[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 86 (Monday, June 17, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014

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                               speech of

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1960) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2014 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     such fiscal year, and for other purposes:

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Chair, I am pleased to offer this simple 
bipartisan amendment with Reps. Wolf and Schneider to expand an 
existing report required by Section 1242 of the bill. The amendment 
clarifies that the report ought to include information on how the 
Egyptian military is supporting the rights of individuals involved in 
civil society and democratic promotion efforts through non-governmental 
organizations or NG0s.
  This a timely issue, given the guilty verdict rendered by an Egyptian 
court June 4th against 43 NGO workers--including 17 Americans--because 
of their involvement with pro-democracy groups. The guilty verdict 
renews concerns about Egypt's commitment to democratic principles. In 
fact, I am circulating a bipartisan letter with my Virginia colleague, 
Rep. Wolf, urging Egyptian President Morsi to immediately reconsider 
this action and permit the NGOs to continue their important.work. So 
far, more than 50 Members of Congress have signed our bipartisan 
letter, including Rep. Schneider, who also cosponsored this amendment.
  The United States supports the aspirations of the Egyptian people to 
become a free and fair society, in which all NG0s--regardless of their 
nation of origin--are allowed to operate freely. I hope that Egyptian 
officials will come to this same realization and return property 
confiscated from the NGOs 18 months ago, remove their staff from the 
no-fly list, and permit them to continue their work supporting a fair 
and open election process and helping to improve the lives of all 
Egyptians.
  If the U.S. government and the American people are to have any 
confidence that the Egyptian government is undertaking a genuine 
transition to a democratic state, under civilian control, where the 
freedoms of assembly, association, religion, and expression are 
guaranteed and the rule of law is upheld, then we must see a swift and 
satisfactory resolution to this case.
  As my colleagues will recall, this ordeal began a year and a half 
ago, when Egyptian forces raided both American and non-American NGO 
offices. During the raids, Egyptian forces seized records, computers, 
other electronic equipment, and hard currency. At every turn Egyptian 
authorities assured the NGOs and U.S. authorities that the situation 
would be appropriately resolved, only to renege on their word. For 
example, three days after the raids, U.S. NGOs were waiting for the 
return of their confiscated property as promised by Field Marshal 
Tantawi while simultaneously, another Egyptian official--Fayza Abou 
Naga, the government minister in charge of coordinating foreign aid--
was holding a press conference saying the property would not be 
returned. Abou Naga also accused the NGOs of illicitly funneling money 
to the April 6th Youth Movement.
  When I traveled to Egypt in March of last year, my colleagues and I 
raised the issue of the NGOs with General Tantawi. During that trip, we 
also met with the Egyptian staffers who were facing charges. They were 
in a precarious position, and their situation has only worsened with 
the June 4th verdict.
  We cannot in good conscience ignore the results of the recent trial, 
which comes on the heels of a draft law that further restricts NGOs, 
fails to meet Egypt's international commitments with respect to freedom 
of association, and lends credence to the opinion that there is an 
ongoing war against civil society in Egypt.
  U.S. law with regard to this issue is clear in the restrictions 
placed on the $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt:

       Prior to the obligation of funds appropriated by this Act 
     under the heading `Foreign Military Financing Program,' the 
     Secretary of State shall certify to the Committees on 
     Appropriations that the Government of Egypt is supporting the 
     transition to civilian government including holding free and 
     fair elections; implementing policies to protect freedom of 
     expression, association, and religion, and due process of 
     law.

  With the current state of affairs in Egypt, any such certification 
that Egypt is, in fact, implementing policies to guarantee the pillars 
of a free society would be met with skepticism. That is why news 
reports of Sec. Kerry's recent action to waive the restrictions on that 
military aid are of particular concern. It is not too late to include 
these important NGO issues in a larger discussion about releasing (or 
withholding) other tranches of money to Egypt.
  Our amendment would further support the transition to democracy by 
requiring the Pentagon report on how Egyptian military activities 
contribute to an atmosphere where pro-democracy NGOs can operate 
freely. I encourage my colleagues to support the Connolly/Wolf/
Schneider amendment and to sign the related letter to President Morsi 
of Egypt.

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