[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 109 (Thursday, June 28, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E943-E944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MARKUP

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 28, 2018

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today we held a markup on 
various important measures. I'd like to express support of the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democracy and Accountability Act, H.R. 
6207, of which I am the proud sponsor, along with our lead Democratic 
cosponsor, my good friend and ranking member of our subcommittee, Rep. 
Karen Bass.

[[Page E944]]

   I would also like to thank Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member 
Engel, both of whom are original cosponsors, for scheduling this bill 
for markup so soon after introduction.
   A sense of urgency with regard to the DR Congo is not misplaced.
   As many of you know, the DRC is a strategically-located, resource-
rich country which, unfortunately, has been misgoverned for most of its 
history.
   H.R. 6207 supports the humanitarian and accountability efforts of 
civil society groups pushing back against civil strife and political 
repression. In particular, it acknowledges the role of the faith 
community and the Catholic Church, which educates and heals the 
Congolese people through its schools and hospitals while upholding the 
need for the rule of law and respect for constitutional principles in 
the DRC.
   H.R. 6207 also supports a free and fair electoral process in the DRC 
which is long overdue. It is in our national security interest to 
support the Congolese people's call for democracy and accountability. 
Plus it is the right thing to do.
   Notably, H.R. 6207 puts human rights violators and corrupt actors in 
the Democratic Republic of Congo under notice, codifying existing tools 
that allow us to sanction bad actors.
   I urge my colleagues to join us by cosponsoring H.R. 6207.
   I am also proud to be a sponsor of H.R. 1697, the Israel Anti-
Boycott Act.
   This Act will help protect Israel from unfair and punitive boycott 
efforts fomented by biased international organizations.
   I commend my good friends Peter Roskam, Juan Vargas, and Lee Zeldin 
for introducing this critical bipartisan measure to protect Israeli and 
American sovereignty and economic interests. I would also like to 
recognize our Chairman Ed Royce's work to amend this bill to bring it 
to a full committee vote.
   The notoriously anti-Israel agenda of the UN Human Rights Council in 
recent years has developed into a dangerous assault on Israel's 
economy. Pursuant to a March 2016 UNHRC resolution decrying businesses 
that operate beyond Israel's 1949 Armistice lines, the Human Rights 
Council in recent years has carried out an insidious blacklisting 
effort that is tantamount to economic warfare against the State of 
Israel.
   Earlier this year the Council announced that it had compiled a list 
of 206 companies that it believed ought to be boycotted because they 
operate outside Israel's old boundaries. Of these 206 UN-blacklisted 
companies, 143 are based in Israel and 22 in the United States. Clearly 
it is right to protect these companies from damaging boycotts and to 
stand by our stalwart ally, Israel, the only democratic country in the 
region.
   This legislation directs the President to amend U.S. commerce and 
foreign trade laws to prohibit American companies from knowingly 
complying with boycotts targeted at American allies. I urge my 
colleagues to support this measure to deliver badly-needed protection 
to American and Israeli companies whose legitimate business should not 
be manipulated to serve a hateful, anti-Israel political agenda.
  I further urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5898, the UNRWA 
Accountability Act, another bipartisan measure introduced by David 
Cicilline and Lee Zeldin.
   For years the United States has been the world's largest donor to an 
organization that amplifies a Palestinian curriculum which propagates 
anti-Israel and anti-Semitic animus while entrenching conflict between 
Israelis and Palestinians. By conferring refugee status to successive 
generations of displaced Palestinians, UNRWA contributes to a 
ballooning population of aggrieved people who in turn are manipulated 
by those seeking to maintain pressure upon Israel.
   United States aid to UNRWA must conform to United States' interests 
in securing true peace for Israel and the Palestinian people. This 
means applying real oversight and scrutiny to UNRWA's policies. It also 
means identifying alternatives to UNRWA if its mandate is at odds with 
our interests. This legislation requires a report that will help 
Congress conduct this critical oversight. This bill has my full 
support.
   I would like to thank Representative Norma Torres for introducing H. 
Res. 944. This is a simple, compassionate resolution that expresses 
solidarity for the people of Guatemala who lost their loved ones and 
their homes to the terrible volcanic eruption of Mount Fuego on the 
third of June.
   I am proud to be the lead Republican cosponsor of this resolution, 
for which Ms. Torres, along with her staffer Clay Boggs, deserve the 
credit.
   I also want to note as an aside, that Congresswoman Torres and I 
have at times found ourselves on different sides of policy debates, 
including toward Guatemala.
   What is important, however, is that when disaster strikes, we put 
aside our differences and unite in solidarity with those who suffer. 
Indeed, we have received thanks from people in Guatemala, and I am sure 
Ms. Torres has as well, who note with appreciation this bipartisan 
coming together to support the Guatemalan people.
   I urge my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to join us.

                          ____________________