[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 78 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E814-E815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL 
                               YEAR 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4435) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2015 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:

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking 
Member Smith for their work on this bill and their devotion to the men 
and women of the Armed Forces.
  I also thank them for including in En Bloc Amendment No. 1 the 
Jackson Lee-Wilson-Lee Amendment, which makes three important 
contributions to the bill:
  1. First, it strongly condemns the ongoing violence and the 
systematic gross human rights violations against the people of Nigeria 
carried out by the militant organization Boko Haram, especially the 
kidnapping of the more than 200 young schoolgirls kidnapped from the 
Chibok School by Boko Haram;
  2. Second, it expresses support for the people of Nigeria who wish to 
live in a peaceful, economically prosperous, and democratic Nigeria; 
and
  3. Third, it requires that not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment, the Secretary of Defense shall report to Congress on the 
nature and extent of the crimes against humanity committed by Boko 
Haram in Nigeria.
  Since 2013, more than 4,400 men, women, and children have been 
slaughtered by Boko Haram.
  The victims include Christians, Muslims, journalists, health care 
providers, relief workers and schoolchildren.
  I am confident that the international community working with the 
African Union will assist the Government of Nigeria in bringing an end 
to Boko Haram's reign of terror and ensuring that its crimes against 
humanity are documented so its leaders can be held accountable.
  Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a letter 
to President Obama from myself and 15 House colleagues commending his 
decision to deploy American security experts and equipment in Nigeria 
to help locate and rescue the more than 200 Nigerian kidnapped 
schoolgirls and to work in concert with the Government of Nigeria and 
the African Union to bring Abubakar Shekau and other leaders of Boko 
Haram to justice.
  The Jackson Lee-Wilson-Lee Amendment affirms that the United States 
stands with the civilized world in solidarity with the people of 
Nigeria.
  The Jackson Lee-Wilson-Lee Amendment affirms that the United States 
is fully committed to the fundamental principle that women everywhere 
have a right to be free, to live without fear, and should not be forced 
to risk their lives to get the education they want and deserve.
  I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for including this amendment 
in En Bloc Amendment #1 and all Members to support it.

                                 Congress of the United States

                                      Washington, DC, May 8, 2014.
     President Barack Obama
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: We are writing to commend your decision 
     to deploy American security experts and equipment in Nigeria 
     to help locate and rescue the more than 200 Nigerian 
     schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. We 
     support your action and we strongly urge you to work in 
     concert with the Government of Nigeria and the African Union 
     to achieve this objective and to bring Abubakar Shekau and 
     other leaders of Boko Haram to justice.
       Boko Haram, a militant group designated by the State 
     Department in November 2013 as a Foreign Terrorist 
     Organization, has been conducting a reign of terror against 
     innocent Nigerian women, children, and men since 2009, when 
     it killed hundreds of persons during a raid of a police 
     station in Maiduguri. In the last four years, Boko Haram has 
     carried out more than 480 violent attacks against a broad 
     array of targets: Christian and Muslim communities, 
     government installations, schools, hospitals and medical 
     facilities, aid workers and journalists. Since the beginning 
     of 2013, more than 4,400 innocent persons have been killed 
     and thousands more left homeless.
       According to media reports, the leader of Boko Haram has 
     threatened to ransom or sell the girls into the human 
     trafficking market for about twelve dollars each ($12.00 
     USD). This outrageous conduct cannot be tolerated or 
     overlooked. Not only is it a violation of the girls' human 
     rights, it is also contrary to United States policy 
     supporting and promoting equal access to education and 
     economic opportunity for women and girls.
       We know that terrorist groups cannot operate effectively 
     without reliable and steady funding to support its criminal 
     acts. Therefore, we urge you to work with the international 
     community to detect, disrupt, and dismantle the funding 
     networks financing Boko Haram, which published reports 
     indicate has received as much as $70 million from other 
     Islamist groups, including Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb 
     (AQIM) and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP), the Al 
     Muntada Trust Fund, and the Islamic World Society.
       Additionally, we urge you to consider working with the 
     Government of Nigeria to develop its own capacity to deploy 
     specialized police and army units rapidly to rescue the 
     schoolgirls and bring Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau to 
     justice. Such units also can be deployed to prevent and 
     combat sectarian violence in cities and around the country 
     where there has been a history of sectarian violence. The 
     creation of an elite highly-trained rapid response unit would 
     appear to be a sound short-term strategy that the Government 
     of Nigeria should employ in dealing with violent groups like 
     Boko Haram. This approach was used to successful effect by 
     the Indonesia Government in 2004 to neutralize the Laskar 
     Jihad terrorist organization.
       Finally, we call upon you to take appropriate action to 
     help the Government of Nigeria establish a Victim's Fund to 
     provide humanitarian relief and economic assistance to the 
     victims of attacks by Boko Haram so that they can rebuild 
     their lives and communities.
       ``People are the great issue of the 20th century,'' 
     declared, then-Senator Hubert Humphrey in 1948. The well-
     being of people remains the great issue of the 21st century. 
     And there is no better measure of any society than the way 
     its treats its women and girls. Boko Haram understands that 
     when Nigerian girls are educated, Nigerian women can succeed; 
     and when Nigerian women succeed, Nigeria succeeds. And that 
     is why it is so important that the United States help Nigeria 
     ensure that Boko Haram fails.
       Thank you for your leadership and your consideration of our 
     recommendations. We stand ready to work with you to bring 
     about the safe rescue of the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls 
     and to reunite them with their families and loved ones.
           Sincerely,


                          list of signatories

       Marcia L. Fudge, Karen E. Bass, Donald Payne, Jr., John 
     Lewis, Yvette D. Clarke, Robin Kelly, Janice Hahn, Sheila 
     Jackson

[[Page E815]]

     Lee, Terri A. Sewell, Corrine Brown, Frederica Wilson, 
     Gregory W. Meeks, Barbara Lee, Marc Veasey, Members of 
     Congress.

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