[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 1, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2756-H2759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING TO UKRAINE AND NEIGHBORING
REGIONS
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 2183) United States international programming to Ukraine and
neighboring regions.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 2183
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.
(a) Congress finds and declares the following:
(1) The Russian Government has deliberately blocked the
Ukrainian people's access to uncensored sources of
information and has provided alternative news and information
that is both inaccurate and inflammatory;
(2) United States international programming exists to
advance the United States interests and values by presenting
accurate and comprehensive news and information, which is the
foundation for democratic governance;
(3) The opinions and views of the Ukrainian people,
especially those people located in the eastern regions and
Crimea, are not being accurately represented in Russian
dominated mass media;
(4) Russian forces have seized more than five television
stations in Crimea and taken over transmissions, switching to
a 24/7 Russian propaganda format; this increase in
programming augments the already robust pro-Russian
programming to Ukraine;
(5) United States international programming has the
potential to combat this anti-democratic propaganda.
(b) Programming.--Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL),
Incorporated, and the Voice of America service to Ukraine and
neighboring regions shall--
(1) provide news and information that is accessible,
credible, and accurate;
(2) emphasize investigative and analytical journalism to
highlight inconsistencies and misinformation provided by
Russian or pro-Russian media outlets;
(3) prioritize programming to areas where access to
uncensored sources of information is limited or non-existent,
especially populations serviced by Russian supported media
outlets;
(4) increase the number of reporters and organizational
presence in eastern Ukraine, especially in Crimea;
(5) promote democratic processes, respect for human rights,
freedom of the press, and territorial sovereignty; and
(6) take necessary preparatory steps to continue and
increase programming and content that promotes democracy and
government transparency in Russia.
(c) Programming Surge.--RFE/RL, Incorporated, and Voice of
America programming to Ukraine and neighboring regions
shall--
(1) prioritize programming to eastern Ukraine, including
Crimea, and Moldova, and to ethnic and linguistic Russian
populations, as well as to Tatar minorities;
(2) prioritize news and information that directly
contributes to the target audiences' understanding of
political and economic developments in Ukraine and Moldova,
including countering misinformation that may originate from
other news outlets, especially Russian supported news
outlets;
(3) provide programming content 24 hours a day, seven days
a week to target populations, using all available and
effective distribution outlets, including--
(A) at least 8 weekly hours of total original television
and video content in Ukrainian, Russian, and Tatar languages,
not inclusive of live video streaming coverage of breaking
news, to be distributed on satellite, digital, and through
regional television affiliates by the Voice of America; and
(B) at least 14 weekly hours the total audio content in
Ukrainian, Russian, and Tatar languages to be distributed on
satellite, digital, and through regional radio affiliates of
RFE/RL, Incorporated;
(4) expand the use, audience, and audience engagement of
mobile news and multimedia platforms by RFE/RL, Incorporated,
and the Voice of America, including through Internet-based
social networking platforms; and
(5) partner with private sector broadcasters and affiliates
to seek and start co-production for new, original content,
when possible, to increase distribution.
[[Page H2757]]
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated for fiscal year 2014, in addition to funds
otherwise made available for such purposes, up to $10,000,000
to carry out programming in the Ukrainian, Balkan, Russian,
and Tatar language services of RFE/RL, Incorporated, and the
Voice of America, for the purpose of bolstering existing
United States programming to the people of Ukraine and
neighboring regions, and increasing programming capacity and
jamming circumvention technology to overcome any disruptions
to service.
(e) Report.--Not later than 15 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Broadcasting Board of Governors
shall submit to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations of the
Senate a detailed report on plans to increase broadcasts
pursuant to subsections (a) and (b).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in strong support of S. 2183, legislation to bolster U.S.-
backed international broadcasting to Ukraine and the surrounding
region. This legislation passed the House overwhelmingly last week as
part of H.R. 4278. It was authored by myself and Mr. Engel.
While the Senate did not act on the full House package of legislation
to support Ukraine, I am pleased that the Senate did recognize and act
on this important piece of legislation. With its passage, this bill
goes to the President's desk.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is central to our effort to counter
Russian aggression and to send the type of support we need for the
democratic development of Ukraine.
Throughout the crisis, Russians and Ukrainians alike have been
bombarded by portrayals of Ukrainian protesters and the interim
government, as you can hear on the Russian propaganda broadcast, what
they call fascist mercenaries.
This, of course, is a rather deplorable attempt to draw a connection
between those who yearn for freedom in Ukraine to the brutal Nazi
invasion of the second World War. Overwhelmingly, the country of
Ukraine voted for independence.
In this false narrative, which really is sort of a big lie, stark
images of chaos and violence are used to persuade viewers that ethnic
and linguistic Russians are under attack in Ukraine.
Footage of a border crossing between Ukraine and Poland has been used
to support the outlandish claims that Ukrainian refugees are fleeing
into Russia.
In Crimea, Russian forces have seized control over at least a dozen
television and radio stations that are now used to broadcast misleading
and false news and information around the clock.
Russian propaganda right now is in overdrive. A survey by Russia's
only independent polling service, Levada, earlier this month showed
that 63 percent of Russians believe state media portrays an objective
picture of Ukraine.
This bill puts us on the offensive in this information battle. It
does so by requiring Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of
America to increase broadcasts to the people of eastern Ukraine and
Crimea, prioritizing programming to populations that are being
inundated with Russian propaganda and combating the misinformation they
are receiving.
This bill also supports efforts to circumvent Russian jamming. The
Russian government has targeted Ukrainian television and radio
stations, jamming their signals and disrupting their ability to reach
Ukrainian audiences while the Russian propaganda broadcasts come in
relentlessly.
In addition, this bill supports U.S. international broadcasting to
the Balkans and Moldova, two regions that are subject to the wider
Russian propaganda campaign.
The free flow of information forms the foundation for a strong
democratic society. Russian propaganda kills democratic prospects. This
is the problem with the fact that the state and Russia has now taken
over all independent media.
As they struggle to build democracy, this bill will help provide the
people of Ukraine with news and information that is accessible,
credible, and accurate. It will basically be surrogate broadcasting.
I urge its passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2183, a bill to provide
surge news broadcasts to the people of Ukraine and the surrounding
region, in order to counter Russian propaganda.
I want to, again, concur with everything that Chairman Royce said. I
agree with every word he mentioned. I am, again, very happy to have
been working closely with him on this legislation in a bipartisan
fashion.
Chairman Royce feels as I do, particularly strongly about
broadcasting. It is something that is very important. It is something
that helped to win the cold war.
It is something that we are able to get into countries, so they hear
the truth when they are denied the truth from their own governments,
and that is what this bill does.
Over the past few weeks, the people of Ukraine, Russia, and much of
Eastern Europe have been bombarded by the state-controlled and directed
Russian media. Among other things, these so-called reports claim that
fascists and neo-Nazis have taken control of the government in Kiev,
that they have been attacking ethnic Russians in Ukraine and similarly
in Crimea, and that they have engaged in widespread anti-Semitic acts.
Despite the complete lack of evidence, President Putin and other
Russian officials have repeatedly referred to these alleged events to
justify the invasion of Crimea and their massing of troops on Ukraine's
border.
It is important to note that a number of prominent Jewish leaders in
Ukraine, including Chief Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, have recently made
clear that the Russian allegations about ant-Semitic acts in Ukraine
are false and that this baseless propaganda has been used as a pretext
for the illegal annexation of Crimea.
I will insert in the record a letter from Ukrainian Jewish leaders
debunking the fabrications emanating from Russia.
The legislation before us today, which is very similar to a provision
included in the bipartisan Ukraine Support Act that passed the House
last week, is a critical piece of our comprehensive approach to address
the crisis in Ukraine.
S. 2183 directs Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of
America to significantly increase radio, TV, and Internet programming
in Ukraine and other countries in the region.
It also requires RFE/RL and Voice of America to expand their network
of reporters in eastern Ukraine and Crimea and focus on news and
information that directly rebuts misinformation from the Kremlin-
controlled Russian media.
I would note, Mr. Speaker, that this legislation originated in the
House as part of the Foreign Affairs Committee's Ukraine Support Act
and was broken off in the Senate to create a separate bill.
In the interest of expediting passage, I will support the bill, but
in the future, I might expect that Congress would follow a different
process.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 2183 to
help ensure that the people of Ukraine, Moldova, the Balkan States, and
other countries in the region have access to objective and
comprehensive news.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Open Letter of Ukrainian Jews to Russian Federation President Vladimir
Putin
to the president of the russian federation vladimir vladimirovich putin
Mr. President: We are Jewish citizens of Ukraine:
businessmen, managers, public figures, scientists and
scholars, artists and musicians. We are addressing you on
behalf of the multi-national people of Ukraine, Ukraine's
national minorities, and on behalf of the Jewish community.
You have stated that Russia wants to protect the rights of
the Russian-speaking citizens of the Crimea and all of
Ukraine and
[[Page H2758]]
that these rights have been trampled by the current Ukrainian
government. Historically, Ukrainian Jews are also mostly
Russian-speaking. Thus, our opinion on what is happening
carries no less weight than the opinion of those who advise
and inform you.
We are convinced that you are not easily fooled. This means
that you must be consciously picking and choosing lies and
slander from the entire body of information on Ukraine. And
you know very well that Victor Yanukovich's statement used to
describe the situation after the latest treaty had been
signed--``. . . Kyiv is full of armed people who have begun
to ransack buildings, places of worship, and churches.
Innocent people are suffering. People are being robbed and
killed in the streets . . .''--is simply a lie, from the
first word to the very last.
The Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine are not being
humiliated or discriminated against, their civil rights have
not been infringed upon. Meanderings about ``forced
Ukrainization'' and ``bans on the Russian language'' that
have been so common in Russian media are on the heads of
those who invented them. Your certainty about the growth of
anti-Semitism in Ukraine, which you expressed at your press-
conference, also does not correspond to the actual facts.
Perhaps you got Ukraine confused with Russia, where Jewish
organizations have noticed growth in anti-Semitic tendencies
last year.
Right now, after Ukraine has survived a difficult political
crisis, many of us have wound up on different sides of the
barricades. The Jews of Ukraine, as all ethnic groups, are
not absolutely unified in their opinion towards what is
happening in the country. But we live in a democratic country
and can afford a difference of opinion.
They have tried to scare us (and are continuing their
attempts) with ``Bandera followers'' and ``Fascists''
attempting to wrest away the helm of Ukrainian society, with
imminent Jewish pogroms. Yes, we are well aware that the
political opposition and the forces of social protests who
have secured changes for the better are made up of different
groups. They include nationalistic groups, but even the most
marginal do not dare show anti-Semitism or other xenophobic
behavior. And we certainly know that our very few
nationalists are well-controlled by civil society and the new
Ukrainian government--which is more than can be said for the
Russian neo-Nazis, who are encouraged by your security
services.
We have a great mutual understanding with the new
government, and a partnership is in the works. There are
quite a few national minority representatives in the Cabinet
of Ministers: the Minister of Internal Affairs is Armenian,
the Vice Prime Minister is a Jew, two ministers are Russian.
The newly-appointed governors of Ukraine's region are also
not exclusively Ukrainian.
Unfortunately, we must admit that in recent days stability
in our country has been threatened. And this threat is coming
from the Russian government, namely--from you personally. It
is your policy of inciting separatism and crude pressure
placed on Ukraine that threatens us and all Ukrainian people,
including those who live in Crimea and the Ukrainian South-
East. Southeastern Ukrainians will soon see that for
themselves.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, we highly value your concern about
the safety and rights of Ukrainian national minorities. But
we do not wish to be ``defended'' by sundering Ukraine and
annexing its territory. We decisively call for you not to
intervene in internal Ukrainian affairs, to return the
Russian armed forces to their normal fixed peacetime
location, and to stop encouraging pro-Russian separatism.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, we are quite capable of protecting
our rights in a constructive dialogue and in cooperation with
the government and civil society of a sovereign, democratic,
and united Ukraine. We strongly urge you not to destabilize
the situation in our country and to stop your attempts of
delegitimizing the new Ukrainian government.
Signed:
Josef Zisels, Chairman of the Association of Jewish
Communities and Organizations of Ukraine (VAAD) Ukraine,
Executive Vice President of the Congress of National
Communities of Ukraine; Alexander Suslensky, D.Sc., Vice
President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine,
businessman; Andrei Adamovsky, First Vice President of the
Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, member of the ``Hillel''
Jewish Student organization Observation Council (citizen of
Russia); Evgen Chervonenko, Vice President of the European
Jewish Congress, businessman; Rabbi Alex Dukhovny, Head Rabbi
of the Ukrainian Progressive Judaism communities; Rabbi
Reuven Stamov, Head Rabbi of the Ukrainian Traditional
Judaism communities; Alexander Paskhaver, Member of the VAAD
Ukraine Coordation Council, economist; Leonid Finberg,
Director of the NaUKMA Center for the Studies of History and
Culture of Eastern European Jewry, VAAD Ukraine Vice
Chairman; Anatoliy Podolsky, Director of the Ukrainian Center
for Holocaust Studies, Vice Chairman of VAAD Ukraine; Igor
Kuperberg, Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Ukraine,
Vice Chairman of VAAD Ukraine; Semen Belman, Vice President
of the Jewish Council of Ukraine, President of the Chernigiv
Jewish Community; Alexander Gaidar, Leader of the Union of
Ukrainian Progressive Judaism Religious Communities;
Vyacheslav Likhachev, CNCU Chief expert in monitoring and
analysing xenophobia and anti-Semitism, member of the VAAD
Ukraine Coordination Council (citizen of Russia and Israel);
Michael Gold, Editor-in-chief of the VAAD Ukraine newspaper
``Hadashot''; Galina Haraz, Engineer (citizen of Ukraine and
Israel); Igor Turov, PhD in history, Director of the Jewish
Studies Certificate Program of VAAD Ukraine, VAAD Ukraine,
Presidium member; Diana Gold, VAAD Ukraine Presidium member;
Alexander Roitburg, Artist; Evgen Greben, Director of the
``Maccabi'' Jewish Cultural and Sports Society (Kyiv);
Grigoriy Pickman; ``B'nei B'rith Leopolis'' President; Igor
Kerez, VAAD Ukraine Trustee Board member; businessman;
(Signatures still being collected); March 4, 2014.
{time} 1630
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a very respected member of our Foreign Affairs
Committee.
Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York.
Let me begin first by thanking and extending my commendation to the
distinguished chairman of our committee, Mr. Royce, and our
distinguished ranking member, Mr. Engel. They have comported the
Foreign Affairs Committee in a civil and bipartisan, collegial fashion
that I think is a model for this Congress, and I wish we could emulate
that in more of our committee work and here on the floor of the House
of Representatives. They understand, both of them, that foreign policy
has to be bipartisan, that the United States' interest must trump
partisan issues and interests, and I thank them both for their
leadership and their inspiration.
I rise in strong support of these two bipartisan bills which contain
provisions supported by our committee and the full House in recent
weeks.
The House initially passed a bill to provide loan guarantees to
Ukraine on March 6, and with today's vote, the bill finally will go to
the President for his signature. It authorizes $150 million in aid to
Ukraine, and another $100 million for this fiscal year for increased
U.S. security cooperation among NATO states in response to the
situation in Ukraine. This compromise legislation will also codify and
expand the sanctions imposed last month by the Obama administration
against certain Russian and Ukrainian officials who have undermined the
Ukrainian Government or committed human rights abuses.
The second bill authorizes up to $10 million for Radio Free Europe/
Radio Liberty and the Voice of America to increase their broadcasts
into eastern Ukraine--including the Crimea, Moldova, and other nearby
ethnic Russian communities--consistent with the House-passed bill.
As the ranking member just noted, the power of radio certainly was
something we saw during the cold war era, where truth could be beamed
into homes, people had the courage to listen, and it actually changed
minds, hearts, and, ultimately, the politics of the entire Soviet-
dominated region.
Mr. Speaker, the United States and its allies cannot allow the
flagrant violation of sovereignty that occurred by Russia in Crimea in
violation of the international law, blatantly, to stand. Doing so would
be an abrogation of our moral responsibility as a world power, and it
would be turning our backs on the lessons we should have learned from
the catastrophic events of the previous century.
Mr. Putin's claims that Russian speakers in Crimea were in jeopardy
is nothing more than a fabrication and a ruse. Russia's interests were
never threatened in the Crimea after the revolution in Kiev.
The current treaty with Crimea provided Russia with naval and
military privileges and bases through the year 2042. That treaty was
never threatened by Kiev. That treaty was never abrogated until the
Russians' lower chamber of Parliament voted to abrogate that treaty, as
a matter of fact.
Putin has learned nothing from history and is, in fact, bent,
apparently, on repeating it. Crimea was settled by Stalin to have a
Russian majority. He expelled and executed much of the native
population of Crimea.
Mr. Putin seems to have learned nothing from that history, other than
there is power at the end of the barrel of a gun. And the so-called
referendum in Crimea was also, frankly, carried out with the assistance
of bused-in thugs and at the end of the barrel of a
[[Page H2759]]
gun. I guess, as I have said before with respect to Mr. Putin, once a
KGB agent, always a KGB agent.
If Mr. Putin's goal was to deter Ukraine and other former Soviet
satellite nations from turning to the West, he has failed miserably.
Ukraine and its neighbors are now looking at this aggression and
turning even more to the West for their orientation and their support.
As they do, the United States and its allies must be there to stand
with them against this naked aggression, a raw and reckless act by the
Russian Government.
I urge my colleagues to support these two bills. Speak with one voice
on behalf of the United States Congress, and send a decisive message to
the aggressive Mr. Putin and his Russian Government.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, I would like to say that information is power, and we
must not yield the media landscape to intentional efforts by the state-
controlled and directed Russian media to mislead the people of Ukraine
and the surrounding countries by providing false and deceptive
information. These reports, as was mentioned, have been used as a
pretext to the annexation of Crimea and possible incursions into
eastern Ukraine and even Moldova and, I might say, even Georgia. That
is why this bill is necessary to ensuring that there is access to
objective news and information.
I again urge the Congress to pass this with an overwhelming,
bipartisan majority.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, it is a sad state of affairs. There was one
television station left in Russia that had some measure of
independence, that wasn't state-controlled. Russia, President Putin,
went after that institution, and now it is no longer broadcasting.
Russia has been waging an intense, aggressive, and very blunt
disinformation campaign. Not only is that campaign directed at
disinformation to people in Ukraine, but they have also spun tales of
sinister plotting by the West. This measure, S. 2183, responds by
directing U.S. international broadcasters to advance access to
uncensored sources of information, the truth, about what is happening
on the ground in Ukraine, to use stringers and reporters and to operate
as a surrogate radio broadcast source in order to get news and
information to people that are otherwise subject to the Russian
propaganda, state-run propaganda that is coming into the country. I
think it is important that this be done because the Ukrainian stations
themselves have now been jammed by the Russians, by the Russian
Government.
The former head of Radio Free Europe once described the mission of
his broadcasts as one that ``irritates authoritarian regimes, inspires
democrats, and creates greater space for civil society.'' We need to
create greater space for civil society in Eastern Europe today. We need
to provide a platform to inspire those who want to see democratic
governance, and that is exactly the type of response that is needed.
For years, this type of broadcasting has been pivotal in helping
young democracies push back against media lies and distortions and get
off of their feet. We know from listening to Vaclav Havel and Lech
Walesa how important this broadcasting can be. It is the type of
broadcasting needed now in Ukraine and the surrounding region more than
ever.
So I urge the House to pass S. 2183 and ensure that Russian attempts
to undermine democracy in Ukraine through an intense propaganda
campaign do not go unanswered.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 2183.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________