[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                     MARKUP OF H.RES. 512, H.R. 5408, 
                     H.RES. 742, H.R. 5664, H. RES. 720, 
                     H.R. 2166, H.R. 2847, H.RES. 723, 
                     H.RES. 809, H.RES. 458, AND H.R. 
                     1611
=======================================================================

                                 MARKUP

                               BEFORE THE

                      COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                     ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                             MARCH 4, 2020

                               __________

                           Serial No. 116-101

                               __________

        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.govinfo.gov
                       
                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
39-920PDF                    WASHINGTON : 2022                     
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
                  COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

		 ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York, Chairman

BRAD SHERMAN, California             MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas, Ranking 
GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York               Member
ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey		     CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey     
GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia         STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida	     JOE WILSON, South Carolina
KAREN BASS, California		     SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania
WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts	     TED S. YOHO, Florida
DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island	     ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois
AMI BERA, California		     LEE ZELDIN, New York
JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas		     JIM SENSENBRENNER, Wisconsin
DINA TITUS, Nevada		     ANN WAGNER, Missouri
ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York          BRIAN MAST, Florida
TED LIEU, California		     FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida
SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania	     BRIAN FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
DEAN PHILLPS, Minnesota	             JOHN CURTIS, Utah
ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota		     KEN BUCK, Colorado
COLIN ALLRED, Texas		     RON WRIGHT, Texas
ANDY LEVIN, Michigan		     GUY RESCHENTHALER, Pennsylvania
ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, Virginia	     TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee
CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania       GREG PENCE, Indiana
TOM MALINOWSKI, New Jersey	     STEVE WATKINS, Kansas
DAVID TRONE, Maryland		     MIKE GUEST, Mississippi
JIM COSTA, California
JUAN VARGAS, California
VICENTE GONZALEZ, Texas           

                    Jason Steinbaum, Staff Director

               Brendan Shields, Republican Staff Director
                            
                            
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

                      AMENDMENTS AND BILLS EN BLOC

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.Res. 512, Calling 
  for the Global Repeal of Blasphemy, Heresy, and Apostasy Laws..     3
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H. Res. 512 offered by 
  Mr. Lewis......................................................    11
H.R. 5408, Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act.................    16
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 5408 offered by 
  Mr. Wilson.....................................................    21
H.Res. 742, Recognizing the Continued Success of the Food for 
  Peace Act......................................................    26
H.R. 5664, LIFT Act..............................................    38
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 5664 from 
  Representative McCaul..........................................    45
H.Res. 720, Expressing the Sense of the House of Representative 
  that the International Olympic Committee Should Correct Jim 
  Thorpe's Olympic Records for His Unprecedented Accomplishments 
  During the 1912 Olympic Games..................................    47
H.R. 2166, Global Health Security Act............................    51
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 2166 from 
  Representative Connolly........................................    71
Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 
  2166 from Representative Houlahan..............................    87
H.R. 2847, No Passport Fees for Heroes' Families Act.............    88
Amendment in the Nature of Substitute to H.R. 2847 from 
  Representative Wilson..........................................    90
H. Res 723, Encouraging All Nations to End Sexual Violence 
  Against Girls Through In-Country Data-Driven Reforms as 
  Demonstrated by Multiple African Nations.......................    91
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.Res. 723 from 
  Representative Wild............................................   100
Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to 
  H.Res. 723 from Representative Houlahan........................   108
H.Res. 809, Expressing the Importance of the United States 
  Alliance with the Republic of Koreaand the Contributions of 
  Korean Americans in the United States..........................   109
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.Res. 809 from 
  Representative Engel...........................................   110
H.Res. 458, Reaffirming the Strong Partnership Between Tunisia 
  and the United States and Supporting the People of Tunisia in 
  Their Continued Pursuant of Democratic Reforms.................   114
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.Res. 458 from 
  Representative Deutch..........................................   122
H.R. 1611, Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-taking 
  Accountability Act.............................................   130
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1611 from 
  Representative Deutch..........................................   146

                                APPENDIX

Hearing Notice...................................................   179
Hearing Minutes..................................................   180
Hearing Attendance...............................................   181

                       INFORMATION FOR THE RECORD

Information for the record.......................................   182

                             MARKUP SUMMARY

Markup summary...................................................   183

 
 MARKUP OF H.RES. 512, H.R. 5408, H.RES. 742, H.R. 5664, H. RES. 720, 
H.R. 2166, H.R. 2847, H.RES. 723, H.RES. 809, H.RES. 458, AND H.R. 1611

                        Wednesday, March 4, 2020

                        House of Representatives

                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

                                     Washington, DC

    The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:07 a.m., in 
room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Eliot Engel 
(chairman of the committee) presiding.
    The Chairman. The Committee will come to order. Without 
objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of a 
committee at any point pursuant to Committee Rule 4, the chair 
may postpone further proceedings on approving any measure or 
matter or adopting an amendment. 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 
11 bipartisan measures and a number of amendments en bloc. 
Pursuant to notice, for purposes of markup, I now call up the 
en bloc package consisting of 11 measures which are: H.Res 512, 
Calling for the Global Repeal of Blasphemy, Heresy, and 
Apostasy Laws, the 11th amendment in the nature of a 
substitute; H.R. 5408, Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act 
with a Wilson amendment in the nature of a substitute; H.Res. 
742, Recognizing the Continued Success of the Food for Peace 
Act with an Engel amendment in the nature of a substitute; H.R. 
5664, LIFT Act, with a McCaul amendment; H.Res. 720, Expressing 
the Sense of the House of Representative that the International 
Olympic Committee Should Correct Jim Thorpe's Olympic Records 
for His Unprecedented Accomplishments During the 1912 Olympic 
Games; H.R. 2166, Global Health Security Act with a Connolly 
amendment in the nature of a substitute, and a Houlahan 
amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute; H.R. 
2847, No Passport Fees for Heroes' Families Act with a Wilson 
amendment in the nature of a substitute; H. Res 723, 
Encouraging All Nations to End Sexual Violence Against Girls 
Through In-Country Data-Driven Reforms as Demonstrated by 
Multiple African Nations with a Wild amendment in the nature of 
a substitute and a Houlahan amendment to the amendment in the 
nature of a substitute; H.Res. 809, Expressing the Importance 
of the United States Alliance with the Republic of Korea and 
the Contributions of Korean Americans in the United States with 
an Engel amendment in the nature of a substitute; H.Res. 458, 
Reaffirming the Strong Partnership between Tunisia and the 
United States and Supporting the People of Tunisia in Their 
Continued Pursuant of Democratic Reforms with a Deutch 
amendment in the nature of a substitute; H.R. 1611, Robert 
Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-taking Accountability Act 
with a Deutch amendment in the nature of a substitute.
    [The Bills and Resolutions en bloc follow:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    
    The Chairman. At this time, I recognize myself to speak on 
today's business. I am pleased to support all of the bipartisan 
measures before us today and I thank our members for their hard 
work. I will keep my remarks brief and highlight just a few of 
the 11 bills in resolution.
    First, I will start with Mr. Connolly's Global Health 
Security Act. We can see clearly right now just how important 
it is to invest in smart, effective global health policy. 
Pandemics, like coronavirus, do not stop at borders, so it is 
critical that our government effectively coordinates the 
response to outbreaks here and abroad. We used to have a key 
coordinating body in the White House charged with that task. 
Under the Obama Administration, these experts directed our 
responses to the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. Their work showed 
just how important it is to invest in preparedness to buildup 
our capacity to respond quickly so we can prevent an outbreak 
from snowballing into a bigger crisis.
    Unfortunately, this administration dismantled that 
coordinating group so I am pleased that Mr. Connolly's measure 
will get those best practices back up and running, requiring a 
global health security coordinator to manage our response in 
emergencies like this and help us to prepare rather than just 
react. It is a good bill I strongly support.
    Next, I will turn to the Leveraging Information on Foreign 
Traffickers Act, or the LIFT Act, the bill authorized by Mr. 
McCaul. I was pleased to join the Ranking Member introducing 
this good measure to ensure that the State Department has the 
right tools to combat human trafficking, a heinous crime that 
has ensnared over 25 million people around the world.
    I am also proud of the work that this committee has done on 
this matter on this matter and I especially want to thank Mr. 
Smith for his leadership on this issue for over two decades.
    Today's measure continues that legacy for our committee. 
The LIFT Act enhances the State Department's ability to gather 
information on his horrendous practice and engage the survivors 
in our policymaking process. We must continue to fight modern 
day slavery and work to enact legislation that brings us to a 
brighter future, free of his horrific injustice. Today's 
measure is a step in that direction and I hope all of my 
colleagues will join me in supporting it.
    Next, I will turn to Mr. Deutch's Robert Levinson Hostage 
Recovery Act, named for one of the many Americans being 
unjustly held captive abroad.
    It is critical that our government take every step possible 
to get our citizens home safely. President Obama made important 
policy changes on this matter, creating a special envoy 
position to be the point person on these efforts and proving 
transparent, open lines of communication with the family 
members of these American hostages. The Robert Levinson Hostage 
Recovery Act puts those initiatives into law, building to a 
more thorough and effective approach to helping these people 
and their families. It is a good bill I am pleased to support.
    I also want to recognize two family members of Americans 
being held in Iran here with us today, Sarah Moriarty and Babak 
Namazi. Thank you for your dedication and strength.
    Next, I want to address House Resolution 809 by Mr. Suozzi 
reaffirming the United States' commitment to our alliance with 
the Republic of Korea. At a time when we face an increasingly 
aggressive China, a dangerously unhinged North Korea, and a 
host of other challenges including the coronavirus outbreak, it 
is imperative that we stay in lockstep with our partners in the 
region.
    Right now, the Trump Administration is working on 
finalizing a cost-sharing agreement with South Korea regarding 
our forces on the Korean Peninsula. The Trump Administration 
started out by asking our allies to pay 400 percent more than 
they did before. While it is important for our partners to 
shoulder more of the burden over time, it is important that the 
final agreement reflects our close partnership with the 
Republic of Korea and advances our shared goal of preserving 
security and prosperity in the Asian Pacific. I support this 
measure and urge all of our members to do the same.
    Finally, I will say a few words about House Resolution 512 
from Mr. Raskin. Freedom of religion is a fundamental human 
right. No one should face oppression because of their religious 
beliefs or lack thereof. It is hard to stomach this today in 
2020. There are still more than 70 countries with criminal 
blasphemy laws on the books that target people for their faith.
    Today's resolution calls for repeal of these dangerous 
laws. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting. I 
strongly support all of the measures we are considering today 
and I urge all members to join me and do the same. And I will 
now recognize our Ranking Member, Mr. McCaul of Texas, for his 
remarks.
    Mr. McCaul. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you 
for your cooperation and leadership on these 11 measures. As 
you know, our committee has its greatest impact when we operate 
on a bipartisan basis as we are doing so today.
    Let me start by thanking the chairman for working with me 
on the leveraging information on foreign traffickers or LIFT 
Act which continues this committee's 20-year tradition of 
bipartisan work to combat the scourge of human trafficking 
which affects greatly our Nation and my home State of Texas.
    U.S. law currently requires the State Department to deny 
U.S. visas to human traffickers, but when the Department denies 
visas to traffickers, it does not tell its own anti-trafficking 
officials where and how often those denials occur. This bill 
ensures that appropriate State Department officials leading the 
fight receive this important information on a timely basis.
    Modern slavery affects millions around the world, but it is 
not just a problem in the developing world. It is happening 
right now in our backyards, in our neighborhoods. A month ago, 
I was proud to stand with my inspiring constituent, Courtney 
Litvak, at the White House Human Trafficking Summit.
    We need to keep the voices of survivors at the center of 
the policy conversation. And for that reason, this bill also 
re-authorizes the survivor-led U.S. Advisory Council on Human 
Trafficking through 2025. My amendment also makes sure that 
survivors who otherwise could not afford to take time off from 
work, are able to serve on this council, such as Courtney 
Litvak.
    Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent also to place into 
the record a letter of support for the LIFT Act from the U.S. 
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
    The Chairman. Without objection, so ordered.
    Mr. McCaul. Thank you. And I want to thank you again for 
joining me on this important bill. I hope we can move it 
quickly to the floor.
    As we fact the growing challenges of the novel coronavirus, 
I also want to commend Mr. Connolly and Mr. Chabot for their 
Global Health Security Act. That bill, this bill, will help 
ensure that our interagency and international efforts to 
address global health emergencies are as coordinated and 
efficient as possible.
    I also want to thank Mr. Wilson for his Ukraine Religious 
Freedom Support Act. When deciding whether to designate Russia 
as a country of particular concern for religious freedom 
violations, U.S. officials must also consider Russia's 
persecution of religious groups inside those areas of Ukraine 
that it occupies or controls.
    And finally, I also support the No Passport Fees for 
Heroes' Families Act. In cases where our service members are 
severely wounded abroad, this bill waives passport fees for 
family members traveling to assist in their recovery.
    So I am very glad, Mr. Chairman, once again we worked on 
both sides of the aisle to get this work done. I hope the 
remainder of this Congress will be as cooperative as the first 
markup of this year. With that, I yield back.
    The Chairman. The gentleman yields back. Thank you, Mr. 
McCaul.
    Does anyone seek recognition for the purpose of speaking on 
the en bloc package?
    I now recognize Mr. Connolly.
    Mr. Connolly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I am, of course, 
in favor of the en bloc approval of these bills.
    I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your support, in 
particular, of the Global Health Security Act. And I also want 
to thank the ranking member and his staff for working with us 
to make this happen. I also want to thank my partner in crime, 
Steve Chabot, who has been a wonderful partner in so many 
enterprises including this one. We have a number of Democratic 
and Republican co-sponsors. I also want to congratulate and 
thank Ms. Houlahan for her thoughtful amendment that I think 
adds clarity to this bill.
    We are in the midst of what may very well turn out to be a 
pandemic, the coronavirus. It is running at a lethality rate 
that is 20 times that rate of normal flu. We have already had 
nine deaths here in the United States. We have no vaccine 
against this virus and even our best medical interventions are 
not 100 percent efficacious. And we have to be prepared.
    Two years ago, the administration dismantled the apparatus 
that had been put in place 5 years before in the face of the 
Ebola crisis. I think in retrospect that was an unwise move. 
This bill would restore that and institutionalize it. This is 
not a criticism about this President or this administration. It 
is a recognition, however, that just as happened 5 years ago, 
we did not have the apparatus in place which is why an Ebola 
czar had to be named.
    We cannot go from pandemic to pandemic. We know throughout 
human history pandemics are going to be part of our history. We 
need to be prepared. We need to have a locus in the National 
Security Council in the White House that is charged with that 
responsibility, monitoring, intervention, collaboration, 
networking, and of course, taking measures to protect the 
American people in the event of a possible pandemic.
    It should not take a crisis for us to act. And the American 
people, I think, do expect us to act. And I think this gives us 
an opportunity as a committee to make our contribution and it 
will be a substantive contribution.
    I am very pleased that the Global Health Security Act is 
endorsed by the ChildFund International, Global Health Council, 
the International Medical Corps, the IntraHealth International, 
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Nuclear Threat 
Initiative, PAP, the American Society of Tropical medicine and 
Hygiene, Management Sciences for Health, the Sabin Vaccine 
Institute, the Borgen Project, and the American Society for 
Microbiology.
    I think we can move this bill and I hope we will bring it 
to the floor swiftly in suspension so that we can get this 
institutionalized structure in place so never again do we have 
to move from crisis to crisis.
    Again, I thank my colleagues for their bipartisan support 
and I yield back.
    The Chairman. Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Are 
there any other members seeking recognition?
    I now recognize Mr. Chabot.
    Mr. Chabot. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Move to strike the 
last word.
    We have a number of very good bills before us this morning, 
but I want to focus on H.R. 2166, the Global Health Security 
Act, bipartisan legislation that my Democratic colleague and 
friend, Gerry Connolly, who has just spoken, and I introduced 
at the beginning of last year to strengthen U.S. and global 
preparedness for and capacity to respond to pandemics or what 
may be a pandemic like the coronavirus.
    With coronavirus spreading across the globe, our 
consideration of this legislation is timely and our decision to 
introduce the legislation in the first place over a year ago 
was prescient. Over 90,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide 
with over 100 in the United States at this time. As this is 
proving once again, diseases do not know borders and a deadly 
virus is just a plane ride away. That is why the United States 
must continue to lead the world's efforts to advance global 
health security.
    This act has two main goals. First, it codifies our 
commitment made by both the Obama and Trump Administrations to 
the global health security agenda, a multi-lateral partnership 
that aims to strengthen health systems and laboratories in 
countries around the world so that they might meet the 
international health regulation standards. Folks back home 
might wonder why we should bother about other countries' health 
systems, but as coronavirus shows, a weak health system in 
another country, in this instance, China, can directly threaten 
us here in America.
    Second, our bill makes sure that we have the personnel. The 
personnel is in place to prepare for when the need arises to 
respond to pandemics like the coronavirus. Specifically, we 
need someone preferably at the NSC to quarterback the U.S. 
Government's response since that response inevitably involves 
several agencies across the government from the State 
Department to the CDC, Centers for Disease Control.
    Several Republicans, including then Chairman Ed Royce, 
called for the appointment of a single point person with a 
health background during the Ebola outbreak back in 2014. The 
Obama Administration got it half right with the appointment of 
a political appointee as the singular lead. It seems that the 
Trump Administration has now followed a similar course to what 
Republicans wanted in 2014 with an appointment of Ambassador 
Debbie Birx, a universally respected health expert as White 
House coronavirus response coordinator under Vice President 
Pence.
    In any event, our bill would make this position permanent, 
so that when the next pandemic comes and we know it will 
eventually come, we are ready to go. As coronavirus continues 
to sweep the globe, we need to take this opportunity to 
recommit this Nation to leadership on health security and 
prepare ourselves for the next pandemic. Protecting our 
Nation's health must be a national security priority. Now is 
not the time to politicize this issue.
    The Global Health Security Act provides a bipartisan 
endorsement for this critical priority and elevates it within 
the U.S. Government. Today's passage of our legislation will 
help America and the world for the next outbreak. So I would 
urge my colleagues to support the bill and I again want to 
thank Mr. Connolly----
    Mr. Connolly. Would my friend yield?
    Mr. Chabot. I would be happy to yield.
    Mr. Connolly. I am remiss in praising members and I also 
want to praise our staff on both sides of the aisle for making 
this happen, and particularly my staff member, Molly Cole, for 
shepherding this, this bill to this point. Thank you.
    Mr. Chabot. Thank you very much. Then I have to thank Mark 
Erste, my staffer, who principally worked on this who is 
sitting behind me. We appreciate his work and all the work, as 
well as Mr. Engel and Mr. McCaul also who both supported this. 
We appreciate it. With that, I urge my colleagues to support 
the bill and yield back.
    The Chairman. I thank the gentleman. The gentleman yields 
back. I now recognize Mr. Sherman.
    Mr. Sherman. I commend the leadership of the committee and 
the staff for putting together 11 excellent bipartisan bills 
for the markup today. I first want to commend Jim Costa for his 
bill recognizing the continued success of the Food for Peace 
Act. And I want to congratulate Jim who is not here because he 
just had a very tough race in California which he won by a very 
nice margin and I look forward and I think we all look forward 
to serving with Jim for many years to come.
    I want to commend Jamie Raskin for his work on condemning 
laws against blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy. And in our 
hearings in the Asia Subcommittee on Pakistan, we saw how these 
laws can be used to just make something up about a neighbor and 
lead to capital charges being filed and people coming even 
close to execution.
    I want to commend Tom Suozzi for his bill recognizing the 
U.S.-Republic of Korea Alliance. The chairman and ranking 
member should be commended for their bill dealing with the 
Trafficking in Persons report and I will make sure that the 
information from that report is used effectively.
    I commend Susan Wild for her bill to focus our attention on 
ending sexual violence against girls. Gerry Connolly for his 
bill on Global Health Security and there is not a more 
important time for that than right now. Deb Haaland for her 
bill recognizing Jim Thorpe. Ted Deutch's bill on our 
partnership with Tunisia. Paul Mitchell, I think, found a good 
point. We should not be charging passport fees for visiting our 
heroes. And finally, I have like all these bills co-sponsored 
Joe Wilson's bill on Ukraine Religious Freedom. I yield back.
    The Chairman. The gentleman yields back. Are there any 
other members seeking recognition?
    Mr. Wilson. Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Mr. Wilson.
    Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Chairman Eliot Engel and Republican 
leader Michael McCaul, for bringing these important bipartisan 
measures before us today.
    I am grateful to recognize the leadership of chairman of 
the Middle East, North African, and International Terrorism 
Subcommittee, Ted Deutch. I was glad to support and work with 
him on two important bills before us today, H.R. 1611 and 
H.Res. 458.
    Chairman Ted Deutch has a long history of advocating for 
Americans wrongfully detained abroad, including his 
constituent, Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran 13 years 
ago this month. H.R. 1611, the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery 
and Hostage Taking Accountability Act will go a long way to 
ensuring the United States does all it can to fulfill and bring 
home Americans wrongfully detained abroad back home. The bill 
will set up a special Presidential envoy for hostage affairs, 
as well as a hostage recovery fusion cell to facilitate efforts 
to return these Americans back to their families.
    Thank you, Chairman Deutch, for your steadfast commitment 
to this issue and I am grateful to work with you on this 
important initiative.
    Additionally, I support Chairman Deutch's House Res. 458, 
reaffirming the strong partnership between Tunisia and the 
United States and supporting the people of Tunisia in their 
continued pursuit of democratic reforms. I had the opportunity 
to travel to Tunisia this past September with the Helsinki 
Commission and see this budding democracy up close as 
parliamentary elections were taking place across the country.
    I am deeply impressed by the extraordinary people of 
Tunisia and their commitment to the democratic institutions of 
their country which I saw firsthand of this vibrant democracy. 
They stand as a hope for the entire region. And I appreciate 
working with Chairman Deutch on this resolution.
    I am also grateful to be an original cosponsor with 
Congressman Paul Mitchell's H.R. 2847, the No Passport Fees for 
Heroes' Families Act. This bill should be supported by everyone 
of our committee's members here today. It waives passport fees 
for family members of U.S. Armed Forces traveling abroad to 
visit their enlisted loved ones in the hospital. This is a very 
basic respect of our grateful nation that we can give to these 
families who put everything on the line for our country's and 
families' safety.
    Last, I would like to thank Chairman Engel and Republican 
Leader McCaul for marking up my bill, H.R. 5408, the Ukraine 
Religious Freedom Support Act. Since its illegal invasion and 
occupation of Crimea and parts of the Donbass region in eastern 
Ukraine in 2014, killing over 13,000 Ukrainians, Russia has 
perpetrated egregious violation of religious freedom in those 
territories. This has included imprisonment, torture, forced 
psychiatric hospitalization, and more, again, with 13,000 
citizens dead. Undermining laws of armed conflict including the 
Geneva Convention, the Russian Federation is responsible for 
religious freedom violations in territory it occupies or 
otherwise controls. This bill would give the President the 
ability to take into consideration Russia's violations to 
religious freedom, not just within the Russian Federation, but 
also within the territory of Ukraine that Russia occupies or 
controls through armed groups it directs when determining 
whether to designate Russia as a country of particular concern 
under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
    Marking up this bill today sends a strong and clear message 
to Moscow. The United States will hold you accountable for your 
violations of human rights and religious freedoms in Ukraine. 
We will continue standing side by side with the brave people of 
Ukraine and freedom-loving people everywhere against the 
tyranny and evil perpetuated by the Kremlin.
    Additionally, I would like to join in the praise of the 
bill by Congressman Suozzi, of our relationship and alliance 
with the Republic of Korea. What a dynamic country, what a 
symbol it is to Asia of the success of free-market democracy. 
Thank you, again, to the chairman and Republican leader. I 
encourage all my colleagues to support these bipartisan bills 
today. I yield back.
    The Chairman. The gentleman yields back. I thank the 
gentleman.
    Mr. Deutch.
    Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to the 
Ranking Member for holding today's markup and for so many good 
measures that I am proud to support, especially given what we 
are facing globally, the Global Health Security Act.
    I want to thank you as well for including two of my bills, 
H.Res. 458 and H.R. 1611 and I want to thank Joe Wilson, the 
Ranking Member of the Middle East and North Africa 
Subcommittee, for being such a strong leader and partner in 
these efforts and so many others.
    I was honored to introduce H.Res. 458, a resolution 
reaffirming the strong partnership between Tunisia and the 
United States and express the support for the people of Tunisia 
in their continued pursuit of democratic reform. I am a strong 
supporter of the U.S.-Tunisia partnership. Of all the Arab 
States touched by revolutions since 2010, Tunisia has emerged 
as the most stable and democratic. And I would like to 
congratulate the Tunisian people on the success of their recent 
elections.
    Tunisia continues to face many challenges including the 
security threats posed by both extremists and the conflict in 
Libya, high inflation, and high unemployment especially among 
young Tunisians, and the need to develop inclusive and 
transparent and responsive political institutions. Congress 
will remain committed, a committed partner to Tunisia as it 
confronts and overcomes these challenges and continues down the 
democratic path.
    Mr. Chairman, next week, March 9th, marks 13 years since 
the disappearance of my constituent, Bob Levinson. Bob 
disappeared from Iran's Kish Island. Most of you know Bob's 
story if no other reason you have heard me tell it many times. 
Bob spent 25 years serving his country with the FBI.
    For the 10-years that I have been a Member of Congress, I 
have urged every U.S. Government official I meet to help bring 
Bob home. I have raised Bob's case with allies and partners and 
capitals around the world. And those efforts pale in comparison 
to the 13 years that the Levinson family has spent tirelessly 
advocating for Bob's release.
    For 13 years, this family, led by Bob's incredible wife, 
Christine, and his 7 children, Susan, Stephanie, Samantha, Dan, 
David, Doug, and Sarah who is on the Hill this week meeting 
with many of you, they have traveled to Washington hundreds of 
times. In the early days of Bob's disappearance, Chrstine and 
Dan traveled to Iran on their own to try to find answers. They 
met with presidents and secretaries of State, officials of the 
United Nations. They are not public officials, professional 
lobbyists, or media strategists. They are just a family 
figuring out how to get the world to help them get their 
husband and father back.
    The Levinsons are far from the family that found 
themselves, the only family who found themselves facing the 
daunting task of advocating their loved one. Babak Namazi is on 
the Hill today. His father Baquer and his brother Siamak are 
still unjustly held in Iran. Babak, too, spends his time and 
energy advocating for his family's release including this week 
as he desperately tries to get his family released from Evin 
prison, where coronavirus is spreading rapidly.
    Today, we have the opportunity to help these families as 
they go through one of the most challenging and painful 
experiences imaginable. No family should be faced with the 
overwhelming task of navigating government bureaucracy and 
deciphering mixed messages from their own government.
    H.R. 1611, the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage 
Taking Accountability Act will create a support structure 
within U.S. Government for hostages and unlawful or wrongfully 
detained Americans. The bill formalize the 2015 Executive Order 
issued in the aftermath of the tragic deaths of James Foley and 
Steven Sotloff by ISIS terrorists which created an interagency 
response structure at both the operational and the policy 
level.
    I would like to acknowledge the James Foley Foundation's 
work and its president and founder, Diane Foley, as well as 
Arthur and Shirley Sotloff, for their continued work in pushing 
forward this important effort.
    The bill mandates the position of special envoy for hostage 
affairs at the State Department and requires families be given 
guidance on how to manage their interactions with the U.S. 
Government. The bill will also formalize consistent family 
engagement. And finally, the bill provides the authority to 
sanction those who are responsible for or who assist in the 
unlawful detention of Americans because we will not and cannot 
tolerate rogue regimes or actors that engage in hostage taking. 
Passing this bill will not provide relief to the Levinsons or 
the other families suffering without their loved ones. But by 
passing this bill today, we can at least give these families 
one less thing to worry about. No family should have to face 
this situation without the proper resources and support from 
their own government. And today, we can also take steps to hold 
those responsible for the unlawful detention of Americans 
accountable.
    Next week, Christine Levinson will mark 13 years without 
her husband. Bob's children will mark 13 without their dad. 
Thirteen years is too long. I hope, I hope that this is the 
last time that this committee hears me tell Bob's story. And I 
am grateful, so grateful, to all of my colleagues who have 
supported the Levinsons and all of the other families and I 
urge your support for the Levinson Act today.
    I thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
    The Chairman. The gentleman yields back. I now recognized 
Mr. Perry.
    Mr. Perry. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, for the 
opportunity to speak before the committee this morning. There 
is often quite a bit of partisan rancor in these settings, but 
I am happy to witness a lot less of that today.
    Almost all of the pieces of legislation before us represent 
Congress at its best, working together in the interest of the 
American people and leading the way on critically important 
issues facing the world today. These bills accomplish a variety 
of essential policy goals, goals that reflect our values as a 
Nation. They take a stand against the violation of religious 
freedom. They ensure we are better prepared to eliminate the 
scourge of human trafficking off the face of the earth, and 
they provide succor to families visiting their wounded service 
members overseas. They reaffirm the intrinsic worth and dignity 
of every human life by confronting the evil practice of female 
genital mutilation. They reaffirm long-lasting partnerships 
with key allies, particularly South Korea, and they guarantee 
that those foreign actors who would take American citizens 
hostage will be forced to pay to pay for their crime. These 
bills, several of which I have cosponsored, demonstrate that 
Congress still has the capacity to set aside partisan 
differences and work together on measures all Americans can be 
proud of.
    The LIFT Act, offered by the ranking member improves the 
State Department's preparation of the trafficking in persons or 
TIP report and extends the survivor-led U.S. Advisory Council 
on Human Trafficking through 2025.
    The Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act ensures that we 
hit back against the tyrannical Russian regime that regularly 
violates the human rights of religious institutions in Russia 
occupied Ukrainian territory, territory stolen from Ukraine 
following the invasion of Crimea in 2014.
    I was also proud to co-sponsor H.R. 2847 which eliminates 
passport fees for family members visiting military service 
members in overseas military medical facilities.
    The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage Taking 
Accountability Act authorizes the President to establish an 
interagency framework aimed not only at ensuring that those 
Americans unjustly imprisoned overseas are released, but that 
the offending party is punished accordingly.
    House Resolution 809 focuses on the strategic importance of 
the U.S.-South Korea Alliance and emphasizes just how much our 
partnership contributes to the cause of peace. It further 
highlights our Nation's commitment toward a mutual defense 
treaty between our two countries and I applaud its passage out 
of this committee.
    I would also be remiss if I did not mention H.Res. 720 
which calls on the International Olympic Committee to restore 
Jim Thorpe's Olympic records as they restored his medals in 
1982. As you know, Jim Thorpe was the first Native American to 
win the Olympic Gold Medal for the United States. He attended 
the Carlisle Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and 
was a two time all-American for the school's football team. The 
Carlisle Industrial School is now located on the grounds of the 
U.S. Army War College barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
    There is much to praise in these bills before us today, but 
I am particularly grateful to be able to speak on the issue 
impacting hundreds of millions of girls and women worldwide, 
the evil, barbaric practice of female genital mutilation or 
FGM. I thank Congresswoman Wild and Congressman Sensenbrenner 
for introducing House Res. 723, a resolution encouraging all 
nations to end sexual violence against girls through data-
driven reforms. This resolution explicitly encourages nations 
to implement multi-disciplinary evidence based response plans 
to end sexual violence against girls. I am pleased to co-
sponsor this legislation and join them in their efforts.
    The practice of FGM has affected nearly 200 million girls 
worldwide. Three million girls are at risk every year and most 
endure the procedure before they turn 15 years old. In many 
countries, the majority of girls who survive this horrific 
procedure are between zero and 4 years of age. Ninety-one 
percent of Egyptian women between the ages of 15 and 49 have 
undergone FGM. That figures is at 98 percent for women in that 
age range in Somalia, 89 percent in Mali, 88 percent in Sudan, 
74 percent in Ethiopia, 96 percent in Guinea, and 88 percent in 
Sierra Leone.
    I am thankful to my colleagues for their advocacy on this 
issue, coupled with this committee's demonstrated commitment 
toward combating such human rights abuses as human trafficking. 
We are demonstrating an unmistakable fidelity to the cause of 
justice and peace.
    And I thank the committee and I yield back.
    The Chairman. The gentleman yields back. I now recognize 
Ms. Wild.
    Ms. Wild. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the 
last word.
    I want to start by thanking Chairman Engel and Ranking 
Member McCaul for working with me to bring my bipartisan 
resolution, H.Res. 723, to markup. I also want to thank my 
friend, Representative Lois Frankel, for her tireless work and 
support on this issue and all issues affecting women and 
children.
    Sometimes lost in this era of hyper partisanship is the 
good work that Democrats and Republicans do in this Foreign 
Affairs Committee every day. Today's slate of 11 bills is a 
perfect example of the good that we can do when we work 
together.
    My resolution, endorsed by the American Academy of 
Pediatrics, CARE USA, UNICEF USA, and many others, recognizes 
that sexual violence against girls spares no culture, country, 
race, religion, or ethnicity. Globally, 50 percent of all 
sexual assaults are committed against girls who are under the 
age of 16. The life-long impact that these assaults have on 
young girls cannot be underStated. They decrease the number of 
years spent in school. They increase the rates of suicide, 
early high risk pregnancy, and HIV/AIDS, and they perpetuate 
inter-generational poverty hurting families, communities, 
entire countries, and our global economy. And worst of all, 
these assaults rob children of their youth and of their belief 
that there is good and decency in this world.
    But there is a path forward, once that is adaptable and 
considers the unique challenges, legally and culturally, that 
local communities face. Violence Against Children Surveys, or 
VACS, were designed by the Centers for Disease Control. VACS 
are data gathering household surveillance tools employed by 22 
nations across the globe and have reached 60,000 individuals in 
conjunction with INSPIRE, a program developed by the World 
Health Organization to help establish and enforce new laws and 
victim response and support services. These surveys guide 
reforms for each participating nation with great success. For 
example, in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, VACS resulted 
in a significant decrease in sexual violence against children 
and adolescents.
    My resolution applauds the leadership of those countries 
that have implemented data driven, in country, multi-sector 
reforms to put an end to sexual violence against girls. It also 
urges all countries to put into place VACS and INSPIRE in 
keeping with the United Nations' sustainable development goals 
which included specific goals to end abuse, exploitation, 
trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of 
children, and to achieve gender equality and empowerment of all 
women and girls. Through this resolution, we can help establish 
integrated systems that protect girls and create survivor 
advocacy centers that make mental health services more 
accessible worldwide.
    To victims of sexual violence, we see your struggle. We 
hear your cries for help, and we stand in solidarity with you 
all. I urge passage of this resolution out of committee and I 
urge leadership to bring this to the floor of the House as 
quickly as possible. And with that, I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you. I now recognize Ms. Houlahan.
    Ms. Houlahan. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to thank 
Mr. Connolly for introducing H.R. 2166 as a very timely piece 
of legislation. Right now, we are facing an international 
health crisis that is threatening the economic stability and 
more importantly the lives of so many people around the world.
    My amendment urges the President to appoint an expert to 
lead the management of crises like this one, someone who is 
experienced in public health or crisis management, who can 
better help us navigate an outbreak like the coronavirus.
    The original intent of this bill was to explicitly direct 
the President to designate an employee of the NSC to coordinate 
interagency processes who are responding to the global health 
security emergency. However, part of being an effective Member 
of Congress and this committee often means making very 
deliberate compromises. With that in mind, this committee 
worked together to amend the bill text to encourage, rather 
than to direct.
    Regardless of the legal jargon, let me make it clear the 
urgency of this particular matter. By failing to mandate a 
permanent NSC position to manage pandemics, we are opening 
ourselves to the risk of yet another outbreak for which we will 
be woefully unprepared. Given that both Republicans and 
Democrats support this amendment, I expect the President to 
sign this legislation and to appoint a qualified person to the 
advisor position with haste. We simply cannot afford to wait 
for the next coronavirus.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I yield back.
    The Chairman. OK, I thank the gentlewoman. I now recognize 
Mr. Malinowski. I will give him 3 seconds to catch his breath.
    Mr. Malinowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, 
everyone, for your patience.
    We have a number of good pieces of legislation here which I 
am very happy to support. I want to take my time to speak about 
one bill which I will support, but which I do find in some ways 
disappointing and I want to just express some thoughts about 
it. And that is the resolution of our relationship with South 
Korea.
    I agree with what it says. I am disappointed by what it 
does not say, and I think we need to be honest about that. Let 
me start by expressing what I think all of us pretty much agree 
on. We agree that South Korea is our ally. We agree that South 
Korea is worthy of being our ally. It is a democracy, a country 
that shares our values and our burdens in the world. We agree 
that North Korea is a horrific dictatorship, an adversary of 
the United States, and a threat to peace and security in Asia.
    I believe all of us agree that our military commitment to 
South Korea is something that serves America's national 
security interests. We are not just there to protect the South 
Koreans. We are there because South Korea offers us a platform 
to protect our interests in Asia, to protect our other allies 
including Japan, and to counter the threat of a rising China, 
not to mention deterring aggression from North Korea.
    I think all of us understands that South Korea pays a 
significant share of this joint partnership. Recently, South 
Korea paid about 90 percent of the construction of Camp 
Humphreys, a major military base, 90 percent of $11 billion 
cost. South Korea spends 2.6 percent of its GDP on defense, 
more than most of our European allies. South Korea contributes 
about half of the cost of stationing U.S. military personnel in 
that country. I think all of us understand it would cost us 
more money to bring those troops home than it does to keep them 
there.
    And yet, we have a President who does not agree with that 
consensus, who has repeatedly questioned why we have troops in 
South Korea in the first place, a President who treats this 
alliance with South Korea the way he treats so many of our 
other alliances in democratic countries around the world. He 
treats it as if it is a protection racket. He has repeatedly 
said and argued that we should not be there unless we are paid 
to be there. He treats our troops in South Korea as if they are 
mercenaries.
    Right now, as we are passing this resolution, expressing 
our support for this partnership, the President is demanding 
that the South Koreans pay us four times what they currently 
contribute to meeting the shared costs of this alliance, a 400 
percent increase, a shake-down. After a year, 2019, in which 
North Korea shot off more than two dozen missiles in violation 
of U.N. Security Council resolution.
    I think all of us here, Republicans and Democrats, 
understand that this is crazy, the shake-down of an ally in the 
middle of an ongoing national security crisis in the Korean 
Peninsula is absolutely crazy. I am confident that Secretary 
Pompeo believes it is crazy. I am confident that Secretary of 
Defense Esper believes it is crazy, that our military leaders 
believe it is crazy. But we are not willing to say so in this 
resolution.
    For the sake of bipartisan comity, we are going to pass a 
resolution that contains, honestly, a bunch of platitudes about 
the importance of this relationship and of this partnership, 
but that does not express the concerns of the U.S. Congress 
which I believe they are shared on both sides of the aisle, 
that it is wrong in the middle of a crisis to be shaking down 
an ally and we do not stand with that.
    I think this is because our Republican colleagues, even 
though most of them would agree with most of what I have just 
said, do not want to get into an argument with the mad king in 
the White House and that disappoints me. I think it diminishes 
the importance of our committee, diminishes the value of this 
resolution, and other similar resolutions that we may have.
    So I will vote for it, but with a heavy heart, with great 
disappointment and with the hope that in the future we are 
willing to be a little bit more edgy, that we are willing, even 
as we strive for bipartisan consensus, to do things that may 
require a vote from time to time and a little bit of 
disagreement. And with that, I yield back. Thank you, Mr. 
Chairman.
    The Chairman. The gentleman yields back. I now recognize 
Mr. Costa.
    Mr. Costa. I thank the chairman and the ranking member of 
this committee's work this morning. I think it reflects the 
bipartisanship that we like to see as it relates to our 
Nation's foreign policy.
    I would like to speak on part of the en bloc measures that 
we are considering on voting this morning on this specific 
issue and that is the Food for Peace Act. And that is the 
support of House Resolution 742 which I have introduced.
    This has been a successful bipartisan program for decades. 
Since 1954, Food for Peace has provided lifesaving food 
assistance for some of the world's most vulnerable people and 
it has already saved millions of lives. Clearly, there is more 
work that can and should be done.
    Tens of millions of children suffer from the effects of 
malnutrition, while disasters that we know of, civil strife, 
and other crises put food supplies at risk every year and that 
doesn't begin to talk about the challenges of climate change in 
which we know many places around the world that are on a 
subsistence diet are going to be further impacted as their 
ability to produce food in those regions because of the impact 
of climate change will diminish sadly.
    I have introduced House Resolution 742 to mark these 
important achievements and call for continued appropriation and 
prioritization for Food for Peace. The resolution has strong 
bipartisan support. It has the support of a number of 
interested organizations and trade groups that reflect the 
breadth and width of our country, as well as other 
international organizations. The support should remind us that 
Food for Peace is not only an important reminder of the 
generosity of the American people, the America farmer, but a 
critical aspect of our national security policy. I mean this is 
smart policy. And when we do these kinds of work, we build 
relationships in the most positive ways.
    I often say that food security, I think, translates into 
national security for our country. So our nutrition assistance 
for the world's most vulnerable people is not only the right 
thing to do, but it is clearly in our interest and so therefore 
I ask my colleagues to stand with me and affirm the importance 
of the Food for Peace program, support this measure, 742, and I 
yield back the balance of my time. And I will find my voice 
somewhere.
    The Chairman. The gentleman yields back. Are there any 
other members seeking recognition?
    Hearing no further requests for recognition and without 
objection, the committee will proceed to consider the noticed 
items en bloc. Without objection, each measure is considered as 
read and the amendment to each are considered as read and are 
agreed to.
    The question occurs on the measures en bloc, as amended. If 
amended, all those in favor, say aye.
    [Ayes.]
    All those opposed, no.
    [No response.]
    In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The measures 
considered en bloc are agreed to and without objection each 
measure is ordered favorably reported, as amended, and each 
amendment to each bill shall be reported as a single amendment 
in the nature of a substitute. Without objection, staff is 
authorized to make any technical and conforming changes.
    This concludes our business today. I thank Ranking Member 
McCaul and all of the committee members for their contributions 
and assistance of today's markup. The markup is adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 10:59 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]

                                APPENDIX
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                       INFORMATION FOR THE RECORD
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                             MARKUP SUMMARY
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


                                 [all]