[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 193 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




H.R. 390, IRAQ AND SYRIA GENOCIDE RELIEF AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2018

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2018

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the passage of the Senate 
amendment to H.R. 390, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and 
Accountability Act of 2017 in the House on November 27, 2018 by voice 
vote. The legislation has been presented to the President for his 
signature and I urge him to quickly sign the bill into law.
  H.R. 390 is the culmination of years of work in Congress to help 
ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria who suffered horrific 
oppression at the hands of ISIS. The legislation will better channel 
humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery aid to genocide survivors 
through organizations currently working on the ground to help displaced 
populations return to their homes and rebuild their communities. Iraq 
is home to some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, yet 
less than 200,000 Christians remain in Iraq, down from 1.4 million in 
2002.
  In March of 2016, Congress took historic action when it declared that 
the brutal and systemic persecution of Christians, Yazidis, and other 
ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria by ISIS constituted 
genocide, one of only three times in history that Congress has made 
such a declaration.
  Despite the powerful message Congress sent when it declared these 
atrocities as genocide, and appropriated hundreds of millions of 
dollars in assistance for these communities, U.S. aid has not reached 
these populations due to longstanding policies and practices of the 
federal government that prevent faith-based groups and other 
organizations from distributing foreign aid. Many of these faith-based 
groups are the only organizations working directly with survivors on 
the ground and have the expertise and knowledge of the region, its 
history, and culture to deliver this aid in the most effective way 
possible. Outdated policies in the Executive Branch should not stand in 
the way of the U.S. helping these suffering communities.
  H.R. 390 supports entities conducting investigations into the 
perpetrators of these crimes to ensure they are held accountable. It is 
critical that evidence be collected and preserved so it can be used in 
court. It is also critical that our government works with foreign 
governments to identify and apprehend suspected perpetrators. Finally, 
the bill requires the U.S. government to identify and determine warning 
signs associated with genocide and crimes against humanity to help 
policymakers better respond to future campaigns against at-risk 
populations.
  As the daughter of parents who fled religious persecution in the 
Middle East, I'm proud to have helped carry H.R. 390 through the 
Congress with the bill's sponsor in this effort to help the tens of 
thousands of survivors of genocide in Iraq and Syria, Congressman Chris 
Smith. He's been a tireless advocate on behalf of these persecuted 
communities and I applaud him for the work he has done to get this bill 
through Congress and to the President's desk.

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