[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING FOREIGN NATIONAL EMPLOYEES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Walz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and thank the thousands 
of foreign national employees who work for United States Embassies 
overseas supporting our Foreign Service and promoting democratic ideals 
throughout the world.
  Many Americans may not know exactly what the Foreign Service does 
both at home and abroad, but I can assure you that our diplomats are 
out every day promoting the interests of the United States, our 
constituents, our businesses, and our values.
  Last August, I invited Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, president of 
the American Foreign Service Association, to Minnesota Farm Fest, a 
trade and policy forum that brings together about 40,000 people out on 
the rich soils near Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Her message was simple 
yet important: the work our Foreign Service officers do throughout the 
globe has a direct and substantial impact on the citizens of this great 
Nation--in that case, promoting export markets and food safety 
throughout the world so that the world's greatest producers of food and 
fuel and fiber are able to find those markets and able to grow our 
economies.
  But what often goes unnoticed are the thousands of foreign national 
employees who work at U.S. Embassies in support of our diplomats as 
they build and strengthen democratic institutions, create and sustain 
markets for American products, and promote democracy in some of the 
most hostile, austere environments in the world.

                              {time}  1030

  These dedicated professionals are called LESes among the Foreign 
Service, Locally Engaged Staff. And that is exactly what they are. They 
are engaged locally in a way that is simply not possible, even for the 
most expert of American diplomats. They are that engaged because they 
are from the country they work in. And it is this understanding that 
only people native to a country can have, which makes them critical to 
the success of our diplomats and America's mission overseas.
  I would like to tell you about one such unsung hero of the State 
Department's mission in Havana, Cuba. Olexis Lugo was born in Havana, 
Cuba, in 1966, and worked for the U.S. Interests Section, and later, 
the U.S. Embassy in Havana for more than a decade. Lugo, as he was 
known to diplomat colleagues, was a driver in the embassy's motor pool 
and supported countless missions with U.S. diplomats.
  More than a driver, Lugo aided diplomats in understanding the nuances 
of Cuban culture, and provided critical insight that helped our 
diplomats do their jobs effectively. And more than that, Lugo was a 
friend and confidant to all of the U.S. diplomats posted in Havana, and 
a friend to America.
  This past year, Lugo suddenly passed away in Havana, but his legacy 
will live on in the American lives he touched and the ideals of 
democracy and freedom that he helped support. I hope when it comes time 
to talk about our Foreign Affairs budget, we will remember our 
diplomats and the folks from foreign countries, like Lugo, who are 
working hard for the American people to keep this world safe for 
democracy.

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