsters this
committee's role as overseer of State Department operations,
and I look forward to seeing this measure advance.
And I turn now to Mr. Engel for his opening statement.
Mr. Engel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this
markup. This is perhaps the most significant markup since I
have been ranking member of the committee. I want to second
every word you just uttered. I think your statement hit it
right on the head, and I thank you for that statement.
In the year 2002, in the wake of a horrific terrorist
attack, the way our country looked at the world was quickly
changing, but no one could have predicted the way the next
years would unfold. A disastrous intervention in the Middle
East that toppled a regime and paved the way for a group of
extremists even worse than al-Qaeda. The rapid growth in the
Asia-Pacific that has drawn the focus of the administration.
The true extent of the threats of climate change coming into
clear focus. The development of new technologies that connect
people around the world in ways we have never known, for better
or worse.
In the last 14 years, the challenges and opportunities of
the 21st century have come into definition. Our policies, here
and around the world, have done their best to keep pace. But 14
years ago--14 years ago--was also the last time a State
Department authorization bill made it to the President's desk.
It has been 14 years since Congress made a top-to-bottom
assessment of the way we carry out our diplomacy. And without
assigning blame as to why this hasn't happened, one thing is
sure: We are long overdue to move forward on this bill.
We need to be taking constant stock of the way the State
Department and other agencies are working to advance American
leadership and interests around the world, and we need to be
diligent in looking for ways to enhance those efforts.
The Defense Department gets reauthorized every single year,
the Defense Department, virtually without fail. We should place
no less importance on the agencies whose job it is to prevent
conflict and diffuse crises. As I have said before on this
committee, stopping an ongoing crisis is a much costlier
business than preventing one in terms of American dollars, and
often American lives. Our diplomats are some of the most
talented people we have working on the front lines of national
security. If we fail to give diplomacy the tools and resources
needed for success, we do so at our peril.
Furthermore, in my view, if we don't pass this bill--and
this is what the chairman said and he was so right--if we don't
pass the bill, we put the importance of this committee at risk.
With great respect for our colleagues on the other committees
that deal with national security, by failing to act on our own
oversight responsibilities we open the door for other
committees to chip away at our jurisdiction.
And again, this is something that the chairman and I have
worked together on. We don't want other committees raiding our
jurisdiction. So if we pass things, like we are about to do,
that shows a great deal of importance in what we are doing and
tells other committees who might want to poach jurisdiction: Go
away.
So I am glad to support the measure we are considering
today. I am grateful to members and staff on both sides of the
aisle for all their hard work.
There are a few things in particular I would like to
emphasize as we start this markup.
First is to remind ourselves that, at its core, diplomacy
is about people. Two days ago, the Foreign Service marked its
92nd anniversary. For nearly a century, some of our most
dedicated, courageous Americans have chosen this path of public
service. From consular officers to political counselors to
career Ambassadors, countless men and women have made their
mark in every corner of the globe as our country's face to the
world, and that is a remarkable record.
And if that century has taught us one thing, it is that if
we want to get our foreign policy right, we need to have the
right people making that policy a reality. We need to have them
in the right places at the right times, and we need to make
sure they can do their jobs with confidence in their security.
Diplomacy can be a dangerous business, as we have seen too
many times. Our diplomats understand that, but they also know
that you cannot conduct diplomacy from inside a bunker. If we
are serious about making progress on issues such as climate
change, human rights, violent extremism, and public health, our
diplomats need to do much more than just meet with government
officials. To deal with the complex issues that weave a modern
foreign policy, we need to practice diplomacy from the bottom
up, engaging with people and communities in a way that we
wouldn't have considered a generation ago.
That is why this bill focuses on the security of our
Embassies and proper training of our personnel. This bill
allows the State Department to hire local protection for our
Embassies on the basis of best value rather than lowest cost.
In my view, if we are hiring people who we are sure will keep
our diplomats safe, there is a great deal of value in that,
even if the dollars-and-cents cost is little more. I want to
thank Representative Frankel for her work on this provision.
The bill also authorizes funding to improve the security of
so-called soft targets, not typical diplomatic facilities, but
things like schools and school buses for the children of
diplomats abroad.
So with this bill, we are doing more to focus on the people
who make up our State Department. And while we are focused on
people, we also want the State Department to reflect who we are
as a country. Our Foreign Service should look the way America
looks, people from a wide range of backgrounds and
perspectives. America's diversity is one of our greatest
strengths, and as our face to the world, our diplomatic corps
should reflect that strength.
Diversity is also about more than practicing what we
preach. Bringing together a diverse workforce means bringing
together more ideas and different points of view when our
leaders face tough decisions. The challenges we face are too
complex for us to lean on old ways of thinking or close our
eyes to new approaches.
So we have included in this bill a number of provisions to
encourage the Department to recruit, train, and retain a
diverse workforce. We have seen a lot of reporting that the
State Department has been slow to change in these areas, and
hopefully these measures will speed the Department in the right
direction.
And lastly, I want to thank Chairman Royce for including my
Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission legislation in this
bill. We are facing an unprecedented heroin epidemic, so we
need to make sure our drug policy is focused on saving lives.
On the domestic side, we need to do much more on prevention and
treatment. My provision will allow us to look outward and take
stock of what has worked and what hasn't when it comes to our
drug policy in Latin America and the Caribbean.
So I am grateful this measure is moving forward, and I am
grateful for all the creative and forward-looking ideas that
have gone into this bill. I look forward to continuing to work
on it. I am very proud of this committee, members on both sides
of the aisle, in acting on this long overdue legislation. I am
very proud of the bipartisanship that we have shown on this
committee. I am very proud of Chairman Royce's leadership. And
I want to thank all the members, on both sides of the aisle,
for their cooperation.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Engel.
We have Mr. Chris Smith from New Jersey.
Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. First of all,
thank you for scheduling this and for your leadership in
bringing this important bill--and Mr. Engel--to the full
committee. I want to thank Chairman Corker as well for his
wonderful work on this bill.
You know, the Embassy Security Act and this State
Department reauthorization, I remember back in 2000, I was the
prime sponsor of the original Admiral Nance and Meg Donovan
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which we also called the
Embassy Security Act. And after we got hit in Dar es Salaam and
in Nairobi, Kenya, there was a very concerted effort to ensure
that setbacks, Mylar on the windows, and all the other
protections were put into place, the hiring of more diplomatic
security.
And as the chairman pointed out so well, we have been
stymied for well over a decade in trying to get an
authorization. As a matter of fact, the way I got my bill
passed was to hook it. House passed. Senate wouldn't take it
up. We hooked it by reference to an appropriations bill, a
convoluted way to get something into law. This will be straight
up and the way it should be that both committees of the Senate
and House do this important work.
There are many important things in this bill, like I said,
from strengthening Embassy security to addressing critical U.N.
reforms, not the least of which is the sexual exploitation and
abuse committed by U.N. peacekeepers. I have held several
hearings on the abuse of peacekeepers, including in the DR
Congo, I went there, I went to Goma, I met with peacekeepers.
That is still an unfinished business. Peacekeepers are
still exploiting children and they were still a part of sex
trafficking. Zero tolerance, which is what the U.N. has said is
the standard. One of the hearings we called ``Zero
Compliance.'' It has gotten better in some ways. This
legislation will help it get even better. So I want to thank
the chairman again.
On whistleblowers, we have had two hearings on
whistleblowers. One of them was cosponsored by my good friend
and colleague, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. We looked at WIPO, the
World Intellectual Property Organization, its director general,
who has retaliated against whistleblowers who sat right there
at the witness table and told harrowing tales how they had been
retaliated against.
It is unconscionable that people who see waste, fraud, and
abuse, and great unethical behavior, are themselves retaliated
against. This legislation, or the amendment I am offering here,
says use our voice, our vote, and our influence to ensure that
whistleblowers are protected and the integrity of the U.N.
system is advanced.
I also want to thank you for agreeing to include the
amendment to address the persistent refusal of nations to
extradite fugitives from justice who have been convicted of
serious crimes. In 1963, a guy by the name of Wright was
sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison in connection to a gas
station robbery during which Walter Patterson, a decorated
World War II veteran and Bronze Star recipient, was shot to
death.
I have had his family testify at a hearing because Portugal
refuses to allow him to be extradited back to the United States
to serve his sentence. He was killed in cold blood, convicted
by a judicial process here in New Jersey, or in the United
States, and then not only did he leave and enter Portugal
illegally, he hijacked a plane from Detroit to Miami and went
to Algeria. The fact that the Portuguese have refused to--I
mean, this festering sore for this family in my district knows
no bounds. When they testified, the daughters and the family,
they were in tears that their father's death, this man is
living in Portugal, Wright, and we can't get him back here to
serve his sentence.
Finally, the third amendment that I am offering, and I
thank you for including it in en bloc, has to be do with
autism. Mr. Chairman, as you know, I founded the Autism Caucus,
I have written three laws on autism, including the most recent
Autism CARES Act. Everywhere I go and travel, and other members
get the same feedback, we know that many of our Foreign Service
Officers, their dependents, their children especially, are
disadvantaged when they are deployed to areas when there is no
ABA therapy and other kinds of assistance, particularly early
childhood intervention.
This encourages the State Department to have their backs,
to provide and to ensure that ABA therapy, which is probably
the most effective means of early childhood intervention, to
get children to a better way of living throughout their entire
lifecycle. This amendment is backed by Autism Speaks, as well
as Autism Society, and I thank you for including it.
And I yield back the balance of my time.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
Lois Frankel of Florida.
Ms. Frankel. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Mr. Engel.
First of all, I want to start by saying thank you very much
for the bipartisanship of this committee. I know we members, we
dicker sometimes, we have our differences of opinion, but when
it counts, we step up to the plate and really offer something
that we need. And I want to just echo some of the things that
you highlighted already and just thank the other members for
all their contributions to this very good bill.
The last State Department authorization bill was signed
into law in 2002, and I think we all know that the world has
changed significantly since then, especially in regards to our
security needs.
As a member of this committee, we have the privilege of
traveling all over the world and meeting our diplomatic corps,
the people who work in our Embassies. And I will say that one
of the highlights of all my trips has been to meet these folks
who are so smart and educated and so patriotic and dedicated.
And it is not just our Ambassadors, who are very, very
impressive, but it is all the people who work in the Embassies.
And I really feel that it is our responsibility to make sure
that they are as safe as they can be.
It used to be that most places in the world you consider
will be safe, and think about just the past year or two, Paris,
Brussels, Jakarta, cities where you would think, hey, we should
be safe there. But horrible terrorist attacks.
Under the Vienna Convention, security of foreign Embassies
is the responsibility of the host country. When the host
country cannot or will not provide security, the State
Department hires the local guard force to secure Embassies,
search and sweep entrance, patrol and secure the perimeter.
U.S. Marines may also be present.
Again, I want to thank Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel for allowing
Mr. Weber and I to include in this bill a provision that
provides that the State Department has the authority to use the
best value contracting for security for all diplomatic posts.
Without this authority, when awarding contracts to Embassy
security firms, the State Department is required to choose the
lowest priced option, regardless of qualifications.
This is very upsetting when you consider that the State
Department is allowed to use best value contracting for
janitorial and landscaping needs.
Best value allows them to consider past performance, risk
aversion, reliability, and innovative pricing practices. A
former Ambassador came to me and shared a story when she heard
about this provision and explaining that the diplomatic corps
was very supportive of this, that in one of her services they
contracted with local guards, they had to get the lowest price.
The guards, believe it or not, they were recently released from
prison, they stole from them, they stole from their families,
they ran away during unannounced safety drills, they harassed
them, and actually one of the security guards killed the
family's pet cat. This is what they had guarding one of the
Embassies.
So this goes a long way in changing that. This authority
has been requested by the State Department, and I feel very
good that we are giving them that authority, I think this is
the least of what we can do to protect the very, very brave, as
I said before, the brave, educated, smart, patriotic people who
we send across the world to not only protect our interests, but
to help allies grow and protect their interests.
And I yield back, Mr. Chair.
Chairman Royce. We go now to Mr. Tom Marino of
Pennsylvania.
Mr. Marino. Thank you, Chairman. I am pleased that today
our committee is taking up a bill authorizing parts of the
State Department.
One area that I was disappointed to see that this bill did
not address was export control reform. In 2009, this
administration began work on export control reform, and so far
it has been very successful in most areas.
Unfortunately, due to this administration's ongoing
aversion to firearms, they have not completed export control
reforms in regards to firearms and ammunition. Out of the 18
categories the administration included in their initiative, 12
had final rules written that are now in effect. Only three
categories--firearms, guns, and armament and ammunition--have
not even had a rule proposed.
And their agency work on these categories has been
completed for more than 4 years, but this administration
refuses to publish them in the Federal Register. These
categories were scheduled to be included in this initiative by
the administration but have been left behind.
It is time that we make all our exports competitive. This
administration should finish the work that they started and
complete export control reform.
Here in the near future, my colleague, Collin Peterson,
will be introducing a resolution that expresses Congress'
support for completing export control reform. This is an
important sign from Congress of the importance of these
reforms. I will be a cosponsor of this legislation and hope my
colleagues will join me in supporting this resolution. I look
forward to working with the committee, the administration, and
other members to ensure that export control reform is completed
fully.
And I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
I want to thank Mr. Marino for his consideration and
interest in issues that, although outside the scope of this
bill, are serious issues that the committee will continue to
study.
We go now to Grace Meng of New York.
To Mr. William Keating of Massachusetts.
Mr. Keating. I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Keating yields back.
And we go to Mr. Lowenthal.
Mr. Lowenthal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I too would
like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for bringing
up this very important legislation.
In a time of rapid change, frequent unrest in the world, it
is crucial for the United States to demonstrate our continued
commitment to diplomacy. Our taking up of this bill renews that
commitment by investing in our diplomats and in their safety.
I am especially pleased to see the provisions strengthening
diversity and recruitment, employment, retention, and
promotion, and expanding the Rangel, Pickering, and the Payne
Fellowships. Our Foreign Service Officers are America's face to
the world in countries everywhere. They should reflect and
represent the rich diversity that has made our Nation truly
great.
In this spirit, I have a very simple amendment in the en
bloc directing the Secretary to conduct and submit a study on
workforce issues and challenges to career opportunities for
tandem couples in the Foreign Service, as well as couples with
only one spouse in the Foreign Service. This language is taken
directly from the Senate version of this bill.
Foreign Service Officers bravely serve their country for
years, for many decades in many cases. The report requested in
this amendment will be a valuable tool in illuminating the
challenges facing Foreign Service Officers with spouses that
are both in and out of the service.
I just want to thank the chairman and the ranking member
and their staffs for working to include this simple amendment
in the en bloc.
And I thank you again, and I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. David Trott from Michigan.
Mr. Trott. Thank you, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member
Engel, for bringing this bill up for consideration today.
While our committee has jurisdiction over many items
relating to our national security and diplomatic relations with
foreign governments, one of our most important tasks is
oversight of the State Department and making sure our diplomats
and Embassies are as secure as possible.
This bill includes many crucial provisions regarding
oversight, whistleblower protections, and also programs to
ensure that we recruit the best and brightest candidates to
serve as our diplomats overseas. We also send a clear message
in this bill to countries that commit gross human rights
violations that they will be held accountable and aid could be
withheld.
Taxpayers will be happy to see a more transparent State
Department because this bill requires the Office of Management
and Budget to report on all U.S. assessments and contributions
to the United Nations.
I am proud of the bipartisan efforts in this committee and
look forward to full passage of the bill by the House of
Representatives.
I yield back my time.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Trott.
Mr. David Cicilline of Rhode Island.
Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member
Engel, for holding this markup today. I am pleased that this
committee has once again come together in a spirit of
bipartisanship to mark up the State Department authorization
for the first time since 2013. I commend my colleagues and the
committee staff for the hard work that went into getting us to
this point.
Holding this markup is indeed noteworthy, especially when
we consider how much the world has changed since the last State
Department authorization bill was signed into law back in 2002.
I welcome this opportunity of the Foreign Affairs Committee to
carry out our responsibility in authorizing the State
Department.
American leadership in the world is critically important
today, given the many challenges facing the United States, our
allies, and our partners around the globe. This bill provides
the State Department with the tools it needs to confront these
challenges by addressing issues such as Embassy security and
personnel protection, diversity in hiring and assignments, and
addressing concerns related to the United Nations.
I am the co-chair of the Congressional Peacekeeping Caucus,
which I formed with my Republican colleague Adam Kinzinger of
Illinois, so that Members of Congress can discuss the
importance of regional peacekeeping operations and their impact
on U.S. foreign policy and national security. That is why I am
particularly pleased that this bill addresses oversight of and
accountability for peacekeeper abuses by requiring the
Secretary to submit a strategy and implementation plan for
combating sexual exploitation in U.N. peacekeeping operations
to help reduce occurrences of such abuse and to improve the
capacity of the U.N. to prevent and identify sexual
exploitation.
I am pleased that the bill makes clear that it is the
policy of the United States Government to withhold assistance
to any security force unit of a foreign country that has
committed a gross violation of human rights, including sexual
exploitation or abuse.
And I welcome the whistleblower protections that are
included in the bill which call for the U.S. Permanent
Representative to advocate for the removal of any official whom
the Secretary determines has failed to meet ethical standards,
to ensure that whistleblower protections are extended to U.N.
peacekeeping personnel, and to encourage the U.N. to provide
redress to any whistleblower who has suffered retribution.
The Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and
International Organizations and Middle East and North Africa
subcommittees have heard testimony this year from brave U.N.
employees who spoke out against abuses within the U.N. system
which highlighted not only gross misconduct of U.N. teams in
places such as Sudan, but also in subsequent so-called
investigations. The United States should be a leader in the
effort to overhaul the U.N.'s whistleblower systems and
protections.
I also want to applaud the provisions in the bill to
increase diversity at the State Department, augment fellowship
and training opportunities, and enhance benefits and career
opportunities for Department personnel. These efforts will help
attract the best people to represent the Nation and conduct the
important work of the Department.
The evolution and growth of the demands on the State
Department since 2002, when the Department's authorization was
last signed into law, are significant. This bill offers the
first opportunity we have had in a long time to ensure the
State Department is well positioned to confront 21st century
challenges.
And I again want to thank you, Mr. Chairman and our ranking
member, and your staffs, for the work in bringing us to this
day. And with that, I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We are going to go to Mr. Jeff Duncan.
Mr. Duncan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks for this
important bill. I have two amendments on the en bloc, and I
appreciate them being included in the en bloc.
I do think it is important to authorize programs and
agencies. I think we have been operating for way too long
without doing authorization bills, not in this committee but in
the Congress as a whole. So that is just where I stand on that.
Two amendments that I have, one just says it is time for
the State Department really to follow the IG and the GAO
recommendations and start implementing that. It is going to be
huge cost savings for the United States and for our taxpayers.
The hard-working American taxpayers expect agencies to operate
within their means and to try to implement cost savings at
every turn, good best management practices, things I do in the
private sector, because it is the taxpayers' money, and I think
the amendment I have addresses that.
The second amendment, we see often--too often--in the
United Nations where countries that are the beneficiaries of
our tremendous benevolence of foreign assistance and other
programs not go with us in the U.N. on at least half the time.
We see percentages like Haiti, 18 percent of the time they vote
with the U.S., and they receive a tremendous amount of taxpayer
dollars. They are recipients of programs that the U.S.
implements in their countries, but yet they can't stand with us
in the United Nations. I just think that is important. And it
is more than just the foreign assistance money. It is about
doing what is right for the United States and what we stand for
and the fact that we are their benefactor.
So the second amendment just addresses that, that before
entering into agreements with the member states, that they vote
with us more often. I think that is something that we need to
talk about at a future date going forward, and it may be an
authorization bill itself.
But I do appreciate these amendments being in the en bloc,
and I look forward to supporting the bill. And with that, I
yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Duncan.
We go to Robin Kelly of Illinois.
Ms. Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I too want to thank you
and Ranking Member Engel for your leadership and your staff,
and thank you for including my amendment in this bill.
I applaud the State Department's commitment to innovation
and its continued work to modernize its infrastructure. My
amendment would help ensure that the State Department stays on
track in these efforts.
Last year, in its Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development
Review, the State Department included in its recommendations
the establishment of a hub for analytics, strategy, and
knowledge management. I know that many, if not all of my
colleagues here support the creation of this hub as a way to
improve efficiency at State.
If implemented correctly, integrating data analytics into a
shared hub will allow for deeper analysis, increased
collaboration, and overall improved efficiency.
Similarly, I serve as the ranking member of the Oversight
Subcommittee on Information Technology. In this role, my top
priority has been to update Federal agencies' IT systems, which
will save billions of dollars while improving the security of
our cyber infrastructure. A large part of this modernization is
transitioning to the cloud.
My amendment simply requires that State update this
committee on these two vital efforts. Improving data sharing
and cybersecurity at State is something that all of my
colleagues can support.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to offer this
amendment. I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Congresswoman Kelly.
We need to go to William Keating of Massachusetts.
Mr. Keating. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I too want to mention
at the outset the work of this committee and the work of you,
Mr. Chairman, and Ranking Member Engel. Earlier in this
Congress we had the first of its kind hearing centering on the
role of women in security. It was really a breakthrough moment
for the committee, and I want to thank you for your work on
this.
This amendment that is included in the en bloc is part of
that. And I just want to thank your staffs as well for working
with us on this. And I want to make mention of Representative
Schakowsky, who has been working on separate legislation not as
a member of this committee, but outside, to work to advance
legislation with women, peace, and security that really
codifies the important policies and practice to promote the
inclusion and participation of women in peace and security.
This amendment is a sense of Congress that, first, Deputy
Assistant Secretaries be tasked by the Secretary of State with
overseeing the integration of policy priorities related to
women's participation in preventing and resolving conflicts;
and second, that all Foreign Service Officers receive at least
one training on the importance of women's participation in
these particular areas.
It is an important issue, the role of women in security.
When we talk about being more effective in eradicating security
threats and promoting stability overseas, we need to seriously
consider the role of women, as this committee has, and the role
they play in terms of these policies.
The research is overwhelming in demonstrating that the
active participation of women in resolving conflict leads to
longer-term peace, and importantly, better outcomes for
communities. Just one example through my work, working with
Chairman Poe as the ranking member on Terrorism,
Nonproliferation, and Trade, in this subcommittee, and as a
member of the Homeland Security Committee, we found that
engaging women in efforts to counter violent extremism has
consistently led to law enforcement and security experts
gaining greater access to communities and more effectively
combating radicalization and the spread of violent extremism.
So if we want to be as effective as we can be to increase
stability throughout the world and be smart about our
expenditures overseas, investing in women's participation in
security at the local, national, and international levels is
key.
I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Keating. I appreciate the
contribution here to this debate which this amendment of yours
has made. And I will just add that the committee is working on
additional legislation, which we will move on this issue.
Are there any other members that seek recognition?
Hearing no further requests for recognition, the Chair
moves that the committee adopt the amendments 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
amendments considered en bloc are agreed to.
Are there any additional amendments to the base text?
Hearing none, the Chair now moves that the committee adopt
Senate bill 1635, as amended.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
bill, as amended, is agreed to.
So without objection, this bill, as amended, is ordered
favorably reported as a single amendment in the nature of a
substitute, and staff is directed to make any technical and
conforming changes. And also, without objection, the Chair is
authorized to seek House consideration of the bill under
suspension of the rules.
This concludes our business for today. And I want to thank
Ranking Member Engel and all of our committee members for their
contributions and assistance with today's markup.
The committee is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 10:16 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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Material Submitted for the Record
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Material submitted for the record by the Honorable Christopher H.
Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey
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