[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H5025-H5026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            SINGAPORE POWWOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, ending the nuclear threat in North 
Korea

[[Page H5026]]

is within our reach. The maximum-pressure campaign has demonstrated 
some clear successes in pushing North Korea to the negotiating table 
and pausing its nuclear and missile tests. This is serious progress, 
and if we maintain our focus on disarming Kim Jong-un, we can end this 
horrific danger.
  President Trump made history as the first United States President to 
meet with the leader of North Korea. I applaud President Trump for 
prioritizing the North Korean challenge, which has major global 
implications beyond just our own security.
  The Singapore Summit is the first step toward the complete 
denuclearization of the North Korean peninsula. North Korea has pledged 
their commitment to work toward this agreement.
  President Trump also reached an agreement to complete the recovery of 
United States' Korean war dead in the Korean Peninsula. This is, 
without a doubt, historic progress.
  I urge the White House to stand firm on ``complete, verifiable, and 
irreversible'' disarmament of North Korea.
  While this progress is promising, we must proceed with caution. This 
is not the first time the United States has attempted negotiations with 
this tyrannical state.
  In the aftermath of these preliminary negotiations, many questions do 
remain.
  Will China and Russia hold firm on their commitments of applying 
sanctions to North Korea? China and Russia have continuously undermined 
our efforts against a range of global bad actors.
  Will a traditional nuclear deterrence work with North Korea? If North 
Korea is able to produce nuclear weapons and use them to hold the world 
hostage and blackmail its neighbors, the world will become less safe.
  North Korea has played the United States for decades. Those days are 
over. President Trump has made this clear to Kim Jong-un.
  We cannot afford the same mistakes that were made with the Iranian 
nuclear deal to provide relief to a regime that would spread terror and 
chaos with whatever money is earned from sanctions relief. No more 
billions of American dollars secretly given to a rogue regime in the 
darkness of night on an isolated airstrip, like our Government did with 
Iran.
  We all want to disarm this evil regime, but giving concessions for 
the sake of ending the nuclear threat carries its own risk and moral 
dilemmas. Ensuring that Kim is able to hold on to power and continue to 
enslave his people presents massive problems.
  It seems to me that Kim's goal is to remain in power. He does not 
want the same fate as Muammar Qadhafi.
  There are other issues that need to be resolved. The regime still 
possesses a massive chemical, biological, and conventional arsenal that 
is capable of mass murder and destruction. The regime still desires to 
reunify the Korean Peninsula under its rule. The regime still provides 
weapons technology to other bad actors like Iran and Syria. The regime 
is still the number one abuser of human rights in the world.
  Whatever outcome is achieved in further negotiations, we must not 
forget who we are dealing with. The Kim dynasty is historically a 
brutal regime that remains a state sponsor of terror. We made the 
mistake of removing this label, believing North Korea negotiated in 
good faith. As we learned, they lied.
  Any agreements must have the most stringent verification safeguards. 
We must preserve the presence of United States forces in South Korea 
and the South China Sea. International inspectors should have access to 
all sites in North Korea, no side deals, no holds barred.
  Any indication of weakness by us or our allies will embolden the 
regime. Complacency has always been our enemies' best friend. 
Expectations for future talks must remain realistic and vigilance 
sustained. We still face many challenges ahead.
  North Korea must know they have no option but to change its ways. If 
we uphold our commitment to a peaceful and free world in steadfast 
alliance with our allies, we will overcome whatever challenge North 
Korea throws at the world.
  The ``Singapore Powwow'' is the beginning of a realization for North 
Korea that they must denuclearize and move forward as a peaceful 
nation.
  I urge the President to be strong, be strong, of good courage, and 
bold in dealing with Kim. We are on a path toward an unprecedented 
agreement, and the United States must not waver in our demand of 
complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization by North Korea.
  And that is just the way it is.

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