[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. 1164, H.R. 1415, H.R. 2712, H.R. 3542,
H.R. 3776, H. Res. 336, H. Res. 401, H. Res. 407,
and H. Con. Res. 90
__________
NOVEMBER 15, 2017
__________
Serial No. 115-79
__________
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 KAREN BASS, California
DARRELL E. ISSA, California WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island
MO BROOKS, Alabama AMI BERA, California
PAUL COOK, California LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
RON DeSANTIS, Florida JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
TED S. YOHO, Florida BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois DINA TITUS, Nevada
LEE M. ZELDIN, New York NORMA J. TORRES, California
DANIEL M. DONOVAN, Jr., New York BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois
F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Jr., THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York
Wisconsin ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York
ANN WAGNER, Missouri TED LIEU, California
BRIAN J. MAST, Florida
FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida
BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
THOMAS A. GARRETT, Jr., Virginia
VacantAs of 10/24/17 deg.
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
H.R. 1164, To condition assistance to the West Bank and Gaza on
steps by the Palestinian Authority to end violence and
terrorism against Israeli citizens............................. 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1164 offered
by the Honorable Edward R. Royce, a Representative in
Congress from the State of California, and chairman,
Committee on Foreign Affairs................................. 5
An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
to H.R. 1164 offered by the Honorable Gerald E. Connolly,
a Representative in Congress from the Commonwealth of
Virginia................................................. 16
An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
to H.R. 1164 offered by the Honorable David Cicilline, a
Representative in Congress from the State of Rhode Island 17
H.R. 1415, To facilitate effective research on and treatment of
neglected tropical diseases, including Ebola, through
coordinated domestic and international efforts................. 18
An amendment to H.R. 1415 offered by the Honorable Christopher
H. Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State of New
Jersey....................................................... 41
An amendment to the Smith amendment to H.R. 1415 offered by the
Honorable Adriano Espaillat, a Representative in Congress
from the State of New York................................... 49
H.R. 2712, To impose sanctions with respect to foreign support
for Palestinian terrorism, and for other purposes.............. 50
An amendment to H.R. 2712 offered by the Honorable Ron
DeSantis, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Florida...................................................... 77
An amendment to H.R. 2712 offered by the Honorable Bradley S.
Schneider, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Illinois..................................................... 79
An amendment to H.R. 2712 offered by the Honorable Daniel
Donovan, a Representative in Congress from the State of New
York......................................................... 80
H.R. 3542, To impose sanctions against Hamas for gross violations
of internationally recognized human rights by reason of the use
of civilians as human shields, and for other purposes.......... 83
An amendment to H.R. 3542 offered by the Honorable Bradley S.
Schneider.................................................... 93
H.R. 3776, To support United States international cyber
diplomacy, and for other purposes.............................. 94
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 3776 offered
by the Honorable Edward R. Royce............................. 117
An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
to H.R. 3776 offered by the Honorable Bradley S.
Schneider................................................ 139
An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
to H.R. 3776 offered by the Honorable Joaquin Castro, a
Representative in Congress from the State of Texas....... 140
An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
to H.R. 3776 offered by the Honorable Michael T. McCaul,
a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas..... 141
H. Res. 336, Reaffirming a strong commitment to the United
States-Mexico Partnership...................................... 142
H. Res. 401, Urging China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, the
Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, India, and all nations
to outlaw the dog and cat meat trade and to enforce existing
laws against the trade......................................... 146
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 401
offered by the Honorable Edward R. Royce..................... 152
H. Res. 407, Condemning the persecution of Christians around the
world.......................................................... 156
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 407
offered by the Honorable Edward R. Royce..................... 161
H. Con. Res. 90, Condemning ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and
calling for an end to the attacks in and an immediate
restoration of humanitarian access to the state of Rakhine in
Burma.......................................................... 166
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Con. Res. 90
offered by the Honorable Eliot L. Engel, a Representative in
Congress from the State of New York.......................... 170
APPENDIX
Markup notice.................................................... 202
Markup minutes................................................... 203
Markup summary................................................... 205
The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Florida: Prepared statement.................. 207
The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly: Prepared statement............. 209
VARIOUS MEASURES
----------
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:10 a.m., in
room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ed Royce
(chairman of the committee) presiding.
Chairman Royce. The committee will come to order. We will
ask the members here to take their seats.
Pursuant to notice, we meet today to mark up several
bipartisan measures.
Without objection, all members may have 5 days to submit
statements or extraneous materials on today's business.
And, having confirmed that there are not contested
amendments beyond the bipartisan amendments circulated to all
offices yesterday, the ranking member and I intend to consider
today's measures en bloc. And so, without objection, the
following items previously provided to members and also in your
packets are going to be considered en bloc and are considered
as read.
They are: H.R. 1164, the Taylor Force Act, Royce amendment
3 in the nature of a substitute, Connolly amendment 1, and
Cicilline amendment 105; H.R. 1415, the End Neglected Tropical
Diseases Act, with Smith amendment 58 and Espaillat amendment
66; H.R. 2712, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support
Prevention Act of 2017, with the DeSantis amendment 61 and the
Schneider amendment 53 and Donovan amendment 32; we have H.R.
3542, the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act, with the
Schneider amendment 52; H.R. 3776, the Cyber Diplomacy Act of
2017, with Royce amendment 76 in the nature of a substitute,
Schneider amendment 51, Castro amendment 59, and McCaul
amendment 75; House Resolution 336, Reaffirming a Strong
Commitment to the United States-Mexico Partnership; House
Resolution 401, Urging All Nations to Outlaw the Dog and Cat
Meat Trade, with the Royce amendment 79 in the nature of a
substitute to House Resolution 401; House Resolution 407,
Condemning the Persecution of Christians Around the World,
Royce amendment 80 in the nature of a substitute; and House
Concurrent Resolution 90, Condemning the Ethnic Cleansing of
the Rohingya in Burma, and the Engel amendment 64 in the nature
of a substitute to House Concurrent Resolution 90.
[The information referred to follows:]H.R.
1164 deg.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Royce. I now recognize myself to speak on today's
business.
Today, we consider the Taylor Force Act. And let me start
by thanking Congressman Doug Lamborn over here in the front row
and Congressman Lee Zeldin for their leadership on this
important legislation. And I also want to thank our ranking
member, Eliot Engel, for collaborating with me on this
bipartisan text that we are taking up today.
This bill is named in honor of a courageous and patriotic
young American, Taylor Force, whose life was tragically cut
short when he was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist. He was
murdered in Israel. Since 2003, it has been Palestinian law to
reward Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails with a monthly
paycheck. Palestinian leadership also pays the families of
Palestinian prisoners and suicide bombers.
These policies incentivize terrorism. With this
legislation, we are forcing the PA to choose between U.S.
assistance and these morally reprehensible policies. And I am
pleased to see this measure move forward in both Chambers with
so much support.
We also consider two measures targeting the dangerous
Iranian proxy, Hamas. And I want to thank Congressman Mast for
his leadership on H.R. 2712. This is the Palestinian
International Terrorism Support Prevention Act.
Iran and Hezbollah are clearly working to extend their
influence over Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza
Strip through increased financial and military aid. It is
precisely Iranian support that has enabled Hamas to maintain
power in the Gaza Strip for the past decade. Iran is also why
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have thousands of missiles
and rockets and continue digging tunnels. And those tunnels are
for terror. We were recently in one of those tunnels. One that
Eliot Engel and I were in came up underneath an elementary
school. And these are on the border with Israel.
While we work to address Iran's support for Hamas, we must
also ensure U.S. partners in the region do not host or aid
Hamas terrorists. And, to that end, this bill has already had
an effect. When the bill was introduced, Qatar was hosting
senior Hamas terrorist Saleh al-Arouri after he was expelled in
2016 from Turkey. Two weeks after this legislation was
introduced, he, along with other Hamas terrorists, were
expelled from Qatar.
I want to thank Congressman Joe Wilson for authoring H.R.
3542, the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act. Hamas not only
regards Israeli civilians--not only targets them with
kidnapping, but it also carries out indiscriminate rocket
attacks. The terrorist group also shows a callous disregard for
the lives of Palestinians it supposedly represents by using
them as human shields during times of conflict in direct
violation of international law. This legislation holds Hamas
and its sponsor, Iran, accountable for this monstrous practice.
Next, we have H.R. 3776. This is the Cyber Diplomacy Act,
which establishes U.S.-international cyberspace policy. The
U.S. is increasingly under attack by foreign actors, and these
actors are online. Now, more than ever, we need a high-ranking
cyber diplomat at the State Department to prioritize these
efforts and to work with foreign governments. This bipartisan
bill will help counter foreign threats on the internet, and it
is also going to help promote human rights abroad and will
create new jobs, new economic growth, here at home.
We consider H.R. 1415, the End Neglected Tropical Diseases
Act, which seeks to improve the effectiveness of USAID's
existing program to treat, control, and eliminate neglected
tropical diseases. These diseases impact over 1 billion people
worldwide, including many here at home. And I want to thank Mr.
Smith for his work on this important bill.
Next, we will consider House Concurrent Resolution 90,
which condemns the ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya in
Burma. In recent months, we have seen the horrific stories of
young mothers torn from their burning homes, drowned children,
mass executions. Many consider the Rohingya the most persecuted
minority on Earth. Importantly, this resolution builds on our
recent hearing by not only calling for an end to all violence
but also for the military and Government of Burma to allow
refugees to return back to their homes. And I thank Congressman
Crowley, and I thank Ranking Member Engel for their good work
on this measure.
Our members have long advocated for the religious freedom
of all minorities, and today, we consider another measure to
further this important work. House Resolution 407 highlights
the persecution of Christian communities around the globe.
Christians, in a number of countries, face oppression, assault,
imprisonment, torture, death for their faith. This resolution
reaffirms the U.S. commitment to combat violations of religious
freedom wherever they occur and calls on all countries to end
the persecution of Christians, whether such persecution is
State-sponsored or incited by local factions or part of a
deliberate campaign, like terrorist organizations, such as Boko
Haram and the Islamic State.
House Resolution 336 reaffirms Congress' commitment to the
U.S.-Mexico partnership. There is bipartisan recognition that
we need to continue working with Mexico in areas ranging from
security cooperation to economic collaboration to promoting
shared democratic values and principles. And as we grapple with
the deadly opioid crisis, it is critical that the U.S.-Mexico
partnership remains strong so that we can confront the
transnational criminal organizations that terrorize Mexico and
that poison America's youth. I thank Ranking Member Engel, and
I thank Chairman McCaul for their work on this measure.
And, finally, we have House Resolution 401. Protecting the
world's animals has been one of the priorities for this
committee, and I am proud to have sponsored legislation to this
end. Today, we continue that work with House Resolution 401.
This was authored by Representative Hastings. It has tremendous
bipartisan support. It has over 100 cosponsors. The consumption
of dog meat has occurred in every corner of the world, and
established dog meat markets still exist in Asia, which
presents serious animal cruelty and public health concerns. The
resolution urges all nations now to abolish the dog and cat
meat trade and to enforce the existing laws against such trade.
I now recognize the ranking member for his remarks.
Mr. Engel. Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this markup.
We are taking up a number of good measures, and I am glad to
support them all.
I will start with the resolution I authored with Mr. McCaul
of Texas underscoring the importance of a U.S.-Mexico
partnership based on mutual respect. We have seen many highs
and lows in this bilateral relationship over the last century.
In recent years, things have been headed in the right
direction, closer ties on a range of issues from security to
economic cooperation. But, in my view, things have gotten off
track. I worry that we are going to squander the good progress
we have made unless we change course.
Mexico is an important partner. It is a partnership we want
to see thrive. This measure puts us on record reiterating just
how important this relationship is. I am grateful to you, Mr.
Chairman, for bringing it up today, and I ask all members to
support it.
And now I will turn to three measures dealing with Israel's
security. The first is a measure designed to push the
Palestinian Authority to stop the so-called martyr payments
which incentivize terrorist activity. We have had a lot of
debate in Congress about the right way to do that. I believe
the approach we are taking today strikes just the right
balance. I was glad to work with Chairman Royce to ensure this
legislation would not have unintended consequences, such as
targeting humanitarian and democracy assistance or security
cooperation. And the chairman and I worked very closely
together to come out with a really good bill.
And we have two measures aimed at curbing the violence of
the terrorist group Hamas, which is a threat to Israel's
citizens and security across the region. I also want to thank
Representatives Wilson and Moulton for their leadership in
authorizing the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act. The use of
human shields is a disgusting and cowardly practice, and it
will never lead to peace. This bill would use new sanctions to
crack down on anyone supporting or taking part in this horrific
practice.
Moving on, I am glad to support the Palestinian
International Terrorism Support Prevention Act from
Representatives Mast and Gottheimer. This bill is intended to
send a message to foreign governments that they ought to stop
funding Hamas. Once they have stopped funding Hamas, we will
maintain pressure to keep it that way. But this bill is not the
United States taking sides in the Gulf conflict. My vote for
this legislation today is not a vote of approval of any actions
that pit one side against another. The breakdown in
relationships in the Gulf has not been in our interest, and I
would urge all parties to come together and resolve their
differences.
Next, as the Rohingya crisis continues to rage, I want to
thank the chairman for his sustained focus on this tragedy. We
continue to see reports of Rohingya refugees fleeing to
Bangladesh and widespread hunger and malnutrition for those who
are left behind. Both Chairman Royce and I believe that what is
occurring in Burma's Rakhine State is ethnic cleansing
perpetrated by the military and a direct failure of the Burmese
Government to protect its people. This resolution calls for the
reimposition of targeted sanctions against those responsible
for this violence. It is what we should be doing. And, along
with the chairman, I will continue to press this issue.
I am also glad to join the chairman to cosponsor the Cyber
Diplomacy Act of 2017. In recent years, malicious cyber
activity has become a greater threat to the United States and
our allies, most notably with Russia's illegal interference in
our election last year. We cannot allow foreign governments to
meddle in democracy or conduct cyber attacks against us and our
allies. This measure would help the United States shape
international cyber norms, ramp up coordination with our allies
to stiffen cyber defenses, and coordinate responses to future
malicious activity.
This bill also calls for maintaining the Office for Cyber
Issues at the State Department. Now, more than ever, we need
high-ranking cyber diplomacy to prioritize these efforts and
ensure we keep the internet open, reliable, unfettered, and
secure. The fact that the State Department has not yet filled
so many important vacancies is a constant irritant to me. And
this is just another example of that. And I would urge the
President and the Secretary of State to fill these senior
vacancies as soon as possible.
I would like to also thank Chairman Royce for working with
me on his amendment to Mr. Grothman's measure condemning the
persecution of Christians around the world. Freedom of worship
is a basic human right, yet we see religious minorities all
over the world subjected to violence and persecution. It is
unacceptable for anyone to suffer because of how or even if
they choose to worship. We must speak out against such
injustices or any other assault on the universal freedom of
press, rights to organize, or LGBT equality. This is a very
important bill about the persecution of Christians around the
world.
I am also pleased to support Mr. Smith's bill, the End
Neglected Tropical Diseases Act. So-called neglected tropical
diseases take a particularly high toll on poor populations in
developing countries. Some of these diseases cause blindness,
stunted growth, and cognitive disabilities which can stifle
progress and prosperity in affected countries. That is why a
decade ago President Bush launched the Neglected Tropical
Diseases program at USAID, and the Obama administration carried
his work forward. Mr. Smith's bill would make sure our existing
efforts are working as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately,
the President has called for a 25-percent cut to this USAID
program. I think that would be a colossal mistake. We cannot
hope to defeat neglected tropical diseases or advance our
global health priorities if we fail to keep investing in those
areas and recognize the opportunities we have for collaboration
across our programs.
And, lastly, I am pleased to support Mr. Hasting's
resolution. The measure condemns the cruel practices
surrounding the dog and cat meat trade in many parts of Asia
and calls for an end to such practices.
Once again, I thank all our members for their efforts on
these pieces of legislation and to the chairman for his
leadership. And I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Engel.
We go to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and
thank you to Ranking Member Engel for bringing forth these
important measures. Regarding the Palestinian Authority, I
would like to remind this committee that the administration
already has the tools it needs to withhold U.S. assistance to
the Palestinian Authority and the West Bank in Gaza. In fact,
every 6 months, the administration sends to this committee a
report that finds that the PA and the PLO are not living up to
statutorily required commitments. That report is accompanied by
a sanction to downgrade the status of the PLO office in DC,
which is then, sadly, immediately waived.
So what is the benefit? What does the U.S. get? Or, worse,
what does that tell the Palestinian leadership? It shows that
there is no willingness by the United States to hold them
accountable for their support for violence or terror or other
horrid acts, and the cycle continues. So here we are today
looking to add more tools to the toolbox.
The Palestinian Authority, the PLO, Abu Mazen, and Hamas,
they should all be held accountable for their acts of terror.
The entire committee agrees: End their support for terror. They
should not be rewarded.
And that is why the Taylor Force Act, though I believe that
we should not allow for exceptions and carve-outs in this
legislation, should be supported because that flexibility will
be used, once again, to circumvent the spirit of the law and
congressional intent.
The fact that the Palestinian leadership rewards terrorists
and their families is sickening. But what is worse is that the
thought that the American taxpayer may be inadvertently
supporting this. Every dollar we spend in the West Bank and
Gaza, every time we pay off the Palestinian debt to Israel, we
are freeing up the Palestinian leadership to allocate money for
its pay-to-slay program. Because money is fungible, we should
not allocate one cent in the West Bank and Gaza until we know
that Abu Mazen no longer pays money to terrorists and their
families. I have no doubt that, given the choice between badly
needed infrastructure projects or paying terrorists, that Abu
Mazen will forsake the Palestinian people to pay terrorists.
Pay-to-slay. That is his program. But let that be his decision
to make. Don't let us make it easy for him to do both. And so I
support the Taylor Force Act.
And in that same vein, Mr. Chairman, I fully support the
bill of my colleague from Florida, Mr. Mast, the Palestinian
International Terrorism Support Act. Hamas is a terror
organization responsible for countless attacks against Israel
but also responsible for the deaths of at least 25 U.S.
citizens. It is also a beneficiary of Turkey, of Iran, of
Qatar, not exactly the confederacy of morality. Qatar has
pledged nearly $1.5 billion over the past 5 years for
reconstruction efforts in Gaza. And if you think that Hamas
hasn't delivered a good portion of this for its own use or
benefit and that Qatar doesn't know about that diversion, then
I have a bridge from Miami to Havana to sell you.
So, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Obviously, I don't have much
of a voice today. I support all of the bills, and I will give
my remarks for the record. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you very much, Ileana, for making
those points.
Jerry Connolly of Virginia.
Mr. Connolly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank
you and your staff, as well as the ranking member and his
staff, for cooperating with us on a humanitarian carve-out,
which has to do with vaccinations, which is why I am wearing my
Save the Children tie today. You know, infectious disease does
not respect the border. And outbreaks of infectious diseases
damage, of course, innocent lives, children, and can cross that
border. And so we wanted to make sure that was addressed.
We also want to take care, as the ranking member indicated,
that we don't unwittingly destabilize a situation in decisions
we make about what support we do or do not provide the
Palestinian Authority. But I have always had a rule in
politics. I will not defend the indefensible. The bill before
us today calls out the indefensible. We simply cannot sit by
and watch the Palestinian Authority reward abhorrent behavior,
suicide bombers and terrorist perpetrators, by providing
payments to their families. That both rewards the behavior that
we find indefensible and encourages it. It must stop. And to
get the attention of the Palestinian Authority, we have this
bill before us today, and I will support it.
And so I hope that the action we take today will lead to
the desired outcome, which is the secession of this abhorrent
practice that affects both the Israeli people and the
Palestinian people. It is, I think, an essential ingredient if
we are going to proceed with any kind of two-state solution and
the peace process. And so I am glad for the legislation before
us. I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for the
thoughtful way in which they have made changes to the bill that
take into account the reality on the ground and the long-term
repercussions of actions we take today.
And I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Connolly. Thank you very
much.
I want to go now to Mr. Chris Smith.
Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for bringing
all of these very important bills before the committee. I am
especially grateful that H.R. 1415, the End Neglected Tropical
Diseases Act, is under consideration. We passed it out of this
committee last Congress. Regrettably, Title II, which is also a
Title II in this bill, never got out of Energy and Commerce or
Financial Services. We are going to make an all-out effort
again there.
Just in brief, H.R. 1415 is a comprehensive bill to combat
a group of 17 parasitic, bacterial, and viruses which blind,
disable, disfigure, and kill victims from among 1.4 billion
people worldwide, especially in the poorest of poor countries.
These include dengue fever, round-, whip-, and hookworm, and
schistosomiasis, which are parasitic flatworms. About \1/4\
million people, up to 250 million people, carry this horrific
disease inside of their intestines. It disproportionately
affects children. The World Health Organization says that there
are 78 endemic countries. And for a very low-cost commitment,
these worms and these other parasites and diseases can be
mitigated and even abolished.
I would point out to my colleagues and Mr. Engel, he is
right: The Trump budget would have cut by about 25 percent our
neglected tropical diseases budget. But so did Obama. Every
year, he offered to cut it by 20 percent and I and others made
a beeline to the appropriators each and every year and said,
minimally, let's straight line it at $100 million for that
program, which we got, which is in the current bill that is
pending in the House and the Senate for appropriations. But it
is not enough.
This bill talks about strategy. Title II of this
legislation will make a huge difference domestically and
internationally. And it is not under consideration here. But
just for the sake of the members, I hope that we can ask Energy
and Commerce to mark it up this year. It creates centers of
excellence to study this. Back in the year 2000, I wrote the
laws on combatting autism. The mainstay of that legislation
were centers of excellence. And that is where we learned, both
in CBC and at the NIH, what to do, what the prevalence is, and,
again, best strategies going forward.
We also have an important panel, an expert panel, a blue
ribbon panel, that will be established to study worm
infections. I mean, we talk about feeding the future. And, as
you know, we did the Global Food Security Act last year. Food
and hunger and mitigation of hunger is an overwhelming
priority, bipartisan, in Congress and really among many
countries around the world. We don't want to feed the worms and
have a situation where children's morbidity rate is very high.
It often doesn't kill; although it does. But coinfections,
opportunistic infections, take advantage of diminished immune
systems and these kids succumb to other diseases because they
are walking around with bloated bellies because they are
carrying around worms. So this is an all-in type of effort to
say we can end neglected tropical diseases. And we need better
strategy. We need resources. And I do strongly urge members to
support it.
I want to thank Mr. Meeks, the prime Democratic cosponsor,
and Karen Bass, the ranking member of our subcommittee. Other
members who have joined on as cosponsors, I thank you. But this
is a bill whose time has come. And I thank you, Chairman, for
bringing it to the committee today.
On all the others, I would ask unanimous consent to revise
and extend.
Just briefly on the Christian persecution issue: There is
no other group on the face of the Earth that are being
discriminated against, killed, forced to convert to other
faiths than Christians, whether it be in China, North Korea, or
many parts in the Middle East. As you all know, we passed
legislation, H.R. 390, pending over on the Senate side, to help
the Christians who are the subject of genocide by ISIS. But a
man named Adamu stood right where the staff is sitting right
now and told how he was forced by Boko Haram out of his house
with an AK-47 put to his head. And he was told, ``You convert
right now to Islam,'' by a Boko Haram terrorist, ``or I am
going to blow your brains out.'' And the man said, ``Are you
ready to die for your faith?'' He said, ``Yes, I am.'' He
pulled the trigger, and he blew his face away. And when he told
that story in this room--and I met him in an IDP camp in Jos,
Nigeria--you could have heard a pin drop.
That is the everyday experience of Christians around the
world, including in India, including in North Korea,
especially, and in the People's Republic of China, where,
systematically, Xi Jinping is trying to eviscerate all faiths,
including the Falun Gong, which Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has led so
nobly on, but also the Christians and probably more so.
Arguably, there are more Christians in China than anywhere else
in the world. They are underground, and they are repressed.
This is a great resolution, and I commend my friend for
offering it.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Smith.
Ted Deutch of Florida.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member
Engel.
The measures before us address a range of crucial foreign
policy challenges, taking steps to support the U.S.-Mexico
relationship, fight tropical diseases, combat cruelty against
animals in Southeast Asia, strengthen cyberspace policy,
condemn the persecution of Christians, protect the Rohingya
Muslims in Burma, and support Israel in the face of persistent
terrorism, and I am supportive of all of them.
I want to thank the chair and ranking member for their
tireless work, especially to bring forward this improved Taylor
Force Act. This bill will help end the horrible practice where
Palestinian Authority pays salaries to terrorists and their
families, more money for worse crimes, unambiguously
incentivizing terrorism against civilians.
Beginning in late 2015, Israel faced a new wave of violence
where it was often called lone wolf or knife intifada. Instead
of coordinating near daily bombings in cafes, nightclubs, and
on public buses as happened earlier in the 2000s, we instead
saw deadly stabbings, shootings, and car rammings on a regular
basis in which dozens of Israelis, and even Americans, were
killed. And that included American students Taylor Force and
Ezra Schwartz. On March 8, 2016, Taylor Force, a 28-year-old
West Point graduate and Vanderbilt graduate student who had
fought in Iraq and Afghanistan was stabbed to death on the
promenade in Jaffa by a young Palestinian terrorist who injured
10 others, including a pregnant woman.
Taylor, by all accounts, was loved. He was humble. He
enjoyed playing the guitar. He was an Eagle Scout and Army
veteran. His dad described him as an all-American kid who made
sure that everyone around him felt good. A friend of his in
Nashville said simply: He made people better.
A few months earlier, another American was killed while
visiting Israel on a gap year before starting university the
next year. Ezra Schwartz was sitting in traffic at the Gush
Etzion Junction on his way to volunteer at a conservation park
built in memory of the three teenagers who had been kidnapped
and killed by Hamas in June 2014. A terrorist opened fire with
a submachine gun, killing Ezra, as well as an Israeli teacher
and a Palestinian from Hebron. But rather than work to punish
this horrific terror, current Palestinian law instead
incentivizes it.
The terrorist who murdered Taylor Force and who was killed
by Israeli police responding to the scene, his family will now
receive payments for life at an amount three times the average
annual salary in the West Bank. And the terrorist who killed
Ezra Schwartz, who is now in Israeli prison, he will get paid
more than $3,000 a month, many times higher than the average
Palestinian worker. Under this payment program, the Palestinian
Authority has given more than $1 billion to convicted
terrorists over the past decade, more than $300 million per
year. The law includes a well-defined sliding scale where the
more serious the act of terrorism, the longer the prison
sentence, and, consequently, the higher the salary. So, if you
are sentenced to life in prison for a horrific terror attack,
you get four times more money per month than if you are
sentenced to just a couple of years in prison for a lesser
attack.
Now, it is the job of government to deliver services to its
people, including welfare to those who need it most, which
would include giving a grieving widow who suddenly has to take
care of her family without the breadwinner what she needs. But
it sends a powerful message to know that if a Palestinian man
dies in a car accident, that his family gets nothing; but if
that same man were to drive his car deliberately into Israeli
citizens, civilians, his family will be taken care of for life.
That is not welfare; that is incentive to terror. It is pay-
for-slay, and it must end.
This piece of legislation has been carefully written in
order to target only those funds that directly benefit the
Palestinian Authority, thereby creating real incentives for the
PA to meaningfully end this practice. I congratulate the
chairman and the ranking member for crafting today's amended
language in a way that will pressure the PA to stop this
practice without damaging our vital investments in humanitarian
assistance and grassroots people-to-people programs that are
essential to achieving our overall objective of peace. The
pursuit of a negotiated two-state solution requires a
commitment to peace. And when the PA pays terrorists for
attacks on innocent civilians, that real commitment for peace
simply does not exist.
I urge my colleagues to support the Taylor Force Act in
order to prevent more senseless killings. Taylor Force served
our country to advance and protect peace. His life was taken by
terrorists. But this legislation honors his name and his memory
by stopping a terrible, dangerous, abhorrent practice of paying
terrorists. The PA must stop these payments.
This bill will advance peace. I urge my colleagues to
support it, and I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Steve Chabot of Ohio.
Mr. Chabot. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I support all the excellent measures before us here
this morning. I will speak out briefly on just one.
Mr. Crowley and I introduced House Concurrent Resolution 90
to condemn the Burmese military's systematic attacks on the
Rohingya in Burma. For far too long, the Burmese military has
repressed the Rohingya, denying them political and civil
rights, most notably citizenship, and making them a stateless
people.
It is no secret that the Burmese military sees the
Rohingya, really, as invaders of their territory. That is why
they jumped at the opportunity in August when a rogue group of
Rohingya attacked military outposts to attack the entire
Rohingya population and to drive them from the country in what
has been called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. These
attacks and attacks by security services and mobs have caused
over 600,000 Rohingya to flee Burma for Bangladesh. At least
250,000 of these are children.
Further, credible human rights organizations have
documented the abuses these civilians have suffered, and news
reports have shown the absolute horrors that they have faced.
Unfortunately, attacks like these are pretty much business as
usual for the Burmese military in its attempt to suppress
Burma's many other enthic groups. Therefore, much of the
country remains in a state of civil war. Even though some
institutions have been turned over to civilians in recent
years, the military continues to control too much of the
government, and it remains too independent from civilian
leadership. In light of this pattern and the Burmese military's
attacks on the Rohingya, Mr. Crowley and I have sought to bring
much-needed attention to the situation in Burma and work toward
specific, tangible, and productive responses from the United
States.
This is why we have corresponded twice, once in September
and once in October, with Secretary Tillerson on the issue,
urging him to apply targeted sanctions to the Burmese military
and work with the international community to bring these
attacks to an end. I want to thank many members of this
committee for signing on to those letters. The attacks on the
Rohingya are absolutely entirely disproportionate and
unacceptable to the initial attacks which took place on the
outpost previously. Today's resolution sends this message. That
is why I would urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 90,
to condemn the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and call for a
swift end to the chaos and the violence in that very
challenging part of the world.
And I again want to thank the members of this committee
that have been active in this effort.
I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Joaquin Castro.
Mr. Castro. Thank you, Chairman Royce.
First, on the Taylor Force Act, I support it. And the
United States has offered aid to the Palestinian Authority for
programs in Gaza and the West Bank because we want to see the
conditions improve in those places. But the United States
cannot be party to what amounts to State-paid murder
compensation. And so I hope today will be a strong signal and
incentive for the Palestinian Authority to change its ways.
On the resolution dealing with the Rohingya, first, thank
you to my fellow Democratic Congressman, Democratic Caucus
Chairman Joe Crowley, and also to my colleague on the
committee, Mr. Chabot, for their work on highlighting what is
the worst case in modern history, contemporary history at
least, of ethnic cleansing.
Since August 25th, 615,000 people, Rohingya, have left
Burma, most of them for neighboring Bangladesh. Thousands have
been raped or killed. And yet, a few hours ago, it was reported
that our Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, refused to call
this a case of ethnic cleansing, despite the fact that the
United Nations has called it exactly that, as Mr. Chabot said
in the quote that he offered.
Importantly, there has also been a difference in how this
situation has been described now by our Secretary of State and
our U.N. Ambassador. This has been a constant problem in this
administration. And I am sure that it has perhaps happened in
other administrations. But this is a textbook example of that.
Nikki Haley, our U.N. Ambassador, called the violence ``a
brutal, sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic
minority,'' whereas today Secretary of State Tillerson said,
``Whether it meets all the criteria of ethnic cleansing, we
continue to determine ourselves.'' And he also asked for
patience in the situation.
Once again, from the White House and from the
administration, on controversial and important issues, you
often get two or three or four or five different answers,
depending upon who is giving their judgment and their opinion
and their perspective. And I hope that the Congress will pass
this resolution and that we can look into taking further action
for this severe crime against humanity.
I yield back, Chairman. Thank you.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Castro.
We now go to Mr. Joe Wilson of South Carolina.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am grateful to
support H.R. 3542, the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act. I
appreciate Chairman Ed Royce for coordinating with Ranking
Member Eliot Engel this markup of such important legislation
that we are hearing about today amidst a number of important
initiatives to protect American families. This bipartisan
action today is another indication of working together on this
committee, including Congressman Seth Moulton as the original
cosponsor with me on this particular bill. We are grateful to
be working with Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman
Ted Deutch and many others in expressing support for this
crucial legislation that imposes direct sanctions on Hamas
terrorists for using civilians as human shields.
Hamas, financed by Iran, is embedding its forces near
hospitals, mosques, and schools in the Gaza area and is
intentionally putting lives at risk in turning these civilians,
and especially women and children, into human shields. This is
a gross violation of human rights and a violation of
international law. It reveals the inhumanity of putting lives
at risk of people they claim to represent. This legislation is
important to ensure the lives of innocent civilians are saved
by imposing direct and strong sanctions against Hamas and their
uncivilized actions.
In conclusion, I especially appreciate today the
recognition of Taylor Force, a beloved U.S. Army veteran with
family in my home State of South Carolina who was cowardly
stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist.
I yield back my time.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We go to Dina Titus of Nevada.
Ms. Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I, too, support all these measures that are before us. But
I would like to speak specifically about H. Resolution 401.
Thank you for supporting that.
This is the resolution that urges nations to outlaw the dog
and cat meat trade. I have been a cosponsor of this legislation
and worked in Congress to end this practice, end the dog and
cat meat trade, end the use of dog leather, and to end other
undue harm or abuse that comes to these animals.
Roughly 30 million dogs and 10 million cats annually are
the victims of the meat trade in Asia. The extreme cruelty that
these animals suffer is abhorrent, and we shouldn't turn a
blind eye to these practices which run in conflict to our own
animal cruelty laws.
In American culture, we cherish dogs and cats as more than
just random animals. They can serve as therapy animals, search-
and-rescue assistants, and police dogs that aid with drug and
bomb searches. They serve with airport security. They are
companions, and they are cherished family pets.
This resolution enjoys bipartisan support, and we must
continue to work in a bipartisan manner to better protect
animals, both in other countries and here at home in the United
States. So I look forward to passing this resolution to signify
our commitment to combatting animal cruelty.
And I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We go to Ted Poe of Texas.
Mr. Poe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I support these bills put before us today. I would like to
thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for marking them
up. I am a cosponsor of five, but I would like to talk about
three.
Mr. Mast's bill, H.R. 2712, the Palestinian International
Terrorism Support Prevention Act of 2017, is a very important
piece of legislation. The bill takes aim at foreign supporters
of Palestinian terrorism that targets Israel, our most
endangered ally in the Middle East. The terrorist groups Hamas
and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad only serve because they have
outside support from foreign entities. For years, Iran and
Qatar have been their primary state sponsors, giving millions
of dollars to prop up thugs who target civilians and spark
conflicts that have left the Gaza Strip in ruin.
Hamas is a terrorist group that has proven it is more
concerned with making war on Israel than building a Palestinian
state. It has spent millions of dollars on resources on
building tunnels and rockets to attack Israeli civilians. This
is not an organization interested in peace with its neighbors.
It is not even an organization that wants to defend
Palestinians.
They are not building bomb shelters to protect people. Only
weapons and terrorists are found in those tunnels. They launch
indiscriminate rocket barrage on civilian targets while hiding
within civilian populations. The U.N. has even reported that
Hamas stored rockets in its schools. This is terrorism, plain
and simple.
Both Iran and, our so-called ally, Qatar are responsible
for this. This bill would hold them accountable. It would
effectively make sponsoring terrorism more costly by
sanctioning those who do so. This is long overdue, and I hope
that Congress passes this legislation very quickly.
I also want to express my support for Mr. Grothman's
resolution, H.R. 407, condemning the persecution of Christians
around the world. The fact is the world's largest religion is
also the world's most persecuted religion. Last month in Cairo,
a Coptic priest was stabbed to death while collecting
humanitarian aid. Father Samaan Shehata was killed simply for
his Christian faith.
According to Open Doors USA, 322 Christians are killed each
month and 214 churches and Christian properties are destroyed
each month. We have all heard about the horrible persecution of
Christians in the Middle East at the hands of terrorist actors
like ISIS. Christian communities dating back to the time of
Christ have been wiped out in service of ISIS' perverted
ideology of hatred. It is not just terrorists targeting
Christians. Government-sponsored Christian persecution is a
major driver. These are some of the Nations: North Korea, Iran,
Pakistan, and Putin's dictatorship of Russia regularly target
Christian populations. I have had a family member that was in
Russia last year. We haven't heard anything probably in the
national media about the Christian persecution that is taking
place under Putin, but it is there.
Christians in these countries face restrictive legislation,
imprisonment, and, in some cases, executions. It is
increasingly dangerous to be a Christian in today's world. I am
glad the bill names and shames those countries that criminalize
Christianity. This will undoubtedly bring comfort to those who
are persecuted, especially persecuted Christians around the
world. So we send that message across the world that we refuse
to be silent.
I also want to comment on the Taylor Force Act. The
Palestinian Authority pays terrorists who kill Israelis. If a
terrorist is in jail or is killed, the family member gets the
money. This hired murder scheme by the Palestinian Authority is
a criminal action. And it is time that the world understands
that the Palestinians pay people to kill Israelis. And the idea
that the United States would give them any money is
preposterous. So I support the bill in the Taylor Force Act
that we stop American aid that goes to the Palestinian
Authority, money that they use to pay terrorists to kill
Israelis. And that is just the way it is.
I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, judge.
We go now to Brad Schneider of Illinois.
Mr. Schneider. Thank you, Chairman Royce, as well as
Ranking Member Engel, for convening today's markup. I am
pleased to support all the legislation in today's en bloc
package. In particular, the Taylor Force Act that will
hopefully end the pay-for-slay practice we see coming from the
Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian International Support
Prevention Act of 2017, and the Hamas Human Shield Prevention
Act.
I appreciate the inclusion of my three amendments in
today's en bloc package. I applaud the committee for
highlighting the critical issue of cybersecurity and
responsible cyberspace policy, in particular in light of
foreign entities seeking to nefariously influence our
elections.
H.R. 3776, the Cyber Diplomacy Act, encourages our
President to enter into arrangements with foreign governments
to support international cyberspace policy and requires a
status report 1 year after the agreement is reached. The status
report will assess whether the parties to the arrangement have
fulfilled their commitments. My amendment would ensure that if
such commitments are not fulfilled, we are notified what steps
our Government has taken or is planning to take to ensure all
commitments will be fulfilled. This is a commonsense amendment
to keep Congress apprised of developments and ensure
transparency in these agreements.
I also appreciate this committee's consideration of
multiple legislation to crack down on terrorist groups in the
Middle East, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
H.R. 2712, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support
Prevention Act, would sanction individuals and foreign
governments that knowingly materially assist Hamas, the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or any affiliate or successor.
H.R. 3542, the Hamas Human Shields Act, would sanction
those affiliated with Hamas who are responsible for gross
violations of human rights by their use of human shields. The
use of human shields is a despicable act and should not be
tolerated.
My amendments to these two important bills put a spotlight
on Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's underground
terrorist tunnels that place civilians in harm's way because of
their placement in densely populated areas, near schools,
hospitals, and mosques. Just last month, UNRWA confirmed the
discovery of yet another terrorist tunnel dug under one of its
schools in Gaza. Also, last month, Israel discovered and
destroyed a PIJ tunnel that infiltrated Israel. A senior member
of PIJ, Khaled al-Batash, said that the purpose of the tunnel
was kidnapping soldiers. These tunnels are designed to serve as
a conduit to conduct terrorist attacks against Israel, to
kidnap civilians and soldiers, and to wreak havoc and fear
among bordering communities.
In 2006, Hamas used an underground tunnel to kill two
Israeli soldiers and then captured Gilad Shalit who was held
captive for more than 5 years. These tunnels are a grave threat
to our ally, Israel, and we need to continue to raise the
awareness of these underground terrorist tunnels and to prevent
Hamas, PIJ, and others from using such tunnels to conduct
terrorist attacks.
I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this
important legislation, and I urge their swift passage. And I
yield back.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen [presiding]. The gentleman yields back.
Mr. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Mr. DeSantis. I thank the chairman. I appreciate the folks
involved in these bills, particularly my friend from Florida,
Mr. Mast. I think the bill was long overdue. I think it is
going to have a good impact, and I am enthusiastically
supportive of it.
I also have one way I think that could make it stronger. I
am not introducing it as an amendment because it does implicate
jurisdiction in a different committee. One of the things I
think that we see that has been a problem is there is not
really a way to get direct justice for American victims of
Hamas terrorism. You are not allowed to go sue a government
that is funding Hamas or directing Hamas and get justice. And I
think that that would be good to change that.
So we will be introducing legislation very soon to amend
the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act which will allow U.S.
victims of terrorism to sue countries when the President
determines that the governments of those countries are engaged
in terrorism supporting certain groups like Hamas.
I think that will be good for victims. But I also think it
will create a deterrent for some of these countries. We hear a
lot about Qatar funding Hamas, funding the Muslim Brotherhood,
being involved with that. Well, going forward, if those
governments know there could be a right of action, obviously,
financially that would be an issue for them, but I think, even
more importantly, just politically, having those cases brought
and being held accountable would not be something that they
would look forward to doing, so potentially could help change
behavior.
But, I think, by and large, I think we got a good set of
bills.
We are doing the Taylor Force Act as well. I am really
excited about that. I wish we would have passed that earlier in
the year, but we are passing it now. When you have a government
or an entity like the Palestinian Authority that is honoring
the perpetrators of terrorism, that if you massacre enough
Jews, maybe you will have a street named after you, maybe you
will have a sports stadium named after you, you will be lauded
in schools. That is absolutely unacceptable and American tax
dollars should not go to underwrite any of that. And so this is
an important first step.
So I look forward to introducing our bill. I think it will
be a good complement to what Mr. Mast has done here today, and
I think it will make an impact. So my hats off to my friend
from Florida, Brian Mast, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. The gentleman yields back.
Mr. Espaillat of New York.
Mr. Espaillat. Thank you, Madam Chair, Ranking Member
Engel. Thank you for continuing this very impressive bipartisan
work in this committee. I am proud to lend my support to the
nine bills before us today. H.R. 1164, the Taylor Force Act;
H.R. 2712, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support
Prevention Act; and H.R. 3542, Hamas Human Shield Prevention
Act are instrumental in advancing our position in support of
the State of Israel, one of our strongest, if not the
strongest, ally in the region. We should be using every
possible tool in order to fight any incitement and violence in
the region and work toward peace. I stand with the support of
the State of Israel, and I am proud to lend my support to these
pieces of legislation.
I am also a cosponsor and a supporter of H. Resolution 90,
Condemning ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and calling for an
end to the attacks in and an immediate restoration of
humanitarian access to the state of Rakhine in Burma. More than
\1/4\ million ethnic Rohingya Muslims have been forced from
their homes in the Rakhine State of Myanmar to neighboring
Bangladesh. They have not done so in search of comforts. They
have done so with the singular goal of survival. The Government
of Myanmar, now led by his political heir Aung San Suu Kyi,
has, with extraordinary prejudice, diminished the political
voice and civil rights of the ethnic Rohingya Muslim population
by now denying their citizenship and basic humanitarian rights.
The resulting violence by the military, the manifestation of
the will of the Government of Myanmar against its own citizens
has now been described by the United Nations High Commissioner
of Human Rights as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.
This resolution affirms that there is no tolerance by the
United States of the human rights violations, murderous ethnic
cleansing, and atrocities against civilians perpetrated by the
Government of Myanmar. As such, I am proud to lend my support.
I also submitted an amendment, and I am glad to support
H.R. 1415, End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act, which would
support the treatment and elimination of neglected tropical
diseases. Since Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico, the death toll
continues to rise, and today, the island has reported 76
possible cases of leptospirosis. Without treatment,
leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver
failure, respiratory distress, and, of course, death. We need
to ensure that individuals displaced by manmade and natural
disasters are provided the treatment they deserve.
Lastly, H.R. 336 reaffirms our strong commitment with
Mexico as a partner. It encourages continued security
cooperation, including on violence reduction in Mexico,
counterterrorism, and the increased trafficking of heroin and
fentanyl. Just yesterday, the Drug Enforcement Administration
reported that 80 percent of fentanyl seized in New York City is
from the Sinaloa cartel. I think we need to be cracking down on
drug cartels, not undocumented immigrants. They are the ones
bringing the drugs to our Nation, many of it through ports of
entry and so coming to the United States from these cartels. We
must do everything possible, Madam Chair, to stop them.
I thank you, and I yield back my time.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you, Mr. Espaillat.
Ted Yoho of Florida.
Mr. Yoho. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I support all these amendments and bills, and I think they
are good, and look forward to voting on them. Thank you.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Lieu?
Not there.
Mr. Cicilline.
Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for
holding this markup today and for once again bringing before
this committee a range of bipartisan measures, each of which I
support.
I am happy to be a cosponsor of the bill introduced by my
ranking member, Mr. Engel, reaffirming the strong commitment to
the United States-Mexico partnership. The relationship between
Mexico and the United States goes back to our founding, and we
have enjoyed a long friendship, a mutually beneficial
partnership on issues ranging from drug trafficking, border
control, national security, environmental protection, and share
deep roots between many of our citizens. I am pleased to see
such strong bipartisan support for this resolution which
recognizes the importance of the U.S.-Mexico relationship.
I am also a cosponsor of Chairman Royce's cybersecurity
bill, which will elevate the issue of cybersecurity within our
diplomatic efforts and improve U.S. State Department engagement
issues of cyber diplomacy to promote a more open and secure
internet. I strongly support the establishment of an Ambassador
over cyberspace at the State Department, as well as the other
measures included in this legislation.
I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 1415, the End Neglected
Tropical Diseases Act, lead by my colleagues Chris Smith and
Gregory Meeks. I have had the opportunity, along with many of
my colleagues, to visit and see for myself some of the areas of
the world where neglected tropical diseases still run rampant,
impacting the health of millions of people. The work that USAID
and other government agencies have been doing on NTDs is
lifesaving, and this bill will only improve the ability of our
various government agencies to coordinate and work
collaboratively to ensure that treatment reaches as many people
as possible as quickly as possible.
House Resolution 401 urges all nations to outlaw the dog
and cat meat trade, a practice that has lovers of animals, I
find, abhorrent. I thank my colleague from Florida, Mr.
Hastings, for being a devoted and outspoken advocate against
the dog and cat meat trade in Asia, and I am happy to be a
cosponsor of this important resolution.
I support Representative Grothman's resolution condemning
the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities
worldwide. In recent years, there has been an increase in
discrimination, targeting, persecution, and killing of
Christians and other minority religious groups, particularly
with the rise of the Islamic State and other extremist groups
in the Middle East. All people should be free to practice their
religion with tolerance and respect from their government and
the communities in which they live.
I want to thank Representative Crowley and Representative
Chabot for introducing Resolution 90 condemning ethnic
cleansing of the Rohingya and calling for an end to the attacks
and an immediate restoration of humanitarian access to the
state of Rakhine in Burma, of which I am a cosponsor. The
coordinated and concerted attacks against the Muslim Rohingya
people of Burma are appalling and must be stopped by the
Burmese authorities immediately.
The country of Bangladesh is absorbing an astonishing
number of Rohingya refugees, over 600,000 since the newest
round of violence began. Accommodating this extreme number of
people so quickly, many of whom have suffered severe trauma or
have serious health concerns, is not an easy task. I commend
the Bangladeshi Government for their willingness to assist
these people who have suffered so much, and I am pleased to
support this resolution as a cosponsor.
We are considering two bills today that will punish people,
enemies who engage in or support terrorist activity.
Spearheaded by Representative Brian Mast and Josh Gottheimer,
the Palestinian International Terrorist Support Prevention Act
will impose sanctions on foreign people and governments who
provide support to terrorist groups, including Hamas and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad. And Hamas Human Shield Prevention
Act condemns the abhorrent practice of using human shields by
Hamas, and imposes sanctions on Hamas-related entities that
engage in or support the use of human shields.
Finally, we are considering the Taylor Force Act, which
seeks to end the despicable habit of the Palestinian Authority
rewarding and incentivizing terrorism by paying the families of
terrorists convicted of engaging in terrorism against Israel.
This legislation is named in honor of U.S. Army veteran and
West Point graduate Taylor Force, who was tragically killed by
a Palestinian knife attack in 2016. This legislation will limit
assistance that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority
until they end the practice of paying terrorist families. The
U.S. has not provided direct assistance to the Palestinian
Authority since 2014, but we continue to fund organizations
that work with the Palestinian Authority. This bill will end
any assistance that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority
until they end their terrorist payment system. I strongly
support this legislation which attempts to end the abhorrent
practice that incentivizes and rewards terrorism.
I want to be sure that we craft a policy response that, as
we do that, we do it in a thoughtful way that achieves our
desired goals without unattended consequences that could have a
negative impact in American interests in the West Bank in Gaza
on the stability of the Palestinian-controlled territories or
that could do harm to Palestinian women and children. And that
is why I support the amendment being offered by my Democratic
colleague, Mr. Connolly, that would place an exemption in this
legislation for programs that provide vaccinations to children.
Additionally, I think it is important that we, as
policymakers, get a detailed account of the impact of this
legislation once it is put into place, and that is why I am
offering an amendment to require a one-time report that
outlines the programs, projects, and activities that are
suspended as a result of this legislation.
I want to thank the chairman again, the ranking member, for
their support of my amendment. I sincerely hope that by passing
the Taylor Force Act, we send a message to the Palestinian
Authority that this disgusting payment system must be stopped.
And with that, I yield back.
Chairman Royce [presiding]. Thank you, David.
We go to Lee Zeldin of New York.
Mr. Zeldin. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I appreciate the committee's consideration today of the
Taylor Force Act. I want to thank Mr. Lamborn for his
leadership introducing this bill. And I am proud to be the
original cosponsor of this important proposal.
It is important to understand why this legislation is so
key to pass. Innocent Americans and Israelis are being murdered
by Palestinian terrorists. Those Palestinian terrorists are
being treated as martyrs for committing these acts of
terrorism. And while the U.S. sends our tax dollars to the
Palestinian Authority, these terrorists and their families are
being financially rewarded by the PA.
Taylor Force is an American hero, a graduate of the United
States Military Academy at West Point. He deployed overseas in
defense of our freedoms and liberties and everything that makes
our Nation the greatest Nation in the world.
The Taylor Force Act will prevent American foreign aid from
funding the PA, unless the Secretary of State certifies that
the PA has taken credible steps to end acts of violence against
U.S. and Israeli citizens, publicly condemns such acts of
violence, terminates payments for acts of terrorism against the
U.S., and revokes any law authorizing this payment system. This
legislation is long overdue.
I thank Chairman Royce for his leadership in ensuring that
this bill came up for a vote in this committee to get sent to
the floor for passage. I encourage all of my colleagues to
support it, and I yield back.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen [presiding]. Mr. Sherman of California.
Mr. Sherman. Thank you.
Perhaps everything has been said, but I haven't said it.
Thank you for yielding 5 minutes to me.
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, I want to commend you for
bringing worthy bills to this committee and for doing it in a
bipartisan manner. These bills are worthy of support, and that
is why I have cosponsored each and every one of them.
One deals with the United States-Mexico partnership;
another, the dog and cat meat trade in Asian countries. We have
one on tropical diseases, the Palestinian International
Terrorism, the use of human shields by Hamas, and a resolution
condemning Burma's military for attacking the Rohingya Muslims.
I especially want to focus on H. Con. Res. 90 condemning
the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya introduced by Mr. Crowley and
Mr. Chabot. In August of this year, Burma's military, also
known as Myanmar, launched a military operations against
Rohingya Muslims and over 500,000 Rohingya have fled to
neighboring Bangladesh.
The resolution calls upon the Burmese military to cease
attacks against the Rohingya and restore humanitarian access
for them. It expresses support for Bangladesh for providing
refuge for so many refugees, and calls upon the President to
impose sanctions on those responsible for human rights abuses,
including members of the Burmese military and security
services.
Not only should we take a principled stand, but we need to
remind the world that we are taking a principled stand. The
United States is among the forefront of nations trying to
protect the Rohingya, contrast that to China, which seems to
care only about its relationship with the Burmese regime. And
we should remind the Muslim world in particular that we are the
only country to ever bomb a Christian nation in order to
protect Muslims, not once but twice. Both Kosovo and Bosnia
were protected by United States bombing of Serbia.
I strongly support two resolutions that condemn Palestinian
terrorism. One in particular is H.R. 3542, the Hamas Human
Shields Prevention Act, that has been introduced by Mr. Wilson.
This legislation sanctions Hamas members for their use of human
shields. The House passed similar legislation regarding
Hezbollah last month, and I was pleased to cosponsor that
legislation as well.
H.R. 2712, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support
Prevention Act of 2017, introduced by Mr. Mast, calls for the
imposition of sanctions against supporters of Hamas. Its
findings mention that Hamas has received significant financial
and military support from Qatar, and possibly Iran as well. And
it is time for us to reevaluate our relationship with Qatar in
light of a number of recent developments, but especially
focused on their support for Hamas.
Finally, there is the Taylor Force Act, which I strongly
support. And rather than speak at great length, I will
incorporate by reference Mr. Deutch's comments, which I think
were excellent on this subject. I think that his phrase ``pay
for slay'' is correct. I don't know whether he developed that
or got it from elsewhere. And I believe that another one of our
members used the term ``murder for hire.'' They are both
applicable.
So, Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your work and yield back
my time.
Chairman Royce [presiding]. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We go to Brian Mast of Florida.
Mr. Mast. Thank you, Chairman.
You know, I could say that following my service in the U.S.
Army, I chose to volunteer alongside the Israeli Defense
Forces, because our countries do share very common values that
all countries should share, those ideals of freedom, democracy,
and mutual respect for the human rights of all people. My
service has also brought me face-to-face with those who do not
have a mutual respect for those ideals that we should all be
rallying around.
Hamas preaches destruction to Israel, death to the values
that we as citizens of the United States hold dear. It is well
known that Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization
specifically designated by the United States Government as a
global terrorist. The organization is responsible for the
deaths of hundreds of Israelis, for dozens of U.S. citizens.
Similarly, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was designated a
foreign terrorist by the Department of State, and it has also
been named a specially designated global terrorist by the
Department of Treasury. And this foreign terrorist organization
has claimed credit for multiple terrorist attacks in Israel,
including an attack that killed a U.S. citizen, Alisa Flatow, a
student from New Jersey, who was participating in a Jewish
student program while in Israel.
My bill, H.R. 2712, the Palestinian International Terrorism
Support Prevention Act, targets these groups. It targets them
by imposing sanctions on those who knowingly and materially
assist Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad or any affiliate
or any successor organization. It will require that the
President report to Congress on foreign entities that
contribute to support networks of Hamas, and it will require
that we impose sanctions on those bad actors until they cease
to do so.
Under this legislation, the administration will be required
to impose two or more sanctions to ensure that they understand
the United States will not stand by for any foreign group,
state, or person providing assistance to any terrorist
organization.
You know, for far too long, the number one terror state
sponsor in the world, Iran, they have armed their dangerous
tentacles, one of them being Hamas. The Israeli authorities
have seized vessels filled with weapons and antiship missiles
coming from Iran headed toward the Gaza Strip. From the Gaza
Strip, there have been hundreds of missiles that have been
fired into Israel that came directly from Iran.
Hamas is not the only terrorist organization that benefits
from Iranian support. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad receives
considerable support from Iran. There has been one estimation
that there has been up to $70 million a year going to the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad coming from Iran.
This bill will increase accountability. It will further
isolate these bad actors. It will hold countries like Iran
responsible for assisting in violent extremism. Foreign
supporters, they have to face consequences for being associated
with, for contributing to, for participating in these heinous
terror networks.
Beyond that, I want to lend my support for the work the
whole of this committee has done today. It is outstanding work,
especially the work on the Taylor Force Act. I have had the
opportunity to speak with a very high level official from the
Palestinian area. And when I question him about the payments
given to families, he said to me very callously and very
arrogantly, he actually chuckled to me, that it was nothing
more than what is like our Social Security here in the United
States of America. To the Palestinians there, they believe that
there is a special Social Security that should be given for
killing our Jewish friends. And I can't think of much more that
would be more disgusting than that. And the U.S. should play
absolutely no role in rewarding this rancid, anti-Semitism and
this rancid hatred.
All of the work today is proof that confronting hatred and
supporting our ally Israel, it is not an issue of left versus
right. This has been very bipartisan work today. It is an issue
of right versus wrong. I thank everybody for the work today,
and I yield back, Chairman.
Chairman Royce. And Major Brian Mast, we thank you.
We now go to Thomas Suozzi of New York.
Mr. Suozzi. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you
and the ranking member for your bipartisan leadership. Once
again, we are very grateful to you. And I want to commend my
colleagues for the good work that they have done here today in
putting forward these nine bills, which I intend to support.
I would like to speak today in support of H.R. 1164, the
Taylor Force Act. The Taylor Force Act withholds U.S. aid that
benefits the Palestinians until they take demonstrable steps
toward ending violence and incitement against Israeli citizens.
For too long we have allowed the Palestinian Authority to
play a duplicitous game. They talk about nonviolence, about
wanting peaceful coexistence with Israel, that they want to be
a negotiating partner with Israel. Then they turn around and
pay millions of dollars each year to terrorists that make
peaceful coexistence impossible.
The Palestinian Authority calls it a welfare program, as
Mr. Mast just pointed out. But what kind of welfare program
rewards people for committing crimes, heinous crimes? The
Palestinian Authority pays its teachers about $500 per month.
It pays terrorists, like the one who killed Taylor Force, up to
$3,500 a month for life. These are demented priorities. These
payments to terrorists make peace impossible. They are an
affront to American values.
So it is time we send a clear message to President Abbas
and the rest of the Palestinian leadership. It should be an
easy choice. Stop supporting and incentivizing terrorism that
you claim to oppose. If you cannot make that simple choice, we
cannot support you. We owe that to Taylor Force.
Taylor represented the best of America. A West Point
graduate, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan,
an MBA student, a young man with a bright future ahead of him.
And then his life was cut short in a brutal terrorist stabbing
in Israel. His killer went on to stab 11 other people, Jews and
Arabs, men and women, one woman even pregnant. It was the third
Palestinian attack against Israelis just in that one single day
in March 2016. And all of those attackers and others like them,
under this welfare system, would be rewarded. The Taylor Force
Act seeks to rectify this injustice.
Now a brief word about Hamas. Hamas has killed hundreds of
Israeli citizens and rained rockets on Israeli cities. It has
also caused untold suffering for 2 million Palestinians in Gaza
who live under its violent and corrupt rule. We hope that last
month's reconciliation with Fatah is the first step toward
disarming this terrorist group and stripping it of its power,
but it leaves many questions unanswered. And we need to keep
the pressure on with further sanctions.
H.R. 3542 sanctions Hamas for its human shields, while H.R.
2712, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support
Prevention Act of 2017, of which I am an original cosponsor,
imposes sanctions against Hamas' foreign supporters.
Again, I thank my colleagues for their leadership on all
the issues put forth to our committee today. Whether we are
speaking out for justice for murdered Israelis, the grave
humanitarian crisis affecting Rohingya, or shedding light on
the persecution of Christians around the world, this committee
continuously shows its commitment to human rights, justice,
stability, and may I mention bipartisanship.
Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Tom.
We go to Mike McCaul of Texas.
Mr. McCaul. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to first highlight the U.S.-Mexico resolution. This
bipartisan resolution was introduced by myself and Ranking
Member Eliot Engel. It reaffirms a strong commitment to the
U.S.-Mexico partnership. As a Texan, chairman of the U.S.-
Mexico Interparliamentary Group, and chairman of the Homeland
Security Committee, I cannot overstate the importance of a
strong partnership between the United States and Mexico. And
let me be clear: This is a partnership.
There are times in which our respective countries may
disagree on matters of foreign policy, but it is of critical
importance to the economic and security interest of both
countries to work through our differences in a respectful,
productive manner. The legislative branches of our respected
governments have a special role to play in this regard. As
chairman of the U.S.-Mexico IPG, I have seen firsthand the
power of legislative diplomacy.
In June of this year, I led a delegation of Members to
Mexico during one of the most trying times in our long
relationship. Needless to say, a little respect and civil
discourse can go a long way between our two delegations, and we
made a lot of progress on a number of issues.
So as we continue to engage Mexico in the many pressing
issues of the day, I hope this resolution will serve as a
reminder as to why this relationship is so important.
And next, I would like to voice my support for a bill you
sponsor, Mr. Chairman, and I was honored to cosponsor, and that
is the Cyber Diplomacy Act. As we all know, cyberspace is
increasingly becoming a venue for malicious actors to harm the
United States and our allies. At a time when cyber landscape is
becoming complex and dangerous, we should be sharpening the
tools in our toolkit.
As such, the Cyber Diplomacy Act allows our State
Department to better perform 21st century diplomacy by
establishing an Ambassador for Cyberspace to help promote our
cyber interests internationally. It enhances transparency at
the State Department's current and future cyber arrangements
with our partners, and ensures our cyber policy evolves with
the landscape by requiring each new administration to produce a
strategy relating to international cyberspace. Simply put, we
need better coordination at the State Department to keep the
internet free, open, and safe from malicious activities of
adversaries who threaten our interests.
To that end, Mr. Chairman, I hope to make this bill even
stronger through an amendment that would specify the Ambassador
for Cyberspace, among other things, to be responsible for
helping coordinate our interagency efforts to counter
cyberterrorism. This very simple amendment would go a long way
to ensure the State Department plays a significant and
effective role in preventing terrorists from exploiting our
cyberspace.
And finally, I would like to highlight the bill, the Taylor
Force Act of critical importance. This legislation is a
critical step in ensuring the kind of atrocity that took place
on March 8 of last year, which left former U.S. Army officer
and Vanderbilt student Taylor Force dead, to make sure that
that is not repeated.
Specifically, legislation would withhold U.S. economic
assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it has taken
credible steps to end the promotion of violence against
Americans and Israeli citizens, fully stop the payments for
acts of terrorism which takes place, and publicly condemns acts
of violence, and cooperate in investigations of such acts.
I had the honor to share the stage with Mr. Force last
month with you, Mr. Chairman. And I hope no family ever has to
endure a tragedy like he and his family have. In fact, this
committee should do all it can to ensure that is the case.
And with that, I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. McCaul.
We go to Dan Donovan from New York.
Mr. Donovan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I am pleased to support all the measures being offered
in today's markup. I specifically would like to speak about
three of them.
The Taylor Force Act is a bill that was named after Taylor
Force, a U.S. citizen and war veteran, who was fatally stabbed
by a Palestinian assailant while studying abroad as a private
citizen. The Palestinian Authority despicably continues to give
payouts to families of so-called martyrs who commit acts of
terrorism.
While the U.S. has responded by reducing the Economic
Support Fund for the PA dollar for dollar, this has not been
enough for the PA to end their practice of rewarding
terrorists. According to PA financial statements, from calendar
year 2013 to 2016, U.S. budget support has averaged about 13
percent of the PA's annual external support and 3.5 percent of
annual PA spending over that time. Clearance revenues, tax and
customs amounts due to PA that Israel collects on its behalf
and transfers to it, per a 1994 agreement, over that same
period, average around 50 percent of annual PA spending.
Palestinians are among the world's largest per capita
recipients of international foreign aid. Any aid that we give
to the PA puts money in their coffers that then indirectly
supports their heinous payouts. It is time that we end funding
to the PA, and the Taylor Force Act does just that.
This bill would, beginning in fiscal year 2018 and
continuing for the five subsequent fiscal years, withhold U.S.
economic assistance that directly benefits the PA unless the PA
has taken the following four actions: First, it has taken
credible steps to end acts of violence against Israelis and
Americans perpetrated or materially supported by those under PA
control. Two, it stops payments for acts of terrorism. Three,
it revokes its laws compensating prisoners who commit acts of
terrorism based on length of prison sentence or take in
comparable actions that have the effect of revoking such laws.
And, fourth, publicly condemns acts of violence and cooperates
in investigations of such acts.
The United States taxpayer dollars should never go to
compensate individuals who commit terrorism, even indirectly.
The Taylor Force Act will put an end to this practice.
I would like to also speak, Mr. Chairman, on the resolution
to impose sanctions with respect to foreign support for
Palestinian terrorism. Hamas was designated a foreign terrorist
organization by the State Department on October 8, 1997, and
named a specially designated global terrorist by the Department
of Treasury under Executive Order 130224. This act will require
the President to report on and issue sanctions against foreign
persons, agencies of foreign states and governments that
support Hamas.
Hamas has been intertwined with Iran ideologically,
politically, and militarily. Qatar has a strategic opportunity
to sever itself from Hamas and, by extension, Iran, which is a
state sponsor of terrorism. My amendment here will require the
administration to assess the extent to which all countries in
the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Qatar, participate in
initiatives of the Terrorist Financial Targeting Center. It
will also require reporting on the extent to which the
Terrorist Financial Targeting Center has been utilized to
address financial support for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad.
This will ensure that Congress knows Qatar is complying
with the classified memorandum of understanding Secretary
Tillerson signed with Qatar this past summer. We must ensure
that terrorist financing, wherever it comes from, is cut off.
This bill and my amendment does just that.
And finally, Mr. Chairman, about religious persecution,
H.R. 407. It is deeply saddening that we must consider
resolution condemning religious persecution in 2017, 240 years
after America's Founders held itself evident truth that people
can worship how they choose. Religious discrimination is a
global human rights crisis, and we must speak up when a
religious group is persecuted for their beliefs.
This resolution affirms that religious freedom is a
fundamental right of every individual, and condemns the
persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in
regions where worshipping how one chooses is a punishable
offense.
And, with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back the remainder of
my time.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Scott Perry. General Scott Perry.
Mr. Perry. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I just want to echo the adulation and thanks of the other
members to the bipartisan efforts of the leadership of this
committee in moving this package of bills forward. And they are
all good bills and all worthy of individual praise.
I want to call particular praise to 401, urging the
outlawing of the dog and cat meat trade and enforce existing
laws in the trade; House Resolution 407 for the persecution of
Christians around the world; and specific import on the Taylor
Force Act.
And the thing that I lament most about the Taylor Force Act
and 2712, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support
Prevention Act, and the 3542, the Hamas Human Shield Prevention
Act, that it has taken this long for us to deal with these
issues and get these bills through the committee and to the
floor. It would be my hope that they would move quickly to the
floor and pass easily and quickly in the United States Senate.
And finally, for condemning the ethnic cleansing of the
Rohingya. And the only thing I lament there, while it is
appropriate to condemn the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and
call for an end to the attacks, unfortunately, I don't think
that is going to do much for the fate of the Rohingya. And in
this case, it is, in my opinion, the duty of the U.N. to
intervene directly and immediately to stop their persecution.
So with that, Mr. Chairman, I thank you again for this
effort and this package of good bills. It is my hope and
intention that they move to the floor very quickly now and are
passed. And I appreciate the opportunity to be present for
this.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield.
Chairman Royce. Thank you.
We go to Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Mr. Chairman, I support all of these
bills. And unlike my colleagues who said that everything has
been said and ask for 5 minutes, I will say that everything has
been said. There is nothing more I can add, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Chairman Royce. Thank you very much, Mr. Sensenbrenner, for
yielding back.
Do other members feel the same way?
Now, who else seeks time?
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, they 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.
So this concludes our business for today. And, again, I
want to thank our ranking member, Mr. Engel, and all of our
committee members for their contributions, their assistance,
with today's markup.
The committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:40 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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