[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 23, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H1009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             HOSTAGE TAKING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise once again as a proud 
American. I love my country. I love what it stands for, in terms of its 
great ideals. And, Madam Speaker, as a proud American, I rise today to 
address the question of hostage taking.
  One of the principles that we employ in international diplomacy--and 
I am being a little bit euphemistic by saying ``international 
diplomacy''--is that of not negotiating with hostage takers.
  If you take one of our planes, highjack one of our planes, and you 
demand a ransom, we will not negotiate with you. Grab an American off 
the streets in some distant place, and we will not negotiate with you.
  It doesn't matter that you start out at $50 million and then reduce 
your desire to have a ransom to $10 million, maybe. We don't negotiate 
with you. You are a hostage taker.
  The United States of America, the greatest and richest country in the 
world, which can pay the price, refuses to negotiate with hostage 
takers.
  Madam Speaker, this is bigger than the President. This is about 
whether or not we will allow any President to take hostages and demand 
a ransom that must be paid or else the hostages will continue to 
suffer. This is about whether we will allow any President to do this--
not just a Republican President, any President.
  It is un-American to take persons hostage within this country and 
demand a ransom when we wouldn't allow it on the international stage.
  I am a person who decided that it was appropriate to meet with the 
hostages, and I did. I met with the hostages who work with the IRS. I 
heard their clarion call for help, their appeal for some understanding.
  When I met with them, it became very clear to me that there is pain 
beyond the pain of not having the check to pay the bills.
  Some of these persons literally indicated that they were having some 
mental concerns that would have to be addressed because they played by 
the rules. They have come to work; they have done their jobs; and now 
they find themselves in this most tenuous position of being denied the 
wages they have earned.

                              {time}  1115

  There is something wrong when a President will hold people hostage to 
the extent that they have mental issues as a result of the hostage 
taking.
  One of the things called to my attention was that they don't believe 
that this all ends with them the moment they are allowed to go back to 
work and receive the wages that they have earned. They believe that 
they may have to have some additional counseling to help them through 
and to better cope with the experience that they never contemplated 
they would have as a result of being employed by the United States of 
America, the richest country in the world.
  This is bigger than this President. It is about him, but it is bigger 
than him. It is about whether or not we will allow hostage taking 
within the country and yield to it, or will we demand that we do what 
we continue to say is our bedrock principle when it comes to 
negotiating with hostages on the international stage, and that is, you 
release our people; you let them go.
  Mr. President, let our people go. You have become a modern-day 
pharaoh. You are holding people hostage, Mr. President. Don't you see 
what you are doing to the fiber and fabric of this country? Don't you 
see how you are ripping it apart? You are a modern-day pharaoh. Let our 
people go.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks 
to the Chair and to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the 
President.

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