[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 8, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H13567-H13568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1145
                 EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH EL SALVADOR

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 213) expressing the sense of 
Congress for and solidarity with the people of El Salvador as they 
persevere through the aftermath of torrential rains which caused 
devastating flooding and deadly mudslides, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 213

       Whereas, on November 9, 2009, parts of El Salvador were 
     decimated by floods brought on by Hurricane Ida;
       Whereas Hurricane Ida caused the death of over 190 people 
     in El Salvador, and made over 14,000 homeless, with both of 
     those numbers likely to rise;
       Whereas over 1,800 homes have been destroyed by the 
     mudslides;
       Whereas the small coffee growing town of Verapaz, 
     population 7,000, has almost been completely destroyed;
       Whereas reports have stated that up to 10,000 Salvadorians 
     may need emergency food assistance;
       Whereas Hurricane Ida also left about 13,000 people 
     homeless in Nicaragua and damaged about 100 homes in 
     Guatemala;
       Whereas neighboring nations of El Salvador have provided 
     relief to the people of El Salvador;
       Whereas the United States, through the U.S. Agency for 
     International Development and U.S. Southern Command, has 
     provided significant emergency relief and assistance to the 
     people of El Salvador in the wake of Hurricane Ida; and
       Whereas El Salvador has begun the process of recovering 
     from this natural disaster: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) expresses solidarity with all people affected by 
     Hurricane Ida;
       (2) commends the brave efforts of the people of El Salvador 
     and Central America as they recover from Hurricane Ida;
       (3) applauds the coordination between the countries of 
     Central America during the relief effort in providing relief 
     to the people of El Salvador;
       (4) acknowledges the efforts of the government of El 
     Salvador to work closely and promptly with the United States 
     to assist the affected population;
       (5) recognizes the progress made by El Salvador on disaster 
     preparedness capacity and their efforts to invest in disaster 
     risk reduction; and
       (6) urges the President to continue to make available 
     assistance to help mitigate the effects of the recent natural 
     disasters that have devastated El Salvador.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 
213, a resolution expressing our support for the people of El Salvador 
as they persevere through the aftermath of floods brought on by 
Hurricane Ida. I am the chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee 
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and I feel especially strongly 
about a resolution like this. I want to thank the ranking member of my 
subcommittee, Connie Mack, the gentleman from Florida, for introducing 
this important resolution.
  On November 9, a large portion of El Salvador was devastated by 
floods brought on by Hurricane Ida; 196 people were killed, 78 people 
are missing, and nearly 14,000 individuals are displaced from their 
homes. Our thoughts are with the people and Government of El Salvador 
as they cope with these difficult losses.
  The United States, through USAID and the U.S. Southern Command, has 
provided significant emergency relief and assistance to the people of 
El Salvador in the wake of Hurricane Ida. The President of El Salvador, 
Mauricio Funes, and his government have worked closely with the United 
States to assist the affected populations.
  Let me add that I attended the inauguration of President Funes in El 
Salvador with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just a few months ago, 
and I am glad that our governments are working so closely together. And 
let me say that I have great confidence in President Funes as he takes 
on these crucial disaster relief efforts. I had the pleasure, when I 
attended the inauguration of Mr. Funes with Secretary Clinton, of 
meeting with then President-elect Funes at the Summit of the Americas 
in Trinidad as well, so I have discussed things with him twice.
  As I have said, the U.S. and other countries have already done a 
great deal to assist El Salvador during this difficult time, but I 
believe much more remains to be done. I urge my colleagues to support 
this crucial legislation, and I again thank Representative Mack for his 
important initiative.
  I encourage the Obama administration to also support disaster relief 
efforts in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and we need to continue to assist 
the government and people of El Salvador and prevent future disasters 
by investing in the country's infrastructure. And I want to, again, say 
that Hurricane Ida's damages were not limited to El Salvador. Guatemala 
and Nicaragua were impacted as well.
  So I want to thank my friend, Congressman Mack, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I'd like to yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in support for the 
people of El Salvador and, specifically, the bill before us, H. Con. 
Res. 213, a resolution introduced by my colleague from Florida, my good 
friend, Mr. Connie Mack, the ranking member of our important 
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
  Last month, as we have heard, the torrential rains of Hurricane Ida 
took a devastating toll on the people of El Salvador. Nearly 200 people 
lost their lives, and more than 14,000 were left homeless. Up to 10,000 
Salvadorans were left in reported need of emergency food supplies. The 
devastation did not stop at the borders of El Salvador, however. 
Hurricane Ida also left about 13,000 people homeless in Nicaragua and 
damaged about 100 homes in Guatemala.
  This important resolution expresses our solidarity with all of the 
people impacted by this horrendous storm, and it commends the brave 
efforts of all who helped to contribute in the relief efforts in its 
aftermath. Specifically, I would like to recognize and commend the 
significant and immediate efforts undertaken by our most generous 
country, the United States of America, in the wake of this horrific 
storm. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office 
of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and the U.S. Southern Command, the 
United States was able to help airlift emergency relief supplies, 
finance humanitarian assistance projects, support medical evacuations, 
assess infrastructure repair projects, and deliver emergency and food 
supplies to the worst-hit and isolated communities in El Salvador.
  This resolution also recognizes the coordination among the countries 
of Central America in the relief efforts following the storm. It is 
critical that responsible nations continue to work together to better 
prepare ourselves and our democratic partners for natural disasters 
such as this one.
  Again, I would like to commend the brave efforts of the people of El 
Salvador and, in fact, all of Central America as they recover from 
Hurricane Ida and to express our strong support during this most 
difficult time.
  Specifically, I would like to congratulate my friend from Florida 
(Mr. Mack) for his authorship of this important resolution, and I would 
like to recognize him at this time, Madam Speaker, to speak on this 
resolution. And I would ask him if he would also speak on the Drug 
Commission on the Western Hemisphere of which he and Mr. Engel were the 
authors.

[[Page H13568]]

  At this time, Madam Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he 
may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mack), the ranking 
member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere 
and the author of this measure.
  Mr. MACK. Thank you to Chairman Berman, and a special thanks to 
Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for all of her efforts and her leadership, 
for bringing this resolution to the floor. I'd also like to thank my 
colleague from New York, Congressman Towns, for joining me in 
introducing this resolution. Finally, I also want to thank my chairman, 
Chairman Engel, for his leadership in the hemisphere. It has been a 
pleasure working with Chairman Engel on the important issues facing the 
Western Hemisphere.
  Madam Speaker, the people of El Salvador were hit hard by Hurricane 
Ida. As a Floridian, I understand how destructive and devastating a 
hurricane can be. We in Florida know what it's like to see the eye of a 
hurricane coming our way and how it impacts our lives. My heart goes 
out to the thousands of men, women, and children who have had their 
lives completely changed by Hurricane Ida and who are, as we speak, 
picking up the pieces and slowly rebuilding their destroyed villages.
  As the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I 
believe it's important that the people of El Salvador understand that 
the people of the United States support them during these difficult 
times. I also think it's important to note how several nations worked 
together and continue to do so to ensure the people of El Salvador are 
getting the help they need to rebuild. From Honduras, our forces were 
able to lift those in need out of harm's way. From south Florida, we 
were able to airlift much-needed supplies. Those who have participated 
in these relief efforts should be commended for their help. We are 
honored by their service.
  Madam Speaker, we in Congress remain committed to ensure that the 
people of El Salvador recover from this disaster, and I urge my 
colleagues to support this important resolution.
  I'd also like to make a quick note, if I could, on an earlier 
resolution that was brought up, H.R. 2134. And I want to thank, again, 
Chairman Engel for his leadership for introducing the Western 
Hemisphere Drug Policy Act. The problem of illegal drugs impact people 
across borders, cultures, and socioeconomic status. When we evaluate 
the U.S. drug policy in the Americas, we must take an all-encompassing 
approach to the problem.
  This legislation is a positive step towards evaluating U.S. policy. 
Some have focused on treatment or better education; others have focused 
on supply and the law enforcement aspect of the problem. But let me be 
clear, we must make sure that we attack the problem from both angles 
and all perspectives.
  As we continue to address U.S. drug policy in the hemisphere, I know 
that there will be, as there have been, many obstacles. Some of these 
include countries that simply refuse to cooperate with the United 
States. And even worse, Madam Speaker, there are governments that have 
chosen to be part of or facilitate the flow of drugs into the United 
States.
  According to President Obama, Venezuela has failed during the past 
year when it comes to counternarcotic efforts. The Obama administration 
has strong evidence that Venezuela has refused to cooperate on almost 
all counternarcotic issues. Hugo Chavez' refusal to act responsibly not 
only hurts Americans, but now Venezuela has the second highest murder 
rate in the world. The Venezuelan Government's alignment with drug 
lords is so pervasive that ministers of the Chavez government are now 
categorized as ``Tier II Kingpins.'' It's pretty clear cut, Madam 
Speaker, that Chavez and the flow of drugs into the United States is 
something we cannot ignore.
  I want to thank Chairman Engel again for his leadership, and urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy 
Commission Act, H.R. 2134.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of our 
time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, let me just say very quickly, it's been a 
pleasure to work with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mack), as well as 
the ranking member of our subcommittee.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 213, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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