Congressional Record, Volume 165 Issue 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)

[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4640-H4649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND
RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 431 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill,
H.R. 2740.
Will the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher) kindly resume the
chair.

{time} 1017

In the Committee of the Whole

Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of
the bill (H.R. 2740) making appropriations for the Departments of
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes,
with Mrs. Fletcher (Acting Chair) in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier today,
pursuant to House Resolution 436, further proceedings on amendment No.
2 printed in part B of House Report 116-111 offered by the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) had been postponed.

Amendment No. 78 Offered by Mrs. Lesko

The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 78
printed in part B of House Report 116-109.
Mrs. LESKO. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 593, line 22, strike ``That'' and all that follows
through ``Provided further,'' on page 594, line 2.

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 431, the gentlewoman
from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Arizona.
Mrs. LESKO. Madam Chair, my amendment would strike the requirement
that at least $750 million of Global Health Programs shall be made
available for so-called family planning, a funding stream that can
support domestically-based, nongovernment organizations that support
the global abortion industry.
Regard for human life has never been higher. Polling statistics
indicate that Americans are as likely to identify as pro-life as they
are pro-choice.
A Marist Poll shows that 75 percent of Americans would limit abortion
to the first 3 months of pregnancy.
Further, Americans oppose taxpayer funding for abortion in the U.S.,
54 percent to 39 percent.
Madam Chair, 75 percent of Americans oppose using tax dollars to fund
abortions in foreign countries. That is 75 percent.
Our policies reflect these views through the Hyde amendment, which
has protected Federal tax dollars from funding abortions in the United
States for the last four decades, and the Helms amendment, passed in
1973, to protect tax dollars from being spent on abortions through U.S.
foreign assistance.
Most recently, President Trump has committed to Congress and to the
American people that he will veto any legislation that encourages the
destruction of innocent human life at any stage.
Our President has also courageously reinstated the Protecting Life in
Global Health Assistance policy, which prohibits foreign nongovernment
organizations from performing and promoting abortion as long as they
are receiving U.S. tax dollars.
However, domestic nongovernment organizations are still using Federal
tax dollars to perform and promote abortion abroad.
In the State and Foreign Operations appropriations language, we use
the word ``family planning'' and ``reproductive health'' to disguise
giving grant recipients license to permeate foreign countries with
abortion.
Promoting abortion in poor, developing nations undermines our
purposes in providing lifesaving assistance and, I believe, disrespects
the cultures and, sometimes, the policies of those nations.
It encourages the idea that having fewer children reduces poverty and
economic instability instead of promoting real solutions to those
problems, like more human rights and liberties and helping women be
self-employed.
Stopping domestic nongovernment organizations from using American tax
dollars for abortions is consistent with our other policies, like the
Hyde and Helms amendments, and the PLGHA that limits government funding
for abortions, and is consistent with the views of 75 percent of
Americans.
These policies save lives. In the case of my amendment, thousands of
children all over the world can be saved.
To be clear, my amendment does not eliminate, nor does it reduce,
funding. My amendment aims to ensure that, instead of investing funds
in promoting and performing abortions abroad, the valuable dollars that
fund our global health programs are vested in reducing maternal and
infant mortality, treating birth complications and enabling access to
safe blood, nutrition, and antibiotics.
These dollars should be used to provide quality obstetric care and
true humanitarian assistance to those in need.

[[Page H4641]]

My amendment ensures that our Nation's policies align with the views
of the vast majority of the American people. We must not allow this
onslaught on children to continue being promoted in foreign nations,
and especially not with our tax dollars.
Children are a source of hope, prosperity, and development. They must
be treated as such from the very beginning of their lives, here and
everywhere.
I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.
The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Pascrell). The gentlewoman from New York is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, I am shocked that my colleague would propose
an amendment that would strike all funding for bilateral family
planning.
These services prevent unintended pregnancies, maternal deaths, and
abortions; reduce rates of infant and child mortality; empower women to
stay in school and join the workforce; create stronger and healthier
families; and improve economies.
Aren't these bipartisan policy outcomes that both sides of the aisle
should be supporting?
Family planning does exactly what it says: It helps women plan when
to have a family.
But, as we sit here today, more than 200 million women around the
world still lack access to modern contraceptives.
If we want to build the self-reliance of countries, one of the most
cost-effective measures is to increase access to the family planning
services that women so desperately seek. Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues
to oppose this amendment.
I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a
member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Subcommittee.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I thank Madam Chair for her
leadership and for yielding time.
I rise in strong opposition to this amendment, which would strike the
provision in the bill that increases funding for international family
planning and reproductive health programs.
Women around the world deserve access to the full range of
reproductive healthcare, and the Fiscal Year 2020 State and Foreign
Operations bill will help to ensure that.
USAID provides vitally needed family planning funds to overseas
health centers. Evidence has shown that USAID family planning programs
have had important, real-world effects on the health of women and
families worldwide, resulting in fewer unintended births, abortions,
and miscarriages.

Funding for our international family planning programs has also
helped reduce maternal and infant deaths, a goal that has strong
bipartisan support.
Mr. Chair, I have been around the world, to Africa and to other
countries and continents, and have talked with families in villages,
women and their spouses with maybe five, six, seven children.
I have visited these villages with Republicans. And their first
request to us is to help them with family planning. They know that it
is so important in terms of planning the births of their children and
in terms of just the stability of the family and the empowerment of
women that family planning services be available.
Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to
oppose the amendment.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, cutting funds to bilateral family planning
programs is simply bad foreign policy. It undermines U.S. Agency for
International Development objectives and hurts millions of women and
girls.
I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Arizona
will be postponed.

{time} 1030

Amendment No. 79 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee

The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 79
printed in part B of House Report 116-109.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 405, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $1,000,000) (reduced by $1,000,000)''.

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 431, the gentlewoman
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Lowey) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) for
their great leadership. But let me thank the gentlewoman from New York
again for her overall leadership as chair of the Appropriations
Committee, and her ranking member as well.
These are the tools of female genital mutilation. Around the world,
there are young girls and women who are facing this kind of brutal
attack. My amendment, which makes a good bill even better, provides $1
million more to help combat the draconian practice of female genital
mutilation, cutting, FGM/C, abroad.
Female genital mutilation comprises all procedures that involve
partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other
injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical purposes.
This practice is rooted in gender inequality and is often linked to
other elements of gender-based violence and discrimination, such as
child marriage, recognized internationally as a violation of the human
rights of women and girls.
Unfortunately, this means an estimated 200 million girls and women
alive today have been victims already of FGM/C, female genital
mutilation, with girls 14 and younger representing 44 million of those
who have been cut.
For example, around the world, at least five girls are mutilated,
cut. More than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk.
The impacts of this on the physical health of women and girls can
include bleeding, infection, obstetric fistula, complications during
childbirth, and death.
I ask my colleagues to think about their children, their girls.
According to UNICEF, FGM/C is reported to occur in all parts of the
world, but is most prevalent in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and
Asia.
So I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.
I wish to thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole of the
Rules Committee for making this Jackson Lee Amendment in order.
I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Rogers for their hard
work in bringing Division D, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs portion of this omnibus appropriations legislative package, to
the floor.
I thank them all for this opportunity to explain the Jackson Lee
Amendment, which makes a good bill even better by providing $1 million
more to help combat the draconian practice of Female Genital
Mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) abroad.
I have been a dedicated champion against this practice for a long
while, even working with former Congressman Joe Crowley of New York to
introduce legislation targeted at supporting the elimination of this
ludicrous practice of mutilating young women.
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) comprises all procedures
that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia,
or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
This practice is rooted in gender inequality and is often linked to
other elements of gender-based violence and discrimination, such as
child marriage and recognized internationally as a violation of the
human rights of women and girls.
Unfortunately, this means an estimated 200 million girls and women
alive today have been victims of FGM/C, with girls 14 and younger
representing 44 million of those who have been cut.

[[Page H4642]]

For example, consider that:
1. Around the world, at least five girls are mutilated/cut every
hour.
2. More than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of FGM/C
annually.
3. The impacts of FGM/C on the physical health of women and girls can
include bleeding, infection, obstetric fistula, complications during
childbirth and death.
Other significant barriers to combatting the practice of FGM/C
include the high concentration in specific regions associated with
several cultural traditions, that is not tied to any one religion.
According to UNICEF, FGM/C is reported to occur in all parts of the
world, but is most prevalent in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and
Asia.
Due to the commonality of this practice many migrants to the U.S.
bring the practice of FGM/C with them, increasing the importance of
combatting FGM/C abroad.
The United Nations adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals
for 2030 that includes a target to eliminate FGM/C and recognizing the
abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved because of a
comprehensive movement that involves all public and private
stakeholders in society.
With these provisions in place and my amendment increasing the
funding for foreign assistance we can ensure Female Genital Mutilation/
Cutting (FGM/C), an internationally recognized violation of the human
rights of girls and women comes to an end.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report in 2016
estimating that 513,000 women and girls in the United States were at
risk or may have been subjected to FGM/C.
The presence of FGM/C in the United States brings a sobering truth to
light, that we still have much work to do here at home to stop our
young women and girls from suffering at the hands of this archaic and
utterly unnecessary practice.
I am reminded of the story of Hadiatu Jalloh, a 7-year-old from
Sierra Leone, who with her mother fled to Houston to seek a life saving
operation to rectify complications from the practice of FGM/C from
which she suffered for more than a year.
Due to complications from the FGM procedure, little Hadiatu could not
stop bleeding, she then underwent two additional non-medical procedures
to repair the damage she suffered.
However, the bleeding continued and after the second procedure to
stop the bleeding, Hadiatu could not properly urinate and suffered
terrible pain.
In her desperate quest for help, Hadiatu's mother Umu took her
daughter across the border to Sierra Leone, but still could not find a
doctor to treat Hadiatu.
Dr. Hardwick-Smith a world-renowned board certified OBGYN--along with
a team led by Houston pediatric urologist Dr. Eric Jones--solved
Hadiatu's problem by removing scar tissue during the successful
surgery.
Stories such like this remind me of the importance of this work, and
how can we cannot afford to ignore any instance of FGM/C.
And that is why earlier we celebrated the International Day of Zero
Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, a multinational effort to
bring this practice to an end.
That is why my amendment reprograms funding that will be used by the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for elimination of
FGM/C.
It also directs the U.S. Department of State to emphasize the need to
raise awareness among communities at the grassroots level, through
diplomatic and multilateral engagement and within humanitarian settings
to address the practice of FGM/C.
In short, the Jackson Lee Amendment increases funding to protect
young women and girls from mutilation at the most intimate level.
The amount of funds dedicated to these programs reflects the
commitment by the international community to the goals of protecting
women and girls and truly addressing this problem.
The harmful practice of female genital mutilation undermines the
human rights of women and girls by damaging their health, limiting
their economic opportunities and girls' access to education, and
increases the likelihood of early and forced marriage.
The Jackson Lee Amendment increases funding to expedite the complete
and total elimination of FGM/C.
I urge support for the Jackson Lee Amendment.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition, although I am
not opposed to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from New York is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, while this amendment does not have a budgetary
effect, I would like to thank my colleague for raising such an
important issue for millions of women around the world.
For more than 200 million women, female genital mutilation can mean
health problems that haunt them for the rest of their lives. The quest
for gender equality will not be complete until women are no longer
subjected to these practices.
I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I am reminded of the story of Hadiatu
Jalloh, a 7-year-old from Sierra Leone who, with her mother, fled to
Houston to seek a lifesaving operation to rectify complications from
the practice of female genital mutilation, from which she suffered for
more than a year.
This story reads: ``The Woman's Hospital of Texas Saves an African
Girl's Life. Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith and Dr. Eric Jones Provide
Lifesaving Care to 7-year-old Affected by Female Genital Mutilation,''
only one of 200 million girls.
This amendment will focus and provide an extra focus and extra
resources to have us be reminded to help these young women, girls,
across and around the world. Let us give them a lifesaving hand up.
I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment, lifesaving,
so that more girls do not have to get this singular help from a
singular hospital, but they can be helped at home because this
dastardly act will be stopped.
Mr. Chair, I include a statement in the Record from USAID, and I ask
for support of my amendment.

[From the Department of State and USAID]

The U.S. Government Working Together for the Abandonment of Female
Genital Mutilation/Cutting

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a traditional
practice that ranges from nicking to total removal of the
external female genitalia. UNICEF estimates that at least 120
million girls and women have experienced FGM/C in the 29
countries in Africa and the Middle East where the practice is
concentrated. Given present trends, as many as 30 million
girls under the age of 15 may still be at risk. However, the
data show that FGM/C is becoming less prevalent overall, and
the younger generation is less vulnerable to the practice.
Though no religion mandates the procedure, FGM/C is practiced
across cultures, religions and continents. It is practiced in
sub-Saharan Africa, northern Iraq, Malaysia and Indonesia,
and new evidence is showing prevalence in other Middle
Eastern countries, including Yemen, Iran, Syria, Oman and
Saudi Arabia, and parts of South Asia. The practice also can
be found in Europe, the United States, Australia and other
countries in the West where immigrants bring their cultural
traditions with them.
The reasons given for conducting FGM/C, which is generally
carried out between infancy and the teen years, encompass
beliefs about health, hygiene, women's sexuality, rites of
passage to adulthood and community initiation rites. Research
has shown that all forms of the practice harm women's health,
causing serious pain, trauma and frequently severe physical
complications, such as bleeding, infections or even death.
Long-term complications may include recurrent infections,
infertility, (1) and difficult or dangerous childbirth that
can result in the death of the mother and infant. (2)
The U.S. Government has supported FGM/C abandonment efforts
since the early 1990s, considering the practice not only a
public health concern but also a human rights issue that
violates a woman's right to bodily integrity. In September
2000, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
officially incorporated elimination of FGM/C into its
development agenda, issuing an official policy and strategy
that underscored FGM/C was a serious health and human rights
issue. The U.S. Department of State emphasizes the need to
raise awareness among communities at the grassroots level,
through diplomatic and multilateral engagement and within
humanitarian settings to address the practice of FGM/C.
In August 2012, the United States released its first-ever
Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence
Globally, along with an accompanying Presidential Executive
Order directing its implementation. The strategy marshals the
United States' capacity and expertise to establish a
coordinated, government-wide approach to preventing and
responding to gender-based violence (GBV) and includes
harmful traditional practices such as FGM/C.
The United States also pursues regional, national and local
coordination among international donors, governments and
community leaders. U.S. Government agencies are actively
engaged with internationally based working groups to address
FGM/C, including the Donors Working Group (DWG) on FGM/C,(3)
which is composed of key international governmental and
intergovernmental organizations and foundations committed to
supporting the abandonment of the practice. USAID was a co-
founder of the DWG and is

[[Page H4643]]

dedicated to expanding and strengthening partnerships and
increasing resources for abandonment of this harmful
traditional practice. The group has collaboratively issued a
Platform for Action that summarizes the collective
programmatic approach that focuses on the community approach
to social change.

U.S. Government Efforts

The State Department's Secretary's Office of Global Women's
Issues (S/GWI) funded community-based approaches involving
men, boys and all members of society in public awareness and
education campaigns. The campaigns emphasized the detrimental
consequences of FGM/C on the physical and mental health of
girls, their families and the overall community in order to
promote long-lasting solutions. S/GWI also worked with the
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) to
strengthen the reporting of this issue in the Annual Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices. In addition to describing
whether FGM/C occurred and the type and category of FGM/C
most common, we are seeking information on international and
governmental efforts being taken to prevent and address FGM/C
(especially through educational programs, but also by means
of shelters, hotlines and police training).
The Office of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)
largely supports efforts in humanitarian settings and among
refugees with programs designed to prevent and respond to
GBV, which includes FGM/C. These organizations rely on U.S.
Government assistance to provide humanitarian assistance to
refugees, survivors of conflict, internally displaced persons
and stateless persons worldwide. This encompasses a wide
variety of assistance, including the provision of protection,
shelter, health care, water and sanitation, as well as the
prevention of and assistance to survivors of GBV and FGM/C.
PRM also supports targeted activities to prevent FGM/C in
Somali and Sudanese refugee populations.
USAID supports implementing partners, both from Washington
and at the country level, to provide communitybased programs
in key countries where the practice is prevalent. The
Agency's projects have supported targeted programs in Burkina
Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali and
Nigeria, among others that consider cultural sensitivities
and are integrated with health, economic, social or democracy
and governance programs. USAID programs are community based,
involving community and religious leaders as well as women's
groups, men and youth to advance the quality and
effectiveness of abandonment efforts and to improve
conditions that will lead to FGM/C abandonment.

Projects In-Country

Egypt--S/GWI supported a project working in the community
of Al Darb Al Ahmar in Cairo called Creating Attitudes
Favorable to the Elimination of the Practice of FGM/C.
Through the dissemination of appropriate and relevant
information, coupled with education initiatives and public
awareness campaigns, S/GWI supported the Aga Khan Foundation
to address and prevent violence against women and girls,
including FGM/C, in select Cairo communities. Additionally,
the project provided training and capacity building in victim
advocacy and mental health for health care providers,
community leaders and volunteers.
In 2008, the USAID mission in Egypt incorporated FGM/C into
an existing community-level health program, reinforced by
select national-level messaging and educational messaging.
The program furthered Egypt's ongoing efforts to bring about
abandonment of FGM/C, as it involved training staff at both
the Ministry of Health and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) to broaden the reach and coordinate with the
government's National Council of Childhood and Motherhood to
create a coherent national strategy.
Sudan--The Office of the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and
South Sudan is funding a program in West Nile State to
strengthen the capacity of community leaders and local
organizations to effectively and sustainably address FGM/C.
The project mobilizes children, women and men in the
community to support collective declarations of abandonment
of FGM/C. Through intensive trainings, community leaders draw
upon preexisting social structures to engage with the wider
community and build community ownership to end FGM/C
sustainably.
Iraq--In coordination with the DRL, S/GWI is funding a
multidimensional program in northern Iraq composed of
integrated victim services and a successful educational
campaign for village residents and political and religious
leaders, leading to the first-of-its-kind declarations of
villages being ``Female Genital Mutilation Free.''
Kenya--PRM provides resources to NGO partners to promote
awareness and prevention of FGM/C through community-based
institutions and civil society, including men's groups, youth
groups, women's groups and religious leaders. Other projects
promote social and economic empowerment of women and girls to
reduce the risk of exposure to GBV, including FGM/C, while
educating participants on the impact of harmful traditional
practices, including FGM/C.
USAID conducted studies to better understand the practice
of FGM/C among the Somalis in northeastern Kenya to inform
the design and implementation of interventions and to clarify
the correct Islamic understanding of FGM/C. The research
provided crucial evidence that FGM/C is neither a religious
practice nor one sanctioned by Islam, which clearly
stipulates provisions for the protection of basic human
rights, upholds the sanctity of the human body and prohibits
any practice that violates these rights or causes harm to the
body without justification. The conclusions called on
religious scholars to collaborate with medical doctors to
make verdicts based on scientific facts and to work with
their communities to help delink FGM/C from Islam.
USAID is supporting the launch of the Kenya Centre of
Excellence for FGM/C, which will be based at Nairobi
University, to create a pan-African center for learning and
developing innovative research approaches. The center will
also train leaders and champions for working toward the
abandonment of FGM/C and welcomes support from the
international community and others to join in this effort.
Ethiopia--In northern Ethiopia, the U.S. Government
supports an FGM/C awareness-raising program for women and
girls living in Shimelba and My'Ayni refugee camps. Specific
efforts include coffee discussions with girls, women, boys
and men on GBV-related topics and services and a Girls'
Wellness Week, which promotes adolescent girls' health
through a coming-of-age ceremony without FGM/C.
USAID supported collaboration with the Ministry of Health
and the National Committee on Traditional Practices to
educate communities on the harmful effects of FGM/C. The
program helped women and community leaders to understand the
motives of ``FGM/C demanders,'' respond to their concerns and
provide them with information on the negative impact of the
practice. More than 2,250 people participated in FGM/C
abandonment activities; a national Anti-FGM/C Women's Leaders
Team was established, and a member of that team drafted a law
against FGM/C that the Ethiopian parliament passed in July
2004.
Mali--USAID helped the Ministry of Health develop and pilot
a national training curriculum for primary medical providers
to increase their capacity to identify, treat or refer FGM/C
complications and educate and counsel clients and community
members on the negative aspects of the practice. A network of
trained providers was created consisting of extension workers
from NGOs and community and religious leaders. As a result of
their work, the percentage of men and women who said they
were in favor of abandoning FGM/C increased from 15 to 62
percent, and the percentage who intended to have FGM/C
performed on their daughters decreased from 81 to 33 percent.
Senegal--USAID has supported The Grandmother's Project
(GMP), which incorporates FGM/C into a broader girls' and
women's health and family planning program to bring about
positive changes in community traditions. The approach
involves grandmothers and elderly women, a once marginalized
group, in social change. The project encourages learning and
communal decision-making through open discussions about
problems confronting the community. The aim for GMP is to
have community members identify their problems and reach
consensus on possible solutions that best suit their needs,
leading to long-term and lasting change.
West Africa--USAID has supported Tostan, a participatory
education program that works village by village to
incorporate democracy, problem solving, basic mathematics,
literacy and essential health education, including
information about FGM/C, into the learning experiences that
ultimately empower the entire community. As a result of this
multidimensional approach, thousands of villages in West
Africa have publicly abandoned FGM/C and other harmful
traditional practices upon completion of the Tostan program.
n the United States, in 2012, at the first-ever Zero
Tolerance Day event that was held at the U.S. Department of
State, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke
passionately about creating conditions for ending FGM/C, so
all girls can realize their full potential. At that event,
organized by USAID and the State Department, a spark was lit
among the communities that have worked tirelessly for years
toward the abandonment of FGM/C. The event became a catalyst
for raising government and donor awareness and was repeated
in 2013 when it was hosted by former Ambassador-at-Large for
Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer. Ambassador Verveer led
a panel discussion that included Amina Salum Ali, Ambassador
of the African Union to the United States; Dr. Nawal Nour, a
Sudanese-American from Brigham and Women's Hospital in
Boston; Bacary Tamba from Tostan, an NGO in Senegal; and
Jessie Hexpoor from Hivos, an NGO based in the Netherlands.
They each have made, and are continuing to make,
extraordinary contributions toward putting an end to FGM/C,
and the Ambassador noted, ``are a testament to why community-
driven, holistic approach is essential to achieving
sustainable progress.'' The event brought together activists
from the NGO community, diplomatic corps and policymakers in
the U.S. Government to address ways various stakeholders can
work together toward zero tolerance for FGM/C. The event also
attracted 1,648 online participants from 30 countries in an
interactive virtual discussion.
USAID has commissioned a desk review of interventions,
evaluations and reports published since 2000 on ending FGM/C.
Based on

[[Page H4644]]

this review, as well as key informant interviews with
experts, USAID is drafting a report called Ending Female
Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Lessons from Ten Years of
Progress. The report will review lessons learned, promising
approaches and recommendations for the future. By looking
back, policymakers and advocates will be better able to move
forward decisively to create societies that allow women and
girls around the world to achieve their full potential.
Our vision of the way forward has been sharpened by all the
work that went on before this decade.
First, the centrality of ``social norms''--what communities
believe and how they act and expect the members of that
community to act--must be addressed.
Second, a wide range of actors play pivotal roles in the
abandonment of FGM/C: men; women; grandmothers; boys; girls;
and community, health, religious and political leaders.
Third, and perhaps most important, the focus must be on
holistic, integrated, multisectoral approaches that bring
together the advocacy, policy-level work and community-level
transformation of social norms.
Ms. JACKSON Lee. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas will
be postponed.

Amendment No. 80 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee

The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Richmond). It is now in order to consider
amendment No. 80 printed in part B of House Report 116-109.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 599, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $1,000,000) (reduced by $1,000,000)''.

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 431, the gentlewoman
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, this is a very important amendment in the
cycle of life, protecting endangered species, which give the joy of
life and understanding to the world, to the coexistence of humans and
these wonderful species that have given us so much knowledge.
My amendment makes a good bill better by providing a $1 million focus
to combat the transportation of the remains of endangered species, to
bring down the desire to go after these endangered species.
So many of us remember, a few years ago, the brutal killing of Cecil
the lion. At that time, I introduced and sought the support of my
colleagues as original cosponsors of my legislation, Cecil the Lion
Endangered and Threatened Species Act of 2015. This bill sought to
strengthen partner countries' capacity in countering wildlife
trafficking and designating major wildlife countries for protection.
The amendment now is offered in the same spirit: to prohibit the
taking and transportation of any endangered and threatened species as a
trophy to the United States.
Currently, the Endangered Species Act does not protect the majority
of wildlife animals killed. At this point, we can choose to make wise
decisions that will sustain the global population, or we can ignore the
warning signs.
Climate change is not the only threat facing our world. There is also
massive extinction of microscopic organisms to more complex insects and
animals. More than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on
Earth are extinct.
So I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment.
Mr. Chair, I wish to thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole
of the Rules Committee for making this Jackson Lee Amendment in order.
I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Rogers for their hard
work in bringing Division D, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs portion of this omnibus appropriations legislative package, to
the floor.
I thank them all for this opportunity to explain the Jackson Lee
Amendment, which makes a good bill even better by providing $1 million
combat the transportation of the remains of endangered species.
A few years ago, in light of the brutal killing of Cecil the Lion, I
introduced and sought the support of my colleagues as original co-
sponsors of my legislation entitled, Cecil the Lion Endangered and
Threatened Species Act of 2015.
That bill sought to strengthen partner countries' capacity in
countering wildlife trafficking and designating major wildlife
countries for protection.
This Jackson Lee Amendment is offered in the same spirit--to prohibit
the taking and transportation of any endangered or threatened species
as a trophy into the United States.
This amendment provides $1 million to focus efforts on poaching of
endangered species on protected preserves.
Hunting endangered species that are on protected preserves should
come with an element of greater risk to those who engage in this
practice.
The amendment provides additional resources to ensure better
coordination and monitoring of incidents like the killing of Cecil the
Lion, with a goal of holding people accountable.
Currently, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) does not protect the
clear majority of wild animals killed and imported.
Because of this loophole, tens of thousands of wild animals are
killed every year by trophy hunters and transported into the United
States.
The conservation of endangered and threatened species is critically
important to the sustainability of our biodiversity, ecosystem and the
beauty of wildlife as we know it.
Biodiversity and ecosystem balance are essential to sustaining life
as we know it on planet earth.
The rate that species are disappearing globally can easily be
compared to other mass extension events in our earth's history.
Human life requires a health global biodiversity and ecosystem.
At this point we can choose to make wise decisions that will sustain
the global population or we can ignore the warning signs.
Climate change is not the only threat facing our world--it is also
massive extinction from microscopic organisms to more complex insects
and animals.
More than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth
are extinct.
As new species evolve to fit ever changing ecological niches, older
species fade away.
But the rate of extinction is far from constant or natural.
At least a handful of times in the last 500 million years, 50 to more
than 90 percent of all species on Earth have disappeared in a
geological blink of the eye.
Another threat to endangered species are terrorist organizations that
pose a threat to our environment and natural wildlife, utilizing the
funds from their illicit activity of wildlife poaching to fund their
terroristic activities.
Vulnerable species are at the mercy of transnational terrorists
groups whose actions place these natural inhabitants of the earth in
danger of extinction.
For example, the population of African elephants has decreased from
1.3 million to 400,000, with 22,000 poached in 2012.
Only 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, and these tigers remain in
danger of being poached for their skins, bones and body parts.
This supports the efforts of the State Department under the
Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program to dismantle the wildlife
trafficking syndicates in the global south from Africa to Asia.
I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this amendment that in
a significant way makes a difference for the safety and security of
endangered species.
The food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe relies
upon biodiversity and balance in ecosystems.
Scientist warn that our planet is now during its sixth mass
extinction of plants and animals.
Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural
``background'' rate of about one to five species per year.
Scientists estimate we're now losing species at up to 1,000 times the
background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day.
It could be a scary future indeed, with as many as 30 to 50 percent
of all species possibly heading toward extinction by the year 2050.
I ask my colleagues to support this Jackson Lee Amendment.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition, although I am
not opposed.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from New York is
recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H4645]]

There was no objection.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, while this amendment does not have a budgetary
effect, I thank my colleague for raising such an important issue.
I was pleased to be able to increase the resources available in this
bill by $10 million, for a total of $100.6 million to combat wildlife
trafficking and poaching.
Wildlife trafficking generates more than $8 billion, annually. I am
optimistic that a comprehensive and appropriately resourced approach to
address the drivers of trafficking will help us turn the corner.
I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for her support
of my original amendment on female genital mutilation, and I thank her
for her support of this amendment.
I just offer to my colleagues a list of the vulnerable endangered
species: Giant panda, giant tortoise, giant white shark, greater one-
horned rhino, hippopotamus, leatherback turtle, loggerhead turtle,
marine iguana, olive ridley turtle, polar bear, savanna elephant, snow
leopard, sea turtle--all of these, among many others. The jaguar is now
threatened. The white rhino is threatened.
I include in the Record the endangered species list I mentioned:

Species Directory

Common name, Scientific name, Conservation status:
Dugong, Dugong dugon, Vulnerable.
Forest Elephant, Vulnerable.
Giant Panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Vulnerable.
Giant Tortoise, Vulnerable.
Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, Vulnerable.
Greater One-Horned Rhino, Rhinoceros unicornis, Vulnerable.
Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius, Vulnerable.
Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, Vulnerable.
Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, Vulnerable.
Marine Iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, Vulnerable.
Olive Ridley Turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, Vulnerable.
Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, Vulnerable.
Savanna Elephant, Loxodonta africana africana, Vulnerable.
Sea Turtle, Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae families,
Vulnerable.
Snow Leopard, Panthera uncia, Vulnerable.
Southern rockhopper penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome,
Vulnerable.
Albacore Tuna, Thunnus alalunga, Near Threatened.
Beluga, Delphinapeterus leucas, Near Threatened.
Greater Sage-Grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus, Near
Threatened.
Jaguar, Panthera onca, Near Threatened.
Mountain Plover, Charadrius montanus, Near Threatened.
Narwhal, Monodon monoceros, Near Threatened.
Plains Bison, Bison bison bison, Near Threatened.
White Rhino, Ceratotherium simum, Near Threatened.
Yellowfin Tuna, Thunnus albacares, Near Threatened.
Arctic Fox, Vulpes lagopus, Least Concern.
Arctic Wolf, Canis lupus arctos, Least Concern.
Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus, Least Concern.
Brown Bear, ursus arctos, Least Concern.
Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncates, Least
Concern.
Gray Whale, Eschrichtius robustus, Least Concern.
Macaw, Ara ararauna, Least Concern.
Amur Leopard, Panthera pardus orientalis, Critically
Endangered.
Black Rhino, Diceros bicornis, Critically Endangered.
Bornean Orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, Critically Endangered.
Cross River Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla diehli, Critically
Endangered.
Eastern Lowland Gorilla, Gorilla beringei graueri,
Critically Endangered.
Hawksbill Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, Critically
Endangered.
Javan Rhino, Rhinoceros sondaicus, Critically Endangered.
Malayan Tiger, Panthera tigris jacksoni, Critically
Endangered.
Orangutan, Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus, Critically
Endangered.
Saola, Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, Critically Endangered.
South China Tiger, Panthera tigris amoyensis, Critically
Endangered.
Sumatran Elephant, Elephas maximus sumatranus, Critically
Endangered.
Sumatran Orangutan, Pongo abelii, Critically Endangered.
Sumatran Rhino, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, Critically
Endangered.
Sumatran Tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae, Critically
Endangered.
Vaquita, Phocoena sinus, Critically Endangered.
Western Lowland Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla gorilla,
Critically Endangered.
Yangtze Finless Porpoise, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp.
asiaeorientalis, Critically Endangered.
African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus, Endangered.
Amur Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, Endangered.
Asian Elephant, Elephas maximus indicus, Endangered.
Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, Endangered.
Black-footed Ferret, Mustela nigripes, Endangered.
Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus, Endangered.
Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus Thynnus, Endangered.
Bonobo, Pan paniscus, Endangered.
Borneo Pygmy Elephant, Elephas maximus borneensis,
Endangered.
Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, Endangered.
Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus, Endangered.
Galapagos Penguin, Spheniscus mendiculus, Endangered.
Ganges River Dolphin, Platanista gangetica gangetica,
Endangered.
Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, Endangered.
Hector's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori, Endangered.
Humphead Wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, Endangered.
Indian Elephant, Elephas maximus indicus, Endangered.
Indochinese Tiger, Panthera tigris corbetti, Endangered.
Indus River Dolphin, Platanista minor, Endangered.
Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, Endangered.
Mountain Gorilla, Gorilla beringei beringei, Endangered.
North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis,
Endangered.
Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens, Endangered.
Sea Lions, Zalophus wollebaeki, Endangered.
Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis, Endangered.
Sri Lankan Elephant, Elephas maximus maximus, Endangered.
Tiger, Panthera tigris, Endangered.
Whale, Balaenoptera, Balaena, Eschricthtius, and Eubalaen,
Endangered.
Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, Endangered.
African Elephant, Loxodonta africana, Vulnerable.
Bigeye Tuna, Thunnus obesus, Vulnerable.
Black Spider Monkey, Ateles paniscus, Vulnerable.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I believe we can do better, and I would ask my
colleagues to do better by supporting the Jackson Lee amendment.
For example, the population of African elephants has decreased from
1.3 million to 400,000, with 22,000 poached in 2012. Working with my
amendment, working with this legislation, we can have a greater focus
on ensuring the protection of endangered species.
Mr. Chair, I ask support for the Jackson Lee amendment, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas will
be postponed.

Amendment No. 81 Offered by Mr. Gosar

The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 81
printed in part B of House Report 116-109.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise as the designee of the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer), and I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
At the end of division D (before the short title), insert
the following:
Sec. _. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available to any Federal department or agency by this Act may
be used to make assessed or voluntary contributions on behalf
of the United States to or for the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, or the Green Climate Fund.

[[Page H4646]]

amendment to ensure the United Nations climate change organizations are
no longer used as an international slush fund for ineffective climate
change research and projects.
Unfortunately, many of the United Nations climate change
organizations operate with little oversight or accountability, while
being financed, in part, by the American taxpayer.
Unelected bureaucrats and foreign leaders across the globe should not
have greater control over U.S. policy than our citizens and elected
officials, especially when we are paying for it.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or
IPCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or
UNFCC, and the Green Climate Fund, GCF, have been surrounded in
controversy since their inception.
The IPCC, which is broadly represented as the top authority on
climate matters, was under fire when emails were publicly released from
a university in England that showed that leading global scientists--
that 95 percent, they are always quoting--intentionally manipulated
climate data and suppressed legitimate arguments in peer-reviewed
journals.
Further, while the IPCC supposedly issues assessments based upon so-
called independent surveys of published research, some of the most
influential conclusions summarized in its report have neither been
based upon truly independent research nor properly vetted through
accepted peer-reviewed processes.
The United Nations Green Climate Fund, which, unfortunately, received
$1 billion in taxpayer funding thanks to the Obama administration, has
not approved a new project since 2017, causing the executive director
of the fund to resign.
According to the Green Climate Fund former co-chair, 30 percent--yes,
30 percent--of the funds pledged are never going to materialize.
Despite its stated goal of supporting developing countries to pursue
renewable energy sources, the Green Climate Fund's pledges that do
materialize are going to wealthy nations with little to no effect on
emissions.
Let me give a couple of examples.
One project to install a solar plant in Kazakhstan directly benefited
Chinese construction companies instead of investing in Kazakhstan's
companies. Directly investing in one of our economic rivals, China, is
definitely the best use of taxpayer funds.
Worse yet, the fund proposed a $9.8 million investment in the wealthy
kingdom of Bahrain's oil sector. How is this pursuing renewables in
developing countries?
Many former and current members of the United Nations climate change
organizations acknowledge they have made little to no progress and
don't see the organization being successful in the future.

{time} 1045

This amendment is not about climate change, but about the proper
stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Our constituents should not have to foot the bill for organizations
that have no track record of success and have a proven history of
funding corruption and bad science to advance a radical climate change
agenda.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from New York is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, most of us, even my friends across the aisle, agree that
climate change is a real global threat. Our military also believes
this.
Prohibiting United States contributions to the multilaterals that
combat climate change is a shortsighted, harmful policy that does not
prepare our country to face this threat.
I cannot emphasize enough that climate change is exacerbating the
root causes of conflict. We will see an increasing demand on our
humanitarian and other resources if we don't address it now.
We cannot afford to stand idly by while others address climate
change, nor will we simply avoid its impact. We already feel its
effects. This is precisely why we should not be alienating multilateral
partners who want to join us in the fight.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr.
Rogers).
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Mr. Chair, as Members may recall, during the climate negotiations
leading up to the Paris conference, participants called for a Green
Climate Fund that would collect $100 billion a year by 2020. Although
Congress has yet to appropriate a single dollar specifically allocated
for the Green Climate Fund, the U.S. contributed over $800 million
under the Obama administration through the Economic Support Fund.
However, a July 2018 report by Transparency International concluded
that funding allocated from the Green Climate Fund was extremely
vulnerable to fraud, embezzlement, and rigged bidding since corruption
risk of processes in infrastructure-related procurement is extremely
high.
Mr. Chair, I urge Members to support the amendment, and I thank the
gentleman for yielding.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, in times of crisis, we seek to join forces
with multilateral partners to help mitigate and recover from damage,
and our approach to combating climate change should be no different.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, once again, throwing money into the wind
when it has no accountability is foolhardy. We have seen these over and
over. Good process builds good policy is good politics.
We want to see outcomes, and what we are not seeing from this is
outcomes.
Mr. Chair, I ask everybody to join in.
This isn't about climate change. This is about accountability. We
need to see results, not just throwing money to the wind.
Mr. Chair, I ask everybody to vote for this amendment, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes
appeared to have it.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will
be postponed.

Amendment No. 82 Offered by Mr. Grijalva

The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 82
printed in part B of House Report 116-109.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 393, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $4,000,000)''.
Page 393, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $4,000,000)''.

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 431, the gentleman
from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, my amendment will direct $4 million
within the International Boundary and Water Commission to clarify the
responsibility for the maintenance of the International Outfall
Interceptor, the IOI. This is in addition to, and separate from, the
funding that currently exists for the long-overdue repairs of the IOI.
I think it is important to put some historical context into this
amendment.
The amendment seeks to clarify responsibility, the responsibility of
the community, the city of Nogales and the county of Santa Cruz, that
make up the two major jurisdictions in that area most affected by the
need for this amendment. It is an infrastructure issue; it is an
interceptor.
In 1944, the United States and Mexico entered into an agreement in
which waste treatment was going to occur in the United States for
Nogales, Sonora in Mexico.

[[Page H4647]]

As time went by, since 1944, we now find that the waste coming from
Mexico, 92 percent of the effort that the wastewater facility has to
undertake is in Santa Cruz County and in Nogales.
I mention that because of how we have to transport the waste from
Nogales, Mexico, to the United States for treatment under the treaty
that Mexico and the U.S. signed is 8.5 miles of pipes are needed to
transport this waste.
Over the last decades, and the people of those communities can attest
to this, there is almost daily occurrences and seasonal occurrences
during the rainy season of damage to this pipeline.
The infrastructure is as old as the treaty. The infrastructure and
pipes are in dire need of repair. It has been identified by people
through the State and Federal Government as an urgency, a public health
risk. When there is discharge of waste into the drainage areas, into
the streams, into the river, it creates an extraordinary public health
risk for the people of Santa Cruz and Nogales, Arizona.
In 2017, the Governor of Arizona set to commence the disaster
declaration process for the State of Arizona to secure Federal
assistance to remedy and prevent raw sewage exposure to these Arizona
residents.
My amendment seeks to clarify that very important issue of
responsibility.
This is a treaty, an international treaty, sanctioned by the State
Department that was established in 1944 that deals with an
infrastructure that is falling apart and exposes issues of security for
the area, it is on the border. There are issues of public health, and
issues of liability for the county of Santa Cruz and the city of
Nogales, a fiscal responsibility that they cannot undertake and a
responsibility to repair that they cannot undertake.
Because it is a treaty and it needs to be treated as a responsibility
of the Federal Government, my amendment seeks to address that issue.
This ongoing international issue that impacts the safety and the
well-being of these communities across southern Arizona has been
addressed in the past. Senators and Members of Congress on both sides
of the aisle of the Arizona delegation have collaborated to remedy the
situation.
Mr. Chair, I would like at this point to thank Senator McSally for
bringing the companion legislation in the Senate. I also want to thank
the chair of the committee and her staff for their work on the bill.
Mr. Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this amendment. I
would urge my colleagues to support it, and we can finally begin to
find a solution to the public health threat to the residents of the
area, to security issues underlying the whole tunnel system and pipe
system in Nogales, and establish the responsibility and accountability
for transporting this waste from Mexico to be treated in the United
States that was established by treaty, placing it squarely where the
responsibility belongs, and that is with the Federal Government in the
enactment of this treaty.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the
amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, we have no objection to this
amendment.
The amendment deals with issues under the jurisdiction of the United
States International Boundary and Water Commission, which is one of
several such commissions funded under this act.
The IBWC's mission is to provide binational solutions to issues that
arise during the application of United States-Mexico treaties regarding
the boundary demarcation, national ownership of waters, sanitation,
water quality, and flood control in the entire region, in the border
region.
This amendment addresses a long-running problem involving a pipeline,
the International Outfall Interceptor, it is called, that transports
sewage from both sides of the border to the Nogales International
Wastewater Treatment Plant. That plant is co-owned by the IBWC and the
city of Nogales.
Mr. Chairman, we can all understand the desire to enjoy clean, safe
water, and we have no objection to this amendment.
Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Gosar).
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Chair, I want to applaud the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Grijalva), but I also want to highlight that there is a further issue
that we need to address.
Not only is there a pipeline problem, but there is a floodplain
problem that needs to have some jurisdiction and some changes and
involvement.

We have become the victims in regard to when floods run. We see our
infrastructure on this side of that international border being
destroyed.
Mr. Chair, this is a golden opportunity to highlight an opportunity
that is a joint venture between the two countries that we can actually
see some camaraderie to actually facilitate change.
Mr. Chair, I applaud the gentleman for bringing this up, and I look
forward to seeing us remedy this continuing problem.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may
consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the chairwoman
of the full committee.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Chair, while this amendment does not have a budgetary effect, I
would like to thank the gentleman for raising such an important issue.
The International Outfall Interceptor pipeline is long overdue for
repair. When wastewater leaks from the pipeline, it poses a severe
public health risk and a threat to southern Arizona's regional economy
and drinking water.
Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to support the amendment.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will
be postponed.

Amendment No. 83 Offered by Mr. Gosar

The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 83
printed in part B of House Report 116-109.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

At the end of division D (before the short title), insert
the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used for the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change.

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 431, the gentleman
from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Chairman, my amendment is straightforward. It would prevent any
funds in this bill from being used for the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is
responsible for some of the worst multinational agreements we have
signed onto.
These agreements are technically implausible and have unrealistic
emission goals in order to appease environmental extremists. This
includes the flawed Paris Agreement, for example.
Americans for Tax Reform estimates the Paris Agreement will cost the
U.S. an estimated 6.5 million jobs by 2040 and reduce our GDP by over
$2.5 trillion.

{time} 1100

NERA Consulting estimates those numbers are even higher and that the

[[Page H4648]]

Paris Agreement will cost the U.S. an estimated 31.6 million jobs by
2040 and reduce the GDP by over $3 trillion.
In June of 2017, President Trump announced he will withdraw the
United States from the Paris Agreement, stating: ``The Paris Climate
Accord is the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement
that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other
countries, leaving American workers. . . . and taxpayers to absorb the
cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and
vastly diminished economic production.''
The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change has also become a
mechanism for executive overreach. For example, when President Obama
signed us up in the Paris Agreement, he did not consult Congress in any
way. This was a direct assault on Congress' constitutional duty to
approve any treaty signed on to by the United States.
Fortunately, there is an alternative. Mr. Chairman, the best way to
improve our environment and ensure our economic prosperity is to allow
energy innovations in this country, not by sending millions of dollars
to some transnational organization.
We have new innovations being implemented in our energy sector as we
speak, every day. From carbon sequestration coal plants in Texas, to
the shale revolution in the Midwest, to solar facilities in my home
State of Arizona, locally driven solutions are creating thousands of
jobs and benefiting our environment.
It is a simple concept. The people who depend upon our energy
resources to provide security for their families and communities
understand those resources best. States and municipalities are best
suited to deal with local issues than are the distant out-of-touch
Washington and U.N. bureaucrats.
The facts are clear: The U.S. has had one of the largest absolute
decreases in carbon emissions of any country in the world. From 2005 to
2017, the U.S. cut 862 million tons of carbon, a 14 percent decline.
Over the same period, global emissions increased by 26 percent. China
increased its emissions by 4 billion tons, and India increased its
carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 billion tons, a 70 percent increase.
America's energy renaissance is the backbone of our economy. It is a
story of freedom, prosperity, and opportunity. The story of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a much different one,
one that is characterized by a one-size-fits-all policy that gives
special preferences to some of the world's worst polluters, like China
and India.
This isn't a partisan issue. This is about doing what is right for
America and protecting freedom and opportunity for our children and
grandchildren. I urge all Members on both sides of the aisle to support
my amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from New York is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change brings together
critical multilateral partners so the United States does not have to
combat climate change alone. By supporting the UNFCCC, we are signaling
to the world that we are committed and serious about combating this
threat.
The United States has been a party to the UNFCCC since 1992. As
chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, I will never support
efforts that jeopardize our treaty-based obligations, and I urge my
colleagues to oppose this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, once again, we hear the same lame excuse
over and over again, that doing the same thing over and over, we are
going to get a different result. Well, that doesn't work anymore.
Trust is a series of promises kept. Why don't we set by example? And
that is exactly what we are proposing here.
The United States, by our technology, by our innovation, has shown
the way in regards to combating climate change. That is exactly the way
that we ought to handle it, not by some failed multinational
bureaucracy that uses the United States as a slush fund.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, the United States must remain committed to
our global partners because climate change just cannot be fought alone.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, once again, doing the same thing over and
over again and expecting a different result is insanity. Once again, we
have seen the ineptness of the United Nations in regard to this. We
have seen the misuse of money to developed nations like China and
India, and we allow them to continue to pollute when we set the
example.
I like the idea of setting the example for everybody else to follow.
We are the innovators. We are the leaders. We ought to establish that.
I ask everybody to vote for this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes
appeared to have it.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will
be postponed.

Amendment No. 84 Offered by Ms. Speier

The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 84
printed in part B of House Report 116-109.
Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 414, line 11, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $40,000,000) (reduced by $40,000,000)''.

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 431, the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Speier) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I rise with great enthusiasm this morning
to support an amendment that would designate $40 million from the
assistance for Europe and Eurasia fund to Armenian democracy
assistance. This amendment is cosponsored by the other Democratic
chairs of the Caucus on Armenian Issues here in Congress.
In the last year, Armenia has undergone a breathtaking transformation
from a stagnant autocracy to a very vibrant democracy. The images of
Armenia's Velvet Revolution bring a smile to my face every time I think
of it, having people dancing in the streets, having a blockade, but a
blockade of small toys by children in the town square.
The amazing part of all of this is that this democracy occurred with
not one drop of blood being shed. So it is very important, at this
point in time, that we do everything in our power to support this new
democracy.
Since the revolution, Armenia has held fair and free democratic
elections that swept Nikol Pashinyan to power. Recently, his government
signed an agreement with the United States providing up to $60 million,
over 2 to 3 years, to promote economic growth and good governance in
Armenia.
Although these efforts are welcome, they are not enough. Armenia has
a rare and potentially fleeting window of opportunity to consolidate
and build upon its democratic gains. Fundamental changes to its
constitution, electoral code, and governance institutions cannot be
achieved by repackaging existing aid under a new header.
Armenia has earned a clear signal that the United States supports its
democratic transformation and resources will be brought to them to
carry out that transformation. This amendment would provide $40 million
in 1 year to supercharge Armenia's democratic progress. Armenia would
continue to lead the process, but the U.S. expertise and assistance
would serve as a true catalyst.
This particular fund is filled with over $700 million. We are already
giving $250 million to Ukraine, over $50

[[Page H4649]]

million to Moldova, and $83 million to Georgia; so a $40 million
commitment to a country that, on its own, has delivered democracy is a
small gift. I urge that we support that.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the
amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Will the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. SPEIER. I yield to the gentlewoman from New York.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, while this amendment does not have a
budgetary effect, I would like to thank my friend for raising such an
important issue.
The progress made in Armenia's transition to democracy and the Velvet
Revolution is a refreshing development at a time when so many other
countries are headed in the opposite direction. This account funds
critical programs to counter Russian aggression and influence in Europe
and Eurasia and support to key partners like Ukraine and Georgia. I am
prepared to work to provide the necessary resources to encourage
continued progress in Armenia, and I am willing to accept the
amendment.
Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman and leader of our
Appropriations Committee for her support, and I am grateful beyond
words.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, the funding directed in this
amendment is a significant increase above current levels. It could
result in funds being cut from important partners in Europe facing
Russian aggression. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to oppose
this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from California
will be postponed.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from New York is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Speier).
Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for
yielding.
I rise to engage in a colloquy with the chairwoman of the State-
Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. I rise today to discuss
the immense value to the American taxpayer and Congress provided by the
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
Since 2002, the U.S. Government has spent over $126 billion--that is
a b--building the Afghan security forces, promoting good governance,
and conducting development assistance. Created in the 2008 National
Defense Authorization Act, the SIGAR, as we refer to it, has helped to
oversee the effectiveness of these programs and guarded against waste,
fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.
The SIGAR has alerted Congress to programs stymied by corruption,
flawed leadership, and poor design, while also providing implementing
agencies with lessons learned that have improved their efforts. I
believe that SIGAR provides immense value to the American public and
that their efforts should continue so long as the United States
continues to allocate significant sums of money to the Afghan
reconstruction.
I want to ask the chairwoman to clarify that no language in the
bill's House report should be construed as creating an end date for the
SIGAR.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chair, I thank my friend for bringing this issue to
our attention.
The committee takes seriously oversight of taxpayer dollars. I concur
with the gentlewoman's remarks. The SIGAR continues to serve American
taxpayers by reporting on instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in
Afghanistan.
The language included in the House report was not intended to suggest
that the committee expects or is directing SIGAR to cease operations by
September 30, 2021. Rather, the requirement in the House report is for
SIGAR to provide a plan on its future state considering the
administration's proposing drawdown in Afghanistan.
We must protect American taxpayer funds from waste, fraud, and abuse.
I look forward to working with SIGAR on effectively achieving this
important mission as the U.S. engagement with Afghanistan continues to
evolve.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The Committee will rise informally.
The Speaker pro tempore (Ms. Speier) assumed the chair.

____________________