    [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

                                 SECOND SESSION

                                       ON

                    H. Res. 931, H. Res. 1006, H. Res. 1052,
                 H. Res. 1055, H.R. 1567, H.R. 4591, H.R. 5723,
                      H.R. 6018, H.R. 6413, and H.R. 6651

                                   __________

                                SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 115-158

                                   __________

            Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

    [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    Available: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/, http://docs.house.gov,

                          or http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

                                     ______

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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 [until 9/10/   JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
        18] deg.                         ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
    MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina         BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
    TED S. YOHO, Florida                 DINA TITUS, Nevada
    ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois             NORMA J. TORRES, California
    LEE M. ZELDIN, New York              BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois
    DANIEL M. DONOVAN, Jr., New York     THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York
    F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Jr.,         ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York
        Wisconsin                        TED LIEU, California
    ANN WAGNER, Missouri
    BRIAN J. MAST, Florida
    FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida
    BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
    THOMAS A. GARRETT, Jr., Virginia
    JOHN R. CURTIS, Utah
    VACANT

         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. Res. 931, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives
      that the 85th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933,
      known as the Holodomor, should serve as a reminder of
      repressive Soviet policies against the people of Ukraine.......     2
    H. Res. 1006, Condemning the deteriorating situation in Venezuela
      and the regional humanitarian crisis it has caused, affirming
      support for the legitimate National Assembly and the Supreme
      Court, and urging further regional action in support of
      democracy in Venezuela.........................................     7
      An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 1006
        offered by the Honorable Paul Cook, a Representative in
        Congress from the State of California........................    14
          An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
            to H. Res. 1006 offered by the Honorable Albio Sires, a
            Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey..    20
    H. Res. 1052, Affirming United States-Australia cooperation on
      space research, exploration, and utilization...................    21
    H. Res. 1055, To affirm strong United States-Liberia ties and
      support for democratic principles, and call for full
      implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
      recommendations, including the establishment of an
      Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for Liberia....................    25
    H.R. 1567, To promote economic partnership and cooperation
      between the United States and Mexico...........................    29
      An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1567 offered
        by the Honorable Joaquin Castro, a Representative in Congress
        from the State of Texas......................................    35
    H.R. 4591, To impose sanctions with respect to Iranian persons
      that threaten the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government
      of Iraq........................................................    41
      An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 4591 offered
        by the Honorable Adam Kinzinger, a Representative in Congress
        from the State of Illinois...................................    52
          An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
            to H.R. 4591 offered by:
              The Honorable Ted Poe, a Representative in Congress
                from the State of Texas..............................    61
              The Honorable Joe Wilson, a Representative in Congress
                from the State of South Carolina.....................    63
    H.R. 5273, To reduce global fragility and violence by improving
      the capacity of the United States to reduce and address the
      causes of violence, violent conflict, and fragility in pilot
      countries, and for other purposes..............................    64
      An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5273 offered
        by the Honorable Eliot L. Engel, a Representative in Congress
        from the State of New York...................................    87
    H.R. 6018, To establish an interagency program to assist
      countries in the Sahel, Maghreb, and adjacent regions of Africa
      to improve immediate and long-term capabilities to counter
      terrorist threats, and for other purposes......................   109
      An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6018 offered
        by the Honorable Michael T. McCaul, a Representative in
        Congress from the State of Texas.............................   118
          An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute
            to H.R. 6018 offered by the Honorable Mark Meadows, a
            Representative in Congress from the State of North
            Carolina.................................................   127
    H.R. 6413, To combat trafficking in human organs, and for other
      purposes.......................................................   128
      Amendment to H.R. 6413 offered by the Honorable Edward R.
        Royce, a Representative in Congress from the State of
        California, and chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs.......   138
    H.R. 6651, To extend certain authorities relating to United Sates
      efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria globally,
      and for other purposes.........................................   140
      Amendment to H.R. 6651 offered by the Honorable Christopher H.
        Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State of New
        Jersey.......................................................   144

                                    APPENDIX

    Markup notice....................................................   172
    Markup minutes...................................................   173
    Markup summary...................................................   175

                                VARIOUS MEASURES

                                  ----------

                          THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

                           House of Representatives,

                         Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC.

        The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 o'clock a.m.,
    in room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Edward Royce
    (chairman of the committee) presiding.
        Chairman Royce. Pursuant to notice, we meet today to mark
    up 10 bipartisan measures. Without objection, all members may
    have 5 days to submit statements or extraneous materials on
    today's business.
        As members were notified yesterday, we intend to consider
    today's measures en bloc, and so, without objection, the
    following items previously provided to the members--and also,
    by the way, it's in your packets here--will all be considered
    en bloc and are considered as read.
        And they are House Resolution 931, regarding the Ukrainian
    famine back from 1932-1933; House Resolution 1006, condemning
    the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with the Cook
    Amendment 64 in the nature of a substitute and the Sires
    Amendment 22; House Resolution 1052, affirming United States-
    Australia space cooperation; House Resolution 1055, affirming
    strong United States-Liberia ties; H.R. 1567, United States-
    Mexico Economic Partnership Act with the Castro Amendment 104
    in the nature of a substitute; H.R. 4591, Preventing Iranian
    Destabilization of Iraq Act with the Kinzinger Amendment 35 in
    the nature of a substitute and the Poe Amendment 114 and Wilson
    Amendment 70; H.R. 5273--this is the Global Fragility and
    Violence Reduction Act of 2018 with the Engel Amendment 115 in
    the nature of a substitute; H.R. 6018, Trans-Sahara
    Counterterrorism Partnership Act of 2018 with the McCaul
    Amendment 109 in the nature of a substitute and the Meadows
    Amendment 165; H.R. 6413, the STOP Organ Trafficking Act with
    the Royce Amendment 143; and H.R. 6651--this is the PEPFAR
    Extension Act of 2018 with the Smith Amendment 113.
        [The information referred to follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chairman Royce. So I now recognize myself to speak on
    today's business.
        So, first, we have the PEPFAR Extension Act, and for many
    of you who were on the this committee or know the history of
    the committee, in 2003, Congress and the Bush administration
    united in an effort to stem the tide of HIV infections that
    threatened to wipe out a generation of people living in Africa
    and today PEPFAR has proven highly effective.
        It has saved innumerable lives. It has won the U.S. a great
    deal of good will.
        Our committee has held many hearings, briefings--gone to
    Africa on multiple occasions to conduct oversight over the
    supply chain for this lifesaving program, and we will be
    finalizing a report on this important work.
        And I want to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Members
    Engel and Bass for their dedication to this issue.
        Next, we have the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act,
    and this codifies and enhances existing authorities for the
    President to hold Iran and to hold Iran's militias accountable
    for their deadly activities in Iraq.
        These militias are not only a threat to the Iraqi people,
    because earlier this month these militias launched mortars at
    the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, if you'll remember.
        I want to thank the author, Representative Kinzinger, and
    Chairman Poe, who has held hearings on this issue on his
    subcommittee.
        Next, I'd like to thank Ranking Member Engel and Chairman
    McCaul for the Global Fragility and Violence Reduction Act, and
    this act will allow the U.S. to better coordinate efforts to
    reduce conflict overseas which has caused unprecedented levels
    of human displacement.
        The bill requires strong monitoring and evaluation so our
    overseas missions can learn from their past successes and learn
    from their failures.
        And I'd also like to thank Chairman McCaul and Ranking
    Member Keating for their work on the Trans Sahara
    Counterterrorism Partnership Act because Boko Haram and ISIS
    and al-Qaeda affiliates continue to wreak havoc across West
    Africa. So this legislation will improve U.S. diplomatic
    development and defense programs to confront these threats.
        Next, we have the Stop Organ Trafficking Act. Global
    scarcity for transplant organs has led to an annual global
    black market of $1.2 billion.
        Authoritarian states and human traffickers and even ISIS
    terrorists have profited from this disgusting practice. This
    bill closes a gap in U.S. law that currently fails to recognize
    organ trafficking as a form of human trafficking.
        Next, we have the U.S.-Mexico Economic Partnership Act. As
    our neighbor to the south, Mexico is an important trading
    partner of the United States. So this bill builds on existing
    programs to increase our educational and professional exchanges
    between our two countries.
        Next, I'd like to thank Chairman Cook for his timely and
    important resolution on Venezuela. This resolution further
    affirms Congress' continuing commitment to helping the people
    of Venezuela in their struggle against the Maduro regime's
    brutal and destructive rule.
        And I also thank Representative Donovan for his resolution
    that affirms the strong U.S.-Liberia relationship and our
    commitment to helping the Liberian people promote peace,
    prosperity, and democracy through the ongoing reconciliation
    process. This is an issue that I have long been engaged on
    dating back to the committee's role in pressing for the arrest
    of the notorious war criminal Charles Taylor and then for his
    successful prosecution.
        Next, we have House Resolution 931. This resolution
    recognizes the anniversary of the brutal and manufactured
    famine in Ukraine in the 1930s and it expresses Congress'
    unwavering support for the Ukrainian people in their continuing
    struggle to establish a peaceful, democratic, and secure
    country in which basic human rights are respected.
        And, finally, I thank Representative Castro for his
    resolution which affirms the value of our longstanding alliance
    with Australia and our mutually beneficial cooperation in a
    broad range of areas from defense to space.
        And I now recognize the ranking member, Eliot Engel of New
    York, for his opening remarks.
        Mr. Engel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
    calling this markup, and thank you to all our colleagues for
    their hard work.
        There are 10 good measures before us today and I am pleased
    to support them all.
        First, I'd like to discuss H.R. 5273, the Global Fragility
    and Violence Reduction Act, which I authored with
    Representatives Poe, McCaul, Keating, and others. Thank you all
    and thanks, Mr. Chairman, for bringing this up today.
        Global levels of violence are at a 25-year peak, and when a
    region faces violence the effects are felt far and wide.
    Economic development backslides, global stability wavers,
    terrorists thrive, and people flee their homes, creating large-
    scale refugee and migrant crises.
        So it's critical that we work to prevent this violence from
    happening in the first place. Since September 11th, we have
    learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes
    to stabilizing conflicts and preventing violence from breaking
    out.
        Those lessons should shape American policy. That's what
    this bill does. It establishes an initiative to reduce
    fragility and violence that will align American engagement with
    the lessons we have learned.
        It will require the State Department, USAID, and the
    Department of Defense to coordinate their diplomatic,
    development, and security activities with a focus on 10
    priority countries and it requires best practices as we work
    with partners, measure results, and adapt to changing
    conditions.
        We need to update our Government's policies to prevent
    violence and I ask all members to join me in supporting the
    bill.
        And when unspeakable violence does occur, we need to
    properly recognize the perpetrators of those crimes and hold
    them accountable.
        Mr. Donovan's measure, H. Res. 1055, would help do so by
    reaffirming the historic U.S. relationship with Liberia and
    calling for the Government of Liberia to hold accountable those
    who carry out mass violence and atrocities during the country's
    civil war in the 1990s.
        In places where instability leads to terrorism and
    conflict, it's important that we collaborate with our allies in
    a united interagency effort.
        So I support Mr. McCaul's Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism
    Partnership Act, which strengthens our work across the U.S.
    Government to assist partners in the Sahel and Maghreb regions
    of Africa to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
        Our partnerships with foreign countries are important for
    economic development as well, especially when it comes to our
    neighbors. That brings me to Mr. Cuellar's United States-Mexico
    Economic Partnership Act.
        Mexico is a friend and ally, our third largest trading
    partner, and a country with which we share extraordinarily
    close cultural and familial ties.
        This bill requires the Secretary of State to expand
    educational and professional exchange programs with Mexico.
    It's important that we send a strong message to the Mexican
    people that the United States Congress will not walk away from
    them, despite the damage that has been done to its relationship
    in recent months and years.
        I'll turn now to a resolution condemning the dire
    humanitarian situation in Venezuela sponsored by
    Representatives Cook and Sires.
        The current situation in Venezuela is really just
    horrendous. President Maduro has turned the country into a
    full-fledged dictatorship and victimized his citizens.
        It's a tragedy which requires world leaders to speak out,
    but not with the sort of reckless threats and bellicose
    rhetoric we have heard from the administration.
        This measure represents a strong bipartisan message from
    Congress and I urge all members to support it.
        Keeping countries stable is critical, especially in areas
    where foreign governments are seeking to create disorder.
        Mr. Kinzinger and Mr. Suozzi's Preventing Destabilization
    of Iraq Act works to prevent dangerous outsiders from
    nefariously interfering in Iraq by slapping sanctions on any
    foreign person conducting significant destabilizing activities
    in that country.
        Especially at this time in Iraq, it is important that the
    United States send a clear signal to the Iraqi people and
    regional actors that what happens in Iraq matters to the United
    States, that we have an interest, and I thank my colleagues for
    this bill.
        Next, I'll discuss the PEPFAR Extension Act. As the sponsor
    of the last PEPFAR reauthorization in 2013, I am proud to
    support the bipartisan bill before us today.
        PEPFAR, as the chairman mentioned, is a landmark program
    dedicated to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS. Thanks to
    PEPFAR, 14 million men, women, and children are on lifesaving
    treatment and more than 2 million babies were born HIV-free to
    mothers living with HIV. This is remarkable progress and we
    must keep striving for more.
        The PEPFAR Extension Act before us today will help ensure
    this phenomenal work continues for another 5 years. It's an
    excellent program with bipartisan support and I urge all
    members to join me in voting for this measure.
        I'd also like to recognize Mr. Castro's resolution
    affirming U.S.-Australia cooperation on space research and
    exploration. I support this measure that highlights this
    important area of international cooperation with one of
    America's closest friends and allies.
        Next, Congressman Sandy Levin's measure that recognizes the
    85th anniversary of the 1932 famine in Ukraine--as we watch the
    Russian occupation in Crimea and aggression against eastern
    Ukraine, we are reminded that this horrific human tragedy was
    designed by Stalin to crackdown on Ukrainian resistance to
    Soviet rule.
        With this measure, Congress solemnly remembers the millions
    of Ukrainians who perished in this genocide. I urge all members
    to support it.
        Another good bill before us today is the STOP Organ
    Trafficking Act. I want to thank Representative Deutch and
    Trott for reintroducing this measure, which passed with
    overwhelming support in the last Congress.
        The need for transplant organs throughout the world has led
    to a gruesome underground trade of organs. It's horrifying and
    we need to have laws and research directed at solving this.
    This bill is a step in the right direction. I urge all members
    to support the measure.
        Once again, thank you to all our members. Thank you for
    your hard work on this committee over the last 2 years. I want
    to just say at the end of this markup we will have a brief
    meeting here in the chairman's room with the Prime Minister of
    Kosovo, and I hope that all members of the committee on both
    sides will join us for a few minutes to meet with Ramush
    Haradinaj, the Prime Minister of Kosovo.
        So thank you for everything, Mr. Chairman, and I yield
    back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        Paul Cook of California seeks recognition.
        Mr. Cook. Chairman Royce, thank you for holding this
    important markup today.
        I am pleased to be joined by Ranking Member Engel, Chairman
    Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Sires,
    along with several other members, in sponsoring House
    Resolution 1006 on Venezuela.
        The situation in Venezuela worsens every day with
    hyperinflation projected to reach an unimaginable 1 million
    percent by the end of the year.
        China and Russia continue bankrolling Venezuela's failed
    economy and Cuban intelligence agents have enabled Nicolas
    Maduro to suppress the opposition and illegitimately cling to
    power.
        More than 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled the country,
    creating a vast regional migration and potential public health
    crisis as countries have struggled to respond.
        This week, President Trump and Vice President Pence
    affirmed U.S. commitment to supporting the Venezuelan people.
    The announcement of an additional $48 million for humanitarian
    assistance brings total American support to over $118 million
    in aid to Western Hemisphere countries responding to the
    Venezuelan migration crisis.
        The additional U.S. sanctions on four members of Nicolas
    Maduro's inner circle and seizure of $20 million of private
    jets are just critical to show the criminality and corruption
    of the Maduro regime at the expense of the Venezuelan people
    and emphasize that loyalty to Maduro comes at a steep cost.
    These efforts build on previous U.S. sanctions as well as those
    by Canada, the European Union, and Switzerland.
        Moving forward, we need to see more actions by the U.S. and
    countries in the Western Hemisphere. House Resolution 1006 that
    we are discussing today recognizes and applauds the efforts by
    the Lima Group, the Organization of American States, as well as
    the 19 countries that voted in favor of the most recent OAS
    resolution on Venezuela last June.
        Notably, there are another 12 countries in Latin America
    and the Caribbean who voted against or abstained from voting on
    that OAS resolution.
        Today, there is no excuse for enabling the continuation of
    tyranny in Venezuela or the corresponding havoc on the region.
    This resolution affirms the U.S. support for the legitimate
    National Assembly and Supreme Court and urges countries in the
    region, especially those 12 who have been reticent to take
    action, to support democracy in Venezuela, and an investigation
    under international law into crimes against humanity by the
    Maduro regime.
        Recent leadership by the Governments of Argentina,
    Colombia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and Canada to seek to hold
    Maduro accountable for his crimes against the Venezuelan people
    is welcome news and I commend these governments' actions.
        In conclusion, the resolution also urges further U.S.
    sanctions and public diplomacy efforts to expose corruption
    among Venezuelan officials and greater regional and global
    coordination on imposing sanctions on Venezuelan officials
    responsible for the ongoing crisis and it demonstrates the
    continuing and unwavering support of the U.S. Congress for the
    people of Venezuela and all efforts to end this crisis and
    support a return to democracy.
        Thank you. I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Cook.
        Mr. Joaquin Castro of Texas.
        Mr. Castro. Thank you, Chairman, and thank you to all the
    members and everybody who worked on the pieces of legislation
    in front of us today.
        The bills and resolutions considered today on Australia,
    Ukraine, Venezuela, Liberia, Mexico, Iran, global fragility,
    Counterterrorism in West Africa, organ trafficking, and HIV/
    AIDS address important issues in the world.
        And I'd first like to thank the committee for considering
    my resolution that I authored with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik
    of New York on supporting greater cooperation on space
    research, exploration and utilization with our Australian
    allies.
        This July, the Australian Government set up their first
    space program. This year marks 100 years of close cooperation
    between the United States and Australia, dating back to the
    First World War where the two countries fought side by side.
        The alliance has only deepened in the century that followed
    to include diplomatic, cultural, and economic cooperation in
    addition to space exploration.
        In fact, Australia played a part in one of America's most
    notable achievements in space. The first images of Neil
    Armstrong on the moon were relayed to the American people and
    the world through radio stations in Australia.
        There is value in the United States' deepening cooperation
    with our allies and partners in exploring space and finding
    commercial opportunities outside our planet as we seek to
    improve our understanding of the universe and our place within
    it and I appreciate the support of my colleagues in this
    measure and would ask for their support on it.
        I would next like to voice my support for the United
    States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act introduced by Ranking
    Member Engel and by my colleague from Texas, Henry Cuellar.
        At a time when we have a President that's consistently
    attacked Mexico and Hispanic Americans in our own nation, this
    bill supports greater educational and economic ties between the
    United States and Mexico when we need it most.
        A friendly productive relationship with our neighbor to the
    south is vital for the continued prosperity and security of
    Americans, especially those in communities from border states
    like mine, Texas.
        The programs the bill supports through the 100,000 Strong
    in the Americas Initiative will help communities on both sides
    of the border strengthen academic opportunities, commerce,
    energy infrastructure, and medical care, and I'd like to thank
    the committee for marking this important measure up.
        Next, I'd like to thank Chairman Cook and Ranking Member
    Sires for introducing the resolution on Venezuela that we are
    considering today.
        The situation in the country is dire with the failed
    policies of Nicolas Maduro resulting in an economic collapse
    and the flight of millions of Venezuelan citizens to
    neighboring countries.
        I urge my colleagues on this committee to support this
    measure and to support efforts by the Organization of American
    States and our partners in the region to support democracy and
    fight for democracy in Venezuela.
        I also would like to thank the countries in the region,
    particularly Colombia, that have taken in so many of those that
    are fleeing the dire circumstances and situation in Venezuela.
        All countries, including the United States, have a moral
    obligation to help those who flee persecution and catastrophe
    and are in desperation, and I am disappointed that the
    administration has reduced the number of refugees our country
    will be taking in this coming year down to 30,000 from an
    already low 45,000.
        We are closing our doors and putting up walls at a time
    when there are many more people displaced around the world from
    their homes. In fact, today there are about 70 million around
    the world who are displaced.
        I am proud to support the other measures as well. Thank
    you, Chairman. I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        Mr. Dan Donovan of New York.
        Mr. Donovan. Thank you, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member
    Engel, for holding this markup today.
        We have many important measures on the calendar and, as
    always, it's a pleasure to work in a bipartisan manner to
    tackle tough foreign affairs matters and push toward
    legislation that will make a difference in the world.
        Our schedule this week, both for hearings and this markup,
    has a heavy emphasis on global human rights. Of all the soaring
    rhetoric on this topic, our Founding Fathers said it best in
    the Declaration of Independence:

            ``We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men
            are created equal and they are endowed by their creator
            with certain unalienable rights, that among these are
            life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.''

        As this committee has seen time and time again, chaos lies
    in the wake of human rights violations, and when that happens
    it causes a country and even an entire region and continent to
    become destabilized.
        This then creates a downward spiral of violence. Murder,
    rape, torture, and the lack of human dignity makes an area ripe
    for radicalization and leads to the absence of even the most
    basic sanitary and health services.
        This dangerous combination then threatens our security here
    in the United States. Protecting human rights across the globe
    is not just morally the right thing to do, but it is also vital
    to our own national security.
        Stopping war crimes before they happen is just as important
    as ensuring that justice prevails afterwards. Without justice,
    there cannot be healing for the victims and the cycle of
    turbulence will start anew.
        This is why I am proud to sponsor H.R. 1055, to affirm
    strong United States-Liberian ties and support for democratic
    principles and call for full implementation of the Truth and
    Reconciliation Commission recommendations including the
    establishment of an extraordinary criminal tribunal for
    Liberia.
        My district, Staten Island and south Brooklyn, is home to
    thousands of Liberians who have fled the turbulence of civil
    war. My constituents have directly told me how important it is
    to them that Liberia establish an extraordinary war crimes
    tribunal.
        Liberia itself recommended the establishment of a war
    crimes tribunal in its own Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
    Liberia's current President, President George Weah, called for
    the establishment of a war crimes tribunal in 2004 as a UNICEF
    goodwill ambassador.
        There is time to put this into action. At this very moment,
    people who have committed unspeakable war crimes hold positions
    in Liberia's Government.
        For example, Senator Prince Y. Johnson is an infamous war
    lord who tortured and murdered former President Samuel Doe.
    There is a video of Johnson's sickening mutilation of President
    Doe where Johnson is, despicably, sipping on a beer, fanned by
    an assistant, while Johnson's minions cut off Doe's ear.
        With the presence of Johnson and others in the current
    government, we are seeing Liberia's slow creep backward toward
    the murderous mayhem of its civil war days.
        Liberians are, rightfully, clamoring for justice. Without
    it, I fear there will be further violence and turbulence, which
    nobody wants to see.
        This is why it is so crucial to call upon Liberia and
    President Weah to establish a war crimes tribunal.
        Thank you, Chairman Royce, my Democratic co-leader,
    Congressman Hank Johnson, and all of our other co-sponsors for
    supporting this resolution.
        I would also like to thank the staff committee, especially
    Meg, Sean, and Marie, for their work on this matter. I urge all
    my colleagues to support this resolution and continue to seek
    justice across the globe.
        Mr. Chairman, I yield the remainder of my time back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Donovan.
        Mr. Albio Sires of New Jersey.
        Mr. Sires. I want to start by thanking Chairman Royce and
    Ranking Member Engel for bringing up these measures today. The
    10 bipartisan measures being considered today is a testament to
    the continued efforts of Chairman Royce and Ranking Member
    Engel to set aside partisanship and ensure this committee gets
    things done.
        I'd like to speak in support of House Resolution 1006, an
    important resolution introduced by Chairman Paul Cook. This
    resolution highlights the deteriorating situation in Venezuela
    and the regional humanitarian crisis it has caused.
        It also reaffirms support for the legitimate National
    Assembly and urges further regional action to help the
    Venezuelan people.
        The resolution supports the findings of the Organization of
    American States' panel of experts that states that there are
    reasonable grounds to believe that the government of Nicolas
    Maduro has committed crimes against humanity and urges the
    region to support an investigation under international law.
        I would also like to thank the chairman and his staff for
    working with us on our amendment to highlight Maduro's
    continued crackdown on political expression.
        Deputy Juan Requesens was detained last month as Maduro
    used an alleged assassination attempt in August as an
    opportunity to further crack down on his opposition.
        He is just one of many who have been detained and
    disappeared as Maduro tries to further consolidate power.
        I want to thank Chairman Royce, Chairman Cook, and Ranking
    Member Engel for their continued attention to the plight of the
    Venezuelan people. I support the resolution and urge my
    colleagues to do the same.
        Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.
        Chairman Royce. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.
        Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
        I add my support for all the measures before us today. I'd
    like to offer some brief remarks on just a few.
        First, I am proud to be an original co-sponsor along with
    you, Mr. Chairman, as well as our ranking member, Mr. Engel,
    Karen Bass, my fellow co-chair of the HIV/AIDS Caucus, Barbara
    Lee of Chris Smith's PEPFAR Extension Act.
        This important bill would extend this longstanding
    bipartisan lifesaving program for another 5 years. In 2003,
    President George W. Bush called on Congress to take action in
    responding to the global crisis of HIV/AIDS and I am proud that
    not only did we answer the President's call but this committee
    took a leading role in the response.
        I will never forget standing in the Oval Office as
    President Bush signed this essential program into law. When
    PEPFAR began 15 years ago, only 50,000 people in Africa were
    receiving HIV treatment.
        Today, there are over 14 million people receiving HIV
    treatment globally and over 2 million babies are born HIV-free
    to HIV-positive women. Amazing.
        PEPFAR is truly a shining example of American leadership
    and what our country can achieve when our branches of
    government work together in a bipartisan manner.
        The United States must continue to lead the global response
    to HIV/AIDS, build on the strong partnerships that we have
    built around the world.
        It continues to be the largest and most successful
    humanitarian aid commitment made by any nation in history. I
    urge all of my colleagues to give it their full support.
        We see some of their proud advocates here today in the
    audience.
        Next, I am also proud to be an original co-sponsor of our
    Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairman Paul Cook's House
    Resolution 1006.
        This important resolution condemns the Maduro regime for
    its role in the deterioration of Venezuela's democratic
    institutions and for the creation of a humanitarian crisis that
    grows worse by the day.
        Maduro's failed policies have left Venezuelan people
    malnourished, sick, poor, without food, without basic medical
    supplies.
        The United States and our partners have a responsibility to
    do everything that we can to ensure humanitarian aid reaches
    the people of Venezuela and I am glad that this resolution
    calls not just for more assistance but for greater coordination
    in the region and beyond.
        I commend the administration for allocating funds to help
    Venezuelan refugees in Colombia and for its continued targeted
    sanctions against the regime including those this very week
    against Maduro's inner circle.
        Whether it's people like Cilia Flores, Maduro's wife, or
    Diosdado Cabello, the head of the sham Constituent Assembly, we
    must continue putting pressure on those responsible and sending
    a strong message that the U.S. will not sit idly by as the
    regime continues its repression.
        We must also, as this bill does, express our unwavering
    support for Venezuela's legitimate democratic institutions like
    its duly elected National Assembly and the Supreme Court, as
    well as civil society.
        I thank my colleague, Paul Cook, and Albio Sires for their
    leadership on this resolution and for their tireless support
    for the people of Venezuela.
        I offer my support also for my friend Adam Kinzinger's
    bill, the Preventing Iran Destabilization Act. This important
    bill would impose sanctions against a multitude of Iranian
    militias, proxies, terrorist groups, and other nefarious
    entities operating in Iraq who are undermining our efforts at
    stabilization.
        As Mr. Kinzinger knows firsthand, Iran's activities in Iraq
    only benefit one country--Iran.
        And finally, I'd like to say just a few words of support of
    Mr. McCaul's bill, H.R. 6018, the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism
    Partnership Act. Launched in 2005, this is an important program
    for building partner country capacity in a critical region of
    the world.
        This bill both codifies the partnership into law while
    helping to sharpen its focus with some necessary oversight. I
    offer my full support for this as well as all of your bills.
        As always, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you. Thank you.
        We go now to Mr. David Cicilline from Rhode Island.
        Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to
    you and to the ranking member of this committee for bringing
    forth these important bills and resolutions.
        While the world is facing the largest refugee crisis in
    recorded history with 22.5 million refugees worldwide, the
    Trump administration has cut refugee admissions for 2019 to a
    record low of 30,000.
        In our own hemisphere, conditions in Venezuela have led to
    the largest migration crisis of its kind in recent Latin
    American history. According to the United Nations, more than
    2.3 million Venezuelans have left their country since 2014.
        It's important for the United States to stand with partners
    in our hemisphere to condemn the actions of the Maduro regime,
    expose corruption among Venezuelan officials, support
    democratic actors, and provide humanitarian assistance to the
    people of Venezuela.
        I am proud to support H. Res. 1006 and to be a co-sponsor
    of this resolution, which condemns the deteriorating situation
    in Venezuela and the regional humanitarian crisis it has caused
    and calls on the President to increase support to the
    Venezuelan people.
        H. Res. 1055, which affirms strong United States-Liberia
    ties and support for democratic principles and calls for full
    implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
    recommendations including the establishment of an extraordinary
    criminal tribunal for Liberia, affirms the U.S. commitment to
    helping the Liberian people promote peace, prosperity, and
    democracy through the reconciliation process and supports the
    efforts of the State Department and USAID in advancing the rule
    of law, effective governance, and a strong civil society in
    Liberia.
        In March of this year, the United Nations' mission in
    Liberia successfully completed its mandate to help stabilize
    and develop Liberia following its civil wars.
        I traveled to Liberia in 2013 and saw firsthand the amazing
    progress achieved by the people of Liberia in cooperation with
    the United States, the U.N., and the international community.
        Under the 2003 comprehensive peace agreement, a Truth and
    Reconciliation Commission was established to address the
    widespread atrocities that had been committed.
        However, Liberia has yet to hold a single person to account
    for past abuses. The United States and Liberia share close
    historical, political, and economic ties and it's right that we
    should raise our voices alongside the international community
    to call upon the Liberian Government to establish a process of
    accountability to ensure that the perpetrators of gross human
    rights violations and war crimes are brought to justice.
        I am proud to support and co-sponsor this measure and
    encourage my colleagues to do the same.
        I am also proud to support H.R. 1567, the United States-
    Mexico Economic Partnership Act. The United States and Mexico
    also share a long history of friendship and partnership.
        The past and futures of both our nations are intertwined.
    Today, at a time when divisive rhetoric is easier to come by
    than a kind word, it's more important than ever to strengthen
    the ties of friendship and cooperation with our neighbors to
    the south.
        By increasing educational and professional exchanges
    between our countries, the United States-Mexico economic
    partnership will help citizens of both nations to build
    relationships, share knowledge, and create opportunities that
    will help both countries grow and prosper.
        H.R. 6413, the strategy to oppose predatory organ
    trafficking, is an important step toward--forward in addressing
    a horrific practice and protecting the most vulnerable.
        Human trafficking for organ removal is at once an egregious
    human rights abuse and a form of human trafficking. Motivated
    by demand, international criminal organizations have taken the
    shortage of organs as an easy opportunity to pressure people
    from countries living in poverty into selling their organs.
        By recognizing organ trafficking in the U.S. human
    trafficking framework and requiring reporting on trafficking of
    persons for the removal of their organs, this bill shines a
    light on this nightmarish practice.
        And, finally, H.R. 6651, the PEPFAR Extension Act of 2008,
    I've always been a proud and vocal proponent of PEPFAR and I am
    glad that it has earned bipartisan support from Congress and
    multiple administrations.
        This program has enabled expanded access to anti-viral
    therapies for those suffering with HIV and AIDS, which has led
    to a decrease in deaths from this devastating disease all
    around the world.
        It support more than 14 million people with lifesaving
    anti-viral treatment and has contributed to the well-being of
    more than 2.2 million babies born HIV-free to pregnant women
    living with HIV.
        It's critical that the United States continue to play a
    leadership role in the fight against this disease and that's
    why I am, once again, proud to support and co-sponsor the
    extension of PEPFAR in H.R. 6651, the PEPFAR Extension Act of
    2008.
        I am proud to support all these measures and urge my
    colleagues to do the same, and yield back the balance of my
    time.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Cicilline.
        Tom Garrett of Virginia.
        Mr. Garrett. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to the
    members and the committee for bringing forth these meaningful
    pieces of legislation.
        I am going to isolate my comments specifically on H. Res.
    1006 and Venezuela and take this opportunity to speak to the
    tragic pattern that we have demonstrated across over 100 years
    of the failure to learn the lessons taught to us very clearly
    by history.
        Mr. Chairman, this legislation is frustrating only in so
    far as I wish we could do more--the sense of Congress regarding
    a tragedy that's literally impacted millions is the right thing
    to do and I am glad to support it and add my name to it.
        And yet, time and again we have watched as individuals have
    been swept to power--Hugo Chavez and his successor, Nicolas
    Maduro--under promises to create utopian paradises by virtue of
    government regulation.
        When this government regulation occurs at the expense of
    free markets, when it occurs vis-a-vis the disincentivization
    of individual initiative, these promises of fairness manifest
    themselves in the uniform distribution of poverty and
    suffering.
        Whether Cambodia or Maoist China, whether the former Soviet
    Union or Cuba, the patterns and outcomes are all the same, and
    it is many times that I have implored my peers and superiors on
    this committee to remember the words of Arthur Vandenberg, that
    politics stop at the water's edge.
        So I will leave out American political leaders and their
    comments on Venezuela over the last going into 20 years. But
    let me say when luminaries and thought leaders like Michael
    Moore and Sean Penn join hands with people like Hugo Chavez,
    when the leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn,
    suggests that Hugo Chavez and, later, Nicolas Maduro will work
    to advance the cause of people struggling across Venezuela,
    what we have seen throughout the course of history is literally
    the destruction of lives.
        Blessed with vast mineral resources, Venezuela, not long
    ago, was the wealthiest, most prosperous country in Central and
    Latin America. We now see, literally, millions displaced and a
    population wherein the average weight loss over the last 365
    days is closing on 20 pounds. Maybe I should move there.
        Having said that and making light, it's a tragedy that need
    not repeat itself.
        Mr. Chairman, before I came to this body and after I leave
    it, I will consider myself a historian and some lessons are
    written large on the pages of history, if we are only willing
    to listen.
        No less a thought luminary than Gandhi once stated that man
    cannot be made good by law, and while I seek the best for the
    collective, I believe to my very core that the best of the
    collective is achieved by empowering the individual.
        Therefore, Mr. Chairman, it's with some satisfaction that I
    lend my support to H. Res. 1006 but some disappointment that we
    seem condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past.
        Thank you for your time, and I'd yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you. We appreciate your observations,
    Mr. Garrett.
        I would say the advantage of the sense of Congress on
    sanctions and us moving this measure and the discussions we
    have had in subcommittee and full committee on it have had a
    desired effect in terms of pressuring the administration, and 2
    days ago they did announce sanctions on Venezuela.
        But I think your point is well taken and but I did want to
    make the point that our actions here and our pressures here
    often have results.
        We go now to Tom Suozzi of New York.
        Mr. Suozzi. Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel, thank
    you again for your continued bipartisan work on this
    committee--the measures put forward here today--another example
    of the great work this committee has done under your bipartisan
    leadership.
        Iran is continuing to use corruption and violence and their
    malign influence to manipulate Iraq's political system. It's
    threatening Iraq's peace and stability and undermining their
    economic reconstruction.
        I'd like to speak today in support of H.R. 4591, which I am
    co-sponsoring, the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act, and
    I want to thank Representative Kinzinger for his leadership on
    promoting stability throughout the Middle East.
        At the United Nations this week, Iranian President Rouhani
    spoke against foreign interventions and imposition of ``alien
    wishes of the people of the region.''
        In an Atlantic op-ed last year, his Foreign Minister Zarif
    complained about countries which support ``nonstate actors who
    wreak havoc through terror.'' They both might want to look in
    the mirror.
        In Iraq, Iranian-backed militias have committed human
    rights abuses for years, executing and beating civilians, and
    looting homes.
        These same militias have taken roles to try and influence
    Iraq's nascent political system. In Iraq's recent elections,
    the IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani himself has been spending
    time coercing Shi'ite parties with differing views to form a
    paramilitary parliamentary majority, one that presumably would
    be in favor of his agenda.
        H.R. 4591 would sanction any foreign person--not just
    Iranians, but all--conducting significant destabilizing
    activities in Iraq.
        Corruption is endemic and rampant in Iraq's political
    system. As a representative government of the will of the
    people, it is key to long-term stability.
        This version of the bill also includes important language
    from Representative Poe that would require our Government to
    look into designating two of Tehran's proxies in Iraq--HHN and
    AAH--as foreign terrorist organizations.
        By 2011, AAH claimed responsibility for thousands of
    attacks on U.S. and coalition forces. HHN, a hybrid of fighters
    from AAH and Hezbollah brigades of Iraq, has also played an
    active role against Americans during the Iraq war and now in
    Syria's civil war, boasting a unit in the Golan Heights
    targeting Israel.
        These groups must be called what they are--terrorists.
        On a different note, I want to make sure I speak in special
    support of PEPFAR Extension Act--H.R. 6651. I want to thank co-
    sponsors Chris Smith and Barbara Lee.
        This committee continues to do bipartisan work to promote
    human life and dignity worldwide by seeking to address acute
    humanitarian needs and to reduce global poverty.
        U.S. goodwill reflects our shared value that all people
    deserve opportunities to reach their fullest potential and to
    promote the common good.
        PEPFAR is one of the most successful programs demonstrating
    U.S. leadership. The reauthorization ensures that 10 percent is
    set aside for some of the most vulnerable among us--orphans and
    vulnerable children.
        These programs provide psychological care and support
    household economic strengthening, legal protection, education,
    health and nutrition, and family and community strengthening
    services.
        Strengthening the systems that support vulnerable children
    and families ensures that children living with the HIV virus
    receive the support they need and the HIV negative children
    know their status and remain negative.
        Thank you for ensuring that children are protected as part
    of PEPFAR reauthorization, and I yield back the balance of my
    time.
        Chairman Royce. Mr. Chris Smith of New Jersey.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you
    for your leadership in bringing all of these bills to the
    committee and, ultimately, to the floor.
        I want to thank you for marking up my bill, H.R. 6651, the
    PEPFAR Extension Act of 2018--a 5-year extension of a landmark
    law authored by Chairman Henry Hyde in 2003.
        Members who were here at the time might recall that Henry
    Hyde was eloquent, aggressive, and persuasive, because at that
    point we knew the pandemic was exploding all over the world,
    particular in Africa, and that man whose portrait sits to my
    right, your left--Henry Hyde--was absolutely tenacious in
    making sure that we acted and we acted promptly with sufficient
    resources to really get the job done.
        I'll never forget his eloquence. He compared the HIV/AIDS
    pandemic to the Black Death--to the bubonic plague that ravaged
    all of Europe--and he said, if we don't act who will.
        And when we acted, Europe and many other countries began to
    follow suit and very, very critical masses of money and
    technical expertise and health interventions began to flow.
        First proposed and strongly pushed by President Bush and
    continued through the Obama administration and into the Trump
    administration, PEPFAR has been and continues to be an historic
    sweeping health and humanitarian initiative that has saved the
    lives of millions, and it is a triumph of bipartisanship.
        And let's not forget that the legislation also includes
    tuberculosis. In my committee we have held hearings just
    recently about how TB is now the leading infectious disease in
    the world and with multi-drug resistance making some people
    incurable--because TB is usually very curable--it is a problem.
        So this money continues to be deployed in order to combat
    that and, of course, malaria, which ravages especially children
    especially in hot tropical climates, including and especially
    in Africa and some parts of Asia, this legislation, again,
    continues to provide very, very important money to those
    individuals in health care.
        It is estimated that some 16 million lives have been
    saved--16 million--due to PEPFAR, and 13 countries are on track
    to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2020.
        Consider that when PEPFAR was launched 15 years ago--and I
    know my good friend and colleague, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, pointed
    this out as well--only 50,000 people in Africa had access to
    any lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment, or ARVs. Now,
    roughly, 14 million men, women, and children are receiving such
    ongoing treatment because it has to be ongoing in order to be
    efficacious in treating the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
        PEPFAR has also made possible the end of mother-to-child
    transmission of HIV/AIDS. Some 2.2 million babies have been
    born HIV-free to HIV-positive mothers.
        It used to be the mom had the disease during the child
    traversing through the birth canal, it was highly likely that
    that girl or boy would contract the disease as well.
        The lives of so many have been enhanced, not just those
    infected by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria, but the family
    members and friends who have their loved ones with them now,
    today, are thriving because of this Henry Hyde initiative,
    which was backed so and pushed so strongly by President Bush
    and, of course, in a bipartisan way.
        Our group of bipartisan original sponsors have sought to
    extend the reauthorization of PEPFAR, as I said in the
    beginning, for another 5 years.
        I want to thank my lead Democratic sponsor Barbara Lee for
    her commitment to extending PEPFAR as well as to commend the
    leadership shown by Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel,
    Chairwoman Emeritus Ileana Ros-Lehtinen--and we will miss her--
    and my distinguished colleague on the Africa, Global Health,
    Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
    Subcommittee, my good friend and colleague, Ranking Member
    Karen Bass.
        Upon consultation with Ms. Lee, we did decide to add an
    amendment which would explicitly extend programs aimed at
    supporting orphans and vulnerable children until 2023 as well.
        This amendment has the support of a number of organizations
    including faith-based partners such as Catholic Relief Services
    and World Vision.
        Finally, I also want to single out the extraordinary work
    of our PEPFAR coordinator, Ambassador Deborah Birx and thank
    her for her leadership. First serving in the Obama
    administration and now in the Trump administration, Ambassador
    Birx has been a model of results-oriented data-driven
    professionalism.
        Her compassionate commitment to those who suffer from HIV/
    AIDS, TB, and malaria is truly inspiring and remarkable.
        On another bill--and I won't speak to them all, just two
    more, Mr. Chairman, because they are all good. I'd like to
    thank Mr. Dan Donovan, a valued member of our Subcommittee on
    Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International
    Organizations for his leadership that he has shown with regards
    to Liberia.
        Congressman Donovan spearheaded a hearing which this
    subcommittee held on the future of democracy and governance in
    Liberia. He is a great friend of Liberia and of the Liberian-
    American community.
        With House Resolution 1055, Mr. Donovan has again pointed a
    way forward for Liberia, a country which has emerged from a
    gruesome civil war in 2003. While it is true that the Special
    Court for Sierra Leone--we have had David Crane testify here
    many times at our subcommittee--the lead prosecutor--and they
    are the ones who convicted Charles Taylor, who never thought he
    would be held to account and he got 50 years and is now in
    prison for his horrific crimes in that quest for justice and
    there is a continued work for Truth and Reconciliation but it
    is unfinished.
        To solidify the progress it has made in Liberia it is
    important that the report of recommendations issued by that
    Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2008 be implemented,
    including its recommendation for establishing an extraordinary
    criminal tribunal for Liberia.
        This is a key item called for by Mr. Donovan's H. Res.
    1055. Liberia is a country with longstanding historical ties
    with the U.S. and our friendship and common bonds with Liberia
    are deep and genuine.
        Liberia and Liberian Americans have no greater friend, I
    would say, than our good friend, Dan Donovan. You have been
    tenacious. Thank you.
        Finally, I just want to make a comment on the STOP Organ
    Trafficking Act and strongly support it. This act amends the
    Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 by adding the
    involuntary removal and selling of organs as actionable items
    to be included in the TIP Report and all things that we do vis-
    a-vis trafficking persons.
        Nowhere is there more evidence of this gruesome trade than
    in the People's Republic of China, and I've held hearings on it
    on the China Commission, which I also chaired.
        In the nearly 20-year effort to eradicate the Falun Gong,
    the Chinese Communist Party has illegally imprisoned and killed
    countless Falun Gong practitioners.
        Researchers David Kilgour, David Matas, and Ethan Gutmann
    have conducted detailed investigation and estimated that
    between 45,000 to 65,000 Falun Gong practitioners were killed,
    murdered, for their organs, which were then sold for profit.
    Those estimates may now be even higher.
        The Chinese Government continues to insist that accounts of
    torture, sexual crimes, and arbitrary detention and all of the
    human rights abuses for which they are known for of Falun Gong
    practitioners and others are mere rumors. And yet, the evidence
    points precisely to the opposite.
        Mr. Chairman, this bill is an excellent next step in
    countering this vile trade and will bring us one step closer to
    ensure that life and human dignity are respected.
        However, we should also be calling on the Department of
    State and the international medical community to do detailed
    analyses and studies on the trafficking of persons for the
    purpose of selling their organs and make every effort to ensure
    that countries such as China are held accountable.
        Again, I want to thank Congressman Trott for his
    leadership. This is a tremendous bill and deserves the
    unanimous support of every member of this committee and the
    House.
        Chairman Royce. And we go now to Mr. Espaillat of New York.
        Mr. Espaillat. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member
    Engel. Thank you for continuing your bipartisan work in this
    committee.
        There are a number of important pieces of legislation
    before this committee and I would like to highlight a few I
    find to be particularly important.
        First, H.R. 1006, condemning the deterioration of the
    situation in Venezuela, recognizes the humanitarian crisis
    underway in that country, which has led to terrible food and
    health shortages, therefore, propelling many Venezuelans to
    flee to other countries, further adding to the refugee crisis.
        In addition, the Maduro administration continues to crack
    down on the opposition and jail many of its leaders. It is
    important that we work with our allies to address this crisis
    and that we further our humanitarian assistance and
    multilateral sanctions.
        The people of Venezuela are hungering for democracy and
    they are starving for food, and so this is fastly becoming a
    dramatic humanitarian crisis the region, propelled and pushed
    by the Maduro dictatorship. We must continue to do more to aid
    the people of Venezuela.
        H.R. 1567, the United States-Mexico Partnership Act--this
    bill, which requires a strategy to further economic cooperation
    and prioritize educational and professional exchange programs
    between our country, highlights the crucial relationship
    between our countries.
        This is vital at a time when the relationship between our
    nations have strained by the administration approach to
    negotiating with our neighbors.
        Mexico continues to be a friendly neighboring country. We
    must treat it as such. I think this particular resolution
    furthers that rather than very harsh adversarial language that
    often puts people apart.
        H.R. 4591, the Preventing Iranian Destabilization of Iraq
    Act, will sanction any person who is meddling in Iraq and
    causing further deterioration of the situation there.
        Iran's region meddling and state-sponsored terrorism must
    be reined in and we cannot allow for Iran to continue in this
    fashion.
        I strongly support these and the other bills before the
    committee.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back the remaining
    part of my time.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        We go now to Mr. Ted Poe.
        Mr. Poe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I am proud to support Mr. Kinzinger's bill, H.R. 4591, the
    Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act. Just yesterday, my
    subcommittee held a hearing on Iran's growing influence in
    Iraq.
        It is my opinion and the opinion of others that Iran is
    trying to make Iraq a puppet state of Iran. Every witness made
    it clear the biggest threat to Iraq's continued stability and
    sovereignty today is Iran.
        On the ground, those who do Tehran's bidding in Iraq are
    the multitude of Iranian proxy militias operating in the
    country. They have blood on their hands of Americans, Iraqis,
    Syrians, and Kurds.
        In May, these terrorist criminals won increased power in
    Iraq's Council of Representatives. We must do everything we can
    to isolate these terrorist groups--these militias.
        They not only directly threaten our soldiers and diplomats
    but they threaten the very future of a democratic and stable
    Iraq.
        I am glad the committee has included the key components of
    my Iran Proxies Terrorist Sanction Act and Mr. Kinzinger's
    bill. This will target two Iraqi militias that act as Iran's
    foreign legion in Iraq and Syria.
        These two groups, known as AAH and HHN, are terrorist
    groups. They have killed Americans and just last month fired
    mortars at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. consulate
    in Barra.
        Yet, despite the countless evil acts, they have not been
    designated as terrorist groups by our State Department.
    Instead, when my staff visited our Embassy in Baghdad recently
    these State Department officials scoffed at the proposal to
    sanction these murdering proxies, saying it would cause the
    groups to be aggressive against the U.S.
        Well, the inaction allowed AAH and HHN and their Iranian
    masters to gain substantially more political power and then, in
    spite of the State Department's appeasement and inaction, as I
    mentioned, recently--soon after my staff visited the Embassy,
    mortars came into the Embassy from these two groups.
        There are even other more prominent Iranian-controlled
    groups acting in Iraq and I hope this bill send a message to
    them that we know who they are.
        I've also introduced an amendment that names seven
    individuals in leadership roles in various Iranian-backed proxy
    militias in Iraq.
        The amendment will require the State Department to
    determine whether they too should be designated as terrorists.
    These men have sworn allegiance to the Supreme Leader in Iran
    and have killed and displaced thousands in both Iraq and Syria.
        They are enemies of both the United States and the people
    of Iraq and the free world.
        I would also like to commend Mr. Wilson for his amendment
    to target Afghan and Pakistani mercenary brigades of the IRGC
    operating in Iraq and Syria.
        Taken together, this bill will go a long way toward
    correcting the history of paralysis and inaction of the United
    States in dealing with proxies and the attempt of Iran to make
    Iraq a puppet state.
        I also am proud to have worked closely with Ranking Member
    Engel and Mr. Adam Smith and Mr. McCaul on H.R. 5273. Too often
    we focus our efforts on trying to end violence without
    addressing the underlying issues.
        This bill is a bold attempt to change that. This bill will
    set up an initiative that will improve global, regional, and
    local coordination of efforts to prevent violence and address
    the root causes of violence.
        Importantly, this initiative will improve the effectiveness
    of U.S. foreign assistance and enshrine rigorous monitoring and
    evaluation.
        The bill will reform our approach to foreign assistance by
    having all U.S. Government agencies work together. What a novel
    approach that is.
        And I want to thank Ranking Member Engel for his leadership
    on this issue as well as my colleagues, Mr. Smith and Mr.
    McCaul.
        And lastly, in my comment in this remaining minute, I want
    to point out again, as been said before, that this committee
    works on a bipartisan basis--works very well on a bipartisan
    basis.
        Other committees in the House of Representatives should
    take note of the bipartisanship of most of the legislation that
    comes out of this committee, and I really want to commend
    Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel on working together on
    these very important international issues and our committee
    speaking as one voice.
        And lastly, my last comment would be I want to thank Mr.
    Engel, the ranking member, personally for the time that he has
    worked with me.
        We come from almost two foreign countries--New York and
    Texas--and I appreciate his patience over the years in dealing
    with certain issues but talking to me personally, and I want to
    thank Ranking Member Engel for his long-time involvement in
    foreign affairs and in service in Congress.
        And I'll yield back.
        Mr. Engel. Would the gentleman yield to me before he----
        Mr. Poe. Sure I'll yield.
        Mr. Engel. Yes. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas,
    who has been an outstanding, a stellar member of this
    committee.
        It's because of people like him and his intellect and his
    attitude that really has helped make this committee the
    bipartisan committee that we all strive on both sides of the
    aisle to make.
        I have always said that when it comes to foreign policy,
    politics and partisanship should stop at the water's edge. The
    threats that we have to this country are threats to all of us,
    regardless of political persuasion, and that's what I like so
    much about this committee.
        It's people like the gentleman from Texas who have added so
    much to this committee and to the dialogue through the years,
    and I certainly will miss him and I wish him godspeed and only
    the best.
        Thank you. I yield back.
        Mr. Poe. I thank the gentleman. I'll yield back my time to
    the chair.
        Mr. Smith [presiding]. Thank you.
        The chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Michael
    McCaul.
        Mr. McCaul. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member.
        I, too, would like to say what an honor it's been to serve
    with Congressman Ted Poe, my dear friend and colleague.
        We came into Congress together 15 years ago and I am going
    to miss you on a lot of levels. But you have served your
    country well, sir, and thank you so much for that.
        I'd also like to thank Congressman Smith for his leadership
    on this PEPFAR extension. Since its inception, the program has
    provided lifesaving drugs to over 14 million people.
        And I was recently at Texas Children's Hospital at an event
    with the President of Botswana, who basically described how
    this program and what the doctors at Texas Children's did was
    saved his country, in his words, from extinction.
        It's not very often we get to pass legislation in the
    Congress and hear that we saved a country from extinction
    because of a bill that Congress passed.
        So, Congressman Smith, thank you for bringing this up
    again. It's vitally important not only to Africa but to the
    world that we reauthorize this, and the importance of that
    program cannot be understated and I applaud the consideration
    of it again.
        Turning my attention, I wanted to highlight two measures
    that I introduced--the Global Fragility and Violence Reduction
    Act--which I wrote with Ranking Member Engel, and the Trans-
    Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Act.
        Both of these bills coordinate a whole of government
    approach to fight global terrorism at its root causes. Too
    often when global crises emerge the United States commits
    financial and other resources to immediately address the
    problem.
        While we must continue to tackle such imminent threats, we
    must do more to prevent threats from emerging in the first
    place.
        Now, this makes me think back to 2001. Prior to 9/11,
    Afghanistan was not a foreign policy priority of the United
    States. It was barely on anybody's radar, and so were the
    Embassies in Africa and the USS Cole and the 1993 bombing of
    the World Trade Center.
        But 17 years later, we are still in Afghanistan committing
    significant resources to rebuilding that country. Afghanistan
    was what we call a fragile state.
        Broadly speaking, these are countries where the government
    loses legitimacy in the eyes of its people and struggles to
    govern.
        What if we could identify so-called fragile states ahead of
    time and prevent them from failing? That is why I helped
    introduce the Global Fragility and Violence Reduction Act.
        This bill requires the administration to launch a global
    initiative to reduce fragility and violence, guiding our
    efforts to help fragile states down a path toward stability.
        The bill also requires the Department of State, in
    coordination with USAID and the Department of Defense, to
    identify 10 countries or regions as pilot programs to start
    this new initiative.
        Since each fragile state is different, this initiative is
    flexible to address the causes of fragility in each case. One
    area of the world where state fragility and violent extremism
    currently persists is in north and in west Africa.
        Since our operational successes against ISIS and the
    collapse of the caliphate, many of their fighters have
    splintered and fled to Africa where other terrorist
    organizations have flourished.
        Today, it is estimated that 10,000 ISIS and al-Qaeda
    jihadists have already set up camps across the continent, with
    Boko Haram and others having spread terror for years.
        These terrorist organizations pose an immediate threat and
    we must work with our regional governments to build their
    capacity to blunt these terrorists.
        My bill, which I introduced with my friend, Mr. Keating,
    authorizes also for the first time the Trans-Sahara
    Counterterrorism Partnership to aid our efforts to help fight
    these terrorists in Africa.
        This program works alongside countries like Chad and Mali
    and Nigeria to build their capacity, to conduct counter
    terrorist operations.
        This partnership also enhances the ability to monitor,
    restrain, and interject terrorist movements and strengthen the
    rule of law.
        Furthermore, my bill requires the State Department, USAID,
    and Defense Department coordinate on a counterterrorism
    strategy for Africa and deliver that strategy to the Congress.
        State fragility and, by extension, violent extremism is a
    major foreign policy challenge for the United States. But by
    taking a multifaceted multilayered approach as this bill does,
    we may be able to avert larger crises.
        Now, it's interesting to note--I mentioned 10,000 jihadists
    in Africa, and prior to 9/11 there were just several hundred
    al-Qaeda operatives--several hundred--and they pulled of 9/11.
        And now, today, while I do believe the threat has gone down
    with the collapse of the caliphate, the fact that there is
    still thousands of these jihadists in northern Africa in the
    Sahel gives me great concern and great pause.
        And so with that, I'd like to thank the ranking member and
    Mr. Keating and all the members of the committee for their
    support of this legislation.
        I yield back.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you.
        I'd like to now yield to Joe Wilson, the gentleman from
    South Carolina.
        Mr. Wilson. And thank you, Acting Chairman Chris Smith.
        I am grateful to Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot
    Engel for holding this markup on issues such as the very
    significant humanitarian crisis with the failure of socialism
    in Venezuela led by Congressman Paul Cook and Albio Sires--a
    bipartisan initiative--remembering the Ukrainian famine of 1932
    caused by Soviet repression and extending the President's
    emergency plan for AIDS relief, and many more.
        All of today's legislative actions are worthy of your
    attention and continue a positive bipartisan tradition of the
    committee.
        I especially want to thank Congressman Adam Kinzinger for
    introducing the Preventing Iranian Destabilization of Iraq Act
    of 2018 and the amendment introduced by Congressman Judge Ted
    Poe.
        This bill and amendment would require the President to
    impose sanctions on Iranian-backed or controlled militias that
    commit violence and threaten the stability of Iraq.
        In addition, this bill requires the Secretary of State to
    publish the list of armed groups and proxy forces in Iraq
    receiving assistance from Iran and requires a report by the
    Department of State if certain specific groups meet terrorist
    designation parameters.
        The United States must not allow Iranian influence to fill
    the void left by the defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
    Emboldened and practically funded by the previous
    administration's failed Iranian nuclear deal, the Iranian
    militias are posed to incite civil war and turn Iraq into a
    failed state while also spreading throughout Syria toward the
    Israeli territory currently threatened by Hezbollah.
        Just as Iran has smuggled ballistic missiles to Yemen, Iran
    has begun to transfer ballistic missiles to these groups in
    Iraq, according to our extraordinary Ambassador to the United
    Nations, Nikki Haley.
        I have offered an additional amendment that adds two
    murderous militias to the list of groups identified in H.R.
    4591 who are destabilizing Iraq and Syria.
        One group draws recruits from Shi'a Pakistanis living in
    Iran and has engaged in battle with U.S. special forces. The
    other groups comprises Shi'a fighters from Afghanistan.
        Both groups are more than proxies. They are distinct
    brigades of the Islamic Republican Guard Corps--the IRGC Quds
    Force--and answer directly to Quds Force Commander Soleimani.
        Iran is the foremost state sponsor of terrorism and H.R.
    4591 allows the President and the Department of State to
    identify and sanction these groups in order to prevent Iran
    from inciting civil war and further spreading their malign
    regional influence.
        I urge passage of 4591 as well as the rest of today's
    meaningful legislation. I yield back the balance of our time as
    we continue a tribute to Congressman Judge Ted Poe as he is
    concluding his final year in Congress. Godspeed.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you.
        The chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois, Mr.
    Kinzinger.
        Mr. Kinzinger. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        There are so many good bills here and I just want to say
    thank you to everybody on all sides of the aisle that's worked
    to bring all these up.
        I think of H. Res. 1035, which is U.S. and Liberia related.
    I've been to Liberia. It's a fantastic country with a lot of
    challenges. So that's very important.
        But I do want to specifically speak on 4591, the Preventing
    Destabilization of Iraq Act. I am a veteran of Iraq and,
    specifically, I can tell you I've operated against Iranian
    forces in Iraq and about a quarter of American casualties
    during the Iraq war are directly traced and related to Iranian
    action and technologies.
        So they are no innocent nation. When you think about the
    destabilization they are doing in Syria and the \1/2\ million
    dead Syrians, many of which are children, thanks mainly to
    Bashar al-Assad, Iran, and Russia, and so it's time for us to
    stand up, especially in our ally, Iraq.
        This legislation, which I worked on with Mr. Suozzi, would
    help prevent Iran from spreading their malign influence in the
    Middle East.
        I would also like to briefly thank Chairman Poe, as many
    have, for working with us to include the important provisions
    from his bill, the Iranian Proxies Terrorist Sanction Act, and
    to H.R. 4591 and specifically for Chairman Poe's many years of
    service to his country.
        Following the elections in Iraq earlier this year, we saw
    Iranian proxies and Iraqis working on behalf of the Iranians
    attempting to form a coalition government in Baghdad.
        As a result, Iranian-backed militias have significantly
    expanded in Iraq and have not only attacked U.S. forces but
    have targeted innocent Iraqis as well.
        Just earlier this month, we saw the U.S. Embassy compound
    in Baghdad attacked and new reports are emerging that the
    Iranian regime has transferred ballistic missiles to these
    proxies in Iraq.
        Not only will this kind of interference destabilize the
    country but it's creating conditions for the next generation of
    terror.
        While these developments are concerning, I am glad to see
    that the Iraqi population has been peacefully protesting and
    demanding an end to political corruption and Iranian meddling
    in their country.
        That's why passing this legislation is so timely. The
    Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act would impose sanctions
    such as freezing assets and travel restrictions on Iranians or
    any other person who threatens the peace and stability of Iraq.
        Passage of this legislation ensures the Iranians are not
    given a free pass to meddle in yet--again, in the affairs of
    the Iraqi people. And I have to stress doing nothing only
    strengthens the Iranians and their proxies.
        I think it's important to note that the light of Iranian
    leadership is dimming and the light of the people of Iran is
    getting brighter every day. It's just a matter of time until
    the Iranian people are able to throw off the tyrannical regime
    of Iran.
        I encourage my colleagues to pass this measure and I urge
    for quick consideration on the House floor.
        And Mr. Chairman, with that, I yield back.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Mr. Kinzinger, and thank
    you again for your service. You know, I would just note, and I
    think most on the committee know, that you got the Airman's
    Medal for saving the life of a young woman who was savagely
    attacked. You have served with great distinction and so thank
    you so very much.
        Mr. Kinzinger. Thank you.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you. I'd like to now yield to Mr.
    Fitzpatrick, the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
        Mr. Fitzpatrick. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I am proud to
    speak today in strong support for H. Res. 931, the resolution
    recognizing the 85th anniversary of the Ukraine famine and
    genocide.
        Between 1932 and 1933, the Ukrainian famine, known as the
    Holodomor, lead to the deaths of millions of innocent
    Ukrainians--men, women, and children alike.
        This famine was perpetrated by Joseph Stalin in an attempt
    to quash the nation's independence movement and fierce
    opposition to collectivization.
        This resolution serves as a meaningful tribute to honor
    those who met their demise at the hands of a brutal dictator
    and a brutal regime.
        It also serves as a stark reminder of the horrors of
    communism and oppression, and a message to the world that we
    must never go back and that freedom and democracy must be our
    guide, going forward.
        I am proud to stand with the Ukrainian community here at
    home and abroad in our continued fight against foreign
    aggression. The spirit of the Ukrainian people is strong and it
    is resilient, and it is this spirt that will overcome any
    adversities facing their great country.
        I am thankful to my friend from Michigan, Mr. Levin, along
    with the other co-chairs of our Ukrainian Caucus--Ms. Captor,
    Mr. Harris, for introducing this honorable resolution, along
    with myself.
        It is a pleasure serving with them to advance the cause of
    Ukrainian Americans across this country and across the world.
    We have their back.
        Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
        Chairman Royce [presiding]. We go to Mr. Steve Chabot of
    Ohio.
        Mr. Chabot. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank
    you for your service to this institution. For so many years now
    you've done a particularly tremendous job as chairman of this
    committee and thank you for your service. We will not forget.
    You'll be long remembered here.
        I also, as many others have, want to thank Ted Poe for his
    tremendous work on this committee and in Congress in general as
    well. You will both be missed tremendously.
        As we wrap up this Congress, we have a lot of good bills
    before us today, and many of our members have already talked
    about them. I want to focus on just a couple.
        First, I am co-sponsor of H. Res. 1006, which condemns the
    deteriorating situation in Venezuela due to the actions of
    President Maduro and his socialist party, and I want to thank
    Chairman Cook for his work on this legislation.
        Maduro has uprooted any semblance of democracy from
    Venezuela and plunged his country into its worst economic
    crisis ever and many, many people are suffering tremendously as
    a result of that.
        Conditions are so bad that over 2 million Venezuelans have
    fled their country, creating a humanitarian crisis throughout
    the region.
        Maduro and his cronies are so corrupt and abusive that we
    have sanctioned 80-some individuals, and it's pretty clear that
    many of them have committed crimes against humanity.
        Venezuela, let's remember, is right in our backyard, so we
    need to help make sure that this mess gets cleaned up, and
    sooner rather than later.
        Second, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 931, which
    recognizes the 85th anniversary of the Ukrainian famine, and I
    want to thank Mr. Levin for his work on this resolution.
        As a co-sponsor of this legislation I think it's vitally
    important that as the memory of the Soviet Union fades, we must
    not forget the victims of communism.
        The Ukrainian famine was caused by socialist policies and
    Stalin's deliberate efforts to prevent aid from reaching
    affected areas.
        Communism is and was and always will be evil and we must
    never forget that, particularly at a time when its running
    partner, it's cousin--socialism--seems to be getting more and
    more popular, especially, unfortunately, on many college
    campuses in this country. We must never forget that there is a
    relationship between those two entities.
        This resolution is also timely since Vladimir Putin
    continues to undermine the sovereignty of Ukraine. Like Stalin,
    he never really recognized Ukraine as an independent country.
        The West must not let Putin succeed. The safety of the
    Ukrainian people and the stability of Europe as a whole
    requires Putin to understand that he cannot invade other
    countries with impunity.
        Finally--and I want to thank Mr. Kinzinger and Judge Poe
    for their leadership on the issue of Iranian proxies in Iraq--
    the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act seeks to help meet
    this challenge.
        Iran's hegemonic ambitions and nefarious activity have
    increasingly become one of our greatest problems in the Middle
    East, if not the greatest obstacle to bringing stability to
    that troubled region.
        One component of Iran's strategy is to grow its influence:
    It's the proxy forces in Iraq. These forces not only
    destabilize the country but also undermine our hard-won gains
    there.
        Tehran cannot be allowed to continue to build its influence
    and make Iraq a client state. It's high time that we push back
    harder and harder.
        And I know that many people have sacrificed over there
    including, as was indicated before, people like Mr. Kinzinger
    who, literally, put their lives on the line there.
        So we need to work much harder and I want to thank again
    the chairman for his leadership on this committee, and I yield
    back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        Are any other members seeking recognition?
        Okay. Hearing no further requests for recognition, the
    question occurs on the items considered en bloc.
        All those in favor, say aye.
        All those opposed, no.
        In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The measures
    considered en bloc, they are agreed to, and without objection,
    each measure in the en bloc is ordered favorably reported as
    amended as a single amendment in the nature of a substitute.
        Staff is directed to make any technical and conforming
    changes and the chair is authorized to seek House consideration
    under suspension of the rules.
        And this concludes our business today. I thank Ranking
    Member Engel, I thank Mr. Schneider for filling in here as
    ranking member for the end of the hearing, and all of the
    committee members for their contributions and assistance with
    today's markup.
        The committee stands adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 11:23 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]

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