[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 118 (Monday, July 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5796-H5800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        SAUDI ARABIA HUMAN RIGHTS AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2019

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2037) to encourage accountability for the murder of Washington 
Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2037

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Saudi Arabia Human Rights 
     and Accountability Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT RELATING 
                   TO THE KILLING OF WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST 
                   JAMAL KHASHOGGI.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Director of National 
     Intelligence shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a report consisting of--
       (1) a determination and presentation of evidence with 
     respect to the advance knowledge and role of any current or 
     former official of the Government of Saudi Arabia or any 
     current or former senior Saudi political figure over the 
     directing, ordering, or tampering of evidence in the killing 
     of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi; and
       (2) a list of foreign persons that the Director of National 
     Intelligence has high confidence--
       (A) were responsible for, or complicit in, ordering, 
     controlling, or otherwise directing an act or acts 
     contributing to or causing the death of Jamal Khashoggi;
       (B) knowingly and materially assisted, sponsored, or 
     provided financial, material, or technological support for, 
     or goods or services in support of, an activity described in 
     subparagraph (A); or
       (C) impeded the impartial investigation of the killing of 
     Jamal Khashoggi, including through the tampering of evidence 
     relating to the investigation.
       (b) Form.--
       (1) In general.--The report required by subsection (a) 
     shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
       (2) Names of foreign persons listed.--The name of each 
     foreign person listed in the report described in subsection 
     (a)(2) shall be included in the unclassified portion of the 
     report unless the Director of National Intelligence 
     determines that such disclosure would undermine United States 
     intelligence sources and methods or threaten the national 
     security interests of the United States.

[[Page H5797]]

       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Permanent 
     Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select 
     Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
       (2) Knowingly.--The term ``knowingly'', with respect to 
     conduct, a circumstance, or a result, means that a person has 
     actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the 
     circumstance, or the result.

     SEC. 3. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PERSONS THAT ENGAGE 
                   IN ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED IN SECTION 2(A)(2).

       (a) Imposition of Sanctions.--On and after the date that is 
     120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     sanctions described in subsection (b) shall be imposed with 
     respect to each foreign person listed in the report described 
     in section 2(a)(2).
       (b) Sanctions Described.--
       (1) In general.--The sanctions described in this subsection 
     are the following:
       (A) Ineligibility for visas and admission to the united 
     states.--
       (i) Inadmissibility to the United States.
       (ii) Ineligibility to receive a visa or other documentation 
     to enter the United States.
       (iii) Ineligibility to otherwise be admitted or paroled 
     into the United States or to receive any other benefit under 
     the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
       (B) Current visas revoked.--
       (i) Revocation of any visa or other entry documentation 
     regardless of when the visa or other entry documentation is 
     or was issued.
       (ii) A revocation under clause (i) shall--

       (I) take effect immediately; and
       (II) automatically cancel any other valid visa or entry 
     documentation that is in the foreign person's possession.

       (2) Exception to comply with international obligations.--
     Sanctions under paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to 
     a foreign person if admitting or paroling the person into the 
     United States is necessary to permit the United States to 
     comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 
     United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and 
     entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United 
     Nations and the United States, or other applicable 
     international obligations.
       (3) Waiver in the interest of national security.--The 
     President may waive the application of this section with 
     respect to a foreign person who is A-1 visa eligible and who 
     is present in or seeking admission into the United States for 
     purposes of official business if the President determines and 
     transmits to the appropriate congressional committees written 
     notice and justification not later than 15 days before the 
     granting of such waiver, that such a waiver is in the 
     national security interests of the United States.
       (c) Suspension of Sanctions.--
       (1) In general.--The President may suspend in whole or in 
     part the imposition of sanctions otherwise required under 
     this section for periods not to exceed 180 days if the 
     President certifies to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that the following criteria have been met in Saudi 
     Arabia:
       (A) The Government of Saudi Arabia has released any 
     individual who is a journalist, blogger, human rights 
     defender, advocate for religious liberty, or civil society 
     activist detained by the Government of Saudi Arabia.
       (B) The Government of Saudi Arabia is cooperating in 
     outstanding criminal proceedings in the United States in 
     which a Saudi citizen or national departed from the United 
     States while the citizen or national was awaiting trial or 
     sentencing for a criminal offense committed in the United 
     States.
       (C) The Government of Saudi Arabia is refraining from the 
     obstruction of the free expression of opinion and restriction 
     of individuals from engaging in public criticism of the 
     political sphere.
       (D) The Government of Saudi Arabia has made verifiable 
     commitments to cease the practice of harming citizens of 
     Saudi Arabia conducting peaceful dissent, whether or not 
     those citizens reside in Saudi Arabia, including enforced 
     repatriation, disappearance, arrest, imprisonment, or 
     harassment.
       (E) The Government of Saudi Arabia has taken verifiable 
     steps to hold accountable Saudi violators of human rights, 
     whether or not those violations took place in Saudi Arabia.
       (F) The Government of Saudi Arabia has taken verifiable 
     steps to repeal any law or regulation that requires Saudi 
     women to obtain approval from a male guardian in order to 
     leave the country.
       (G) The Government of Saudi Arabia--
       (i) has made public the names of all individuals under 
     prosecution for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and associated 
     crimes and the details of the charges such individuals face;
       (ii) has made public the trial proceedings and all evidence 
     against the accused;
       (iii) has invited international, independent experts to 
     monitor the trials;
       (iv) has made public details of efforts to establish the 
     location of Mr. Khashoggi's remains and associated findings 
     and returned his body to his family; and
       (v) has made public the rationale for why ten of the 
     individuals initially detained were later released without 
     charge.
       (H) The Government of Saudi Arabia has disbanded any units 
     of its intelligence or security apparatus dedicated to the 
     forced repatriation of dissidents in other countries.
       (I) The Government of Saudi Arabia is cooperating with 
     efforts to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi being 
     conducted by law enforcement authorities in the United States 
     and Turkey, or by the United Nations.
       (2) Report.--Accompanying the certification described in 
     paragraph (1), the President shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report that contains a detailed 
     description of Saudi Arabia's adherence to the criteria 
     described in the certification.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Admitted; alien.--The terms ``admitted'' and ``alien'' 
     have the meanings given those terms in section 101 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
       (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the 
     Judiciary, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
     of the House of Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     the Judiciary, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of 
     the Senate.
       (3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' has the 
     meaning given such term in section 595.304 of title 31, Code 
     of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the day before the 
     date of the enactment of this Act), except that such term 
     does not include an entity (as such term is described in such 
     section).
       (4) Foreign person who is a-1 visa eligible.--The term 
     ``foreign person who is A-1 visa eligible'' means an alien 
     described in section 101(a)(15)(A)(i) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(A)(i)).
       (5) United states person.--The term ``United States 
     person'' means--
       (A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted 
     for permanent residence to the United States; or
       (B) an entity organized under the laws of the United States 
     or any jurisdiction within the United States, including a 
     foreign branch of such an entity.

     SEC. 4. REPORT ON SAUDI ARABIA'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
     accordance with section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(c)), shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees report in writing that--
       (1) includes the information required under paragraph (1) 
     of such section 502B(c) with respect to Saudi Arabia;
       (2) describes the extent to which officials of the 
     Government of Saudi Arabia, including members of the military 
     or security services, are responsible for or complicit in 
     gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, 
     including violations of the human rights of journalists, 
     bloggers, human rights defenders, and those who support 
     women's rights or religious freedom;
       (3) describes violations of human rights in Saudi Arabia by 
     officials of the Government of Saudi Arabia, including 
     against journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, and 
     civil society activists;
       (4) describes United States actions to address Saudi 
     violations of human rights, including against journalists, 
     bloggers, human rights defenders, and civil society 
     activists, including demands for clemency review of these 
     cases;
       (5) describes any intolerant content in educational 
     materials published by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education 
     that are used in schools both inside Saudi Arabia and at 
     schools throughout the world; and
       (6) describes United States actions to encourage Saudi 
     Arabia to retrieve and destroy materials with intolerant 
     material and revise teacher manuals and retrain teachers to 
     reflect changes in educational materials and promote 
     tolerance.
       (b) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified 
     annex.
       (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In the 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Permanent 
     Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select 
     Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.

     SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.

[[Page H5798]]

  



                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 2037.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to report the Saudi Arabia Human Rights and 
Accountability Act of 2019.
  I want to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Malinowski) for his leadership, his thoughtfulness, and his 
vision in authoring this legislation. Mr. Malinowski came to this body 
with a long track record of fighting for human rights, and he arrived 
ready to tackle one of the thorniest issues: How do we ensure justice 
for those responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi? How do we 
demand accountability when the President refuses?
  Jamal Khashoggi was a Washington Post contributing columnist and 
legal permanent U.S. resident. He was killed by Saudi Government 
personnel on October 2, 2018, during his visit to the Saudi consulate 
in Istanbul, Turkey.
  Circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death have been 
extensively reported on by media outlets, briefed to some Members in 
classified settings, and investigated by the United Nations special 
rapporteur on extrajudicial killings.
  We still haven't seen any real accountability for this heinous crime. 
The Saudis originally denied any involvement and then made the 
outlandish claim that this killing was an accident--yes, accidental 
killing by bone saw. Give me a break.
  The Trump administration said it would hold those responsible to 
account, but they have been dragging their feet. We still haven't seen 
any real action, so Congress must step in.
  This important legislation mandates a report from the Director of 
National Intelligence about those who were responsible for, complicit 
in, or played a supporting role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The 
legislation then imposes a visa ban on those individuals.
  This bill, though, has a thoughtful off-ramp. In an effort to reshape 
our relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is a very important U.S. 
partner, the legislation says that if Saudi Arabia releases the 
journalists and activists currently imprisoned in the kingdom, fully 
cooperates in the investigation of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and 
reforms its systems to value human rights, those visa bans will not be 
imposed.
  If Saudi Arabia is looking for a way to reset the U.S.-Saudi 
relationship, I invite them to look at this legislation. I hope they 
do.
  The Saudis are an important security partner, but we cannot just look 
the other way when they ignore international norms and basic human 
rights and when they murder a journalist in broad daylight in a 
diplomatic facility.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                     Washington, DC, July 9, 2019.
     Hon. Jerrold Nadler,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 
     2037, the Saudi Arabia Human Rights and Accountability act of 
     2019.
       I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this 
     legislation. I recognize that the bill contains provisions 
     that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on the 
     Judiciary. I acknowledge that the Committee will not formally 
     consider H.R. 2037 and agree that the inaction of your 
     Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future 
     jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in H.R. 2037 
     which fall within your Committee's Rule X jurisdiction.
       I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in 
     the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the 
     bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this 
     legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you 
     as this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                    Washington, DC, July 12, 2019.
     Hon. Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: This is to advise you that the Committee 
     on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to review the 
     provisions in H.R. 2037, the ``Saudi Arabia Human Rights and 
     Accountability Act of 2019'' that fall within our Rule X 
     jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on those 
     provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to your 
     including them in the bill for consideration on the House 
     floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to waive 
     sequential referral, with the understanding that we do not 
     thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those 
     provisions or their subject matters.
       In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar 
     legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the 
     right to request an appropriate number of conferees to 
     address any concerns with these or similar provisions that 
     may arise in conference.
       Please place this letter into the Congressional Record 
     during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank 
     you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked 
     regarding this matter and others between our committees.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Jerrold Nadler,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                    Washington, DC, July 15, 2019.
     Hon. Adam Schiff,
     Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 
         House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 
     2037, the Saudi Arabia Human Rights and Accountability act of 
     2019.
       I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this 
     legislation. I recognize that the bill contains provisions 
     that fall within the jurisdiction of the Permanent Select 
     Committee on Intelligence. I acknowledge that the Committee 
     will not formally consider H.R. 2037 and agree that the 
     inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not 
     waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters 
     contained in H.R. 2037 which fall within your Committee's 
     Rule X jurisdiction.
       I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in 
     the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the 
     bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this 
     legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you 
     as this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         House of Representatives, Permanent Select Committee on 
           Intelligence,
                                    Washington, DC, July 15, 2019.
     Hon. Eliot Engel,
     Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Engel: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 
     2037, the Saudi Arabia Human Rights and Accountability Act of 
     2019. Certain provisions in the legislation fall within the 
     jurisdiction of the House Permanent Select Committee on 
     Intelligence, as set forth in Rule X of the House of 
     Representatives for the 116th Congress.
       In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed 
     expeditiously to floor consideration of this important bill, 
     I am willing to waive this committee's right to sequential 
     referral. By waiving consideration of H.R. 2037, the House 
     Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence does not waive any 
     future jurisdictional claim over the subjects contained in 
     the bill which fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the 
     House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. I further 
     request that you urge the Speaker to appoint members of the 
     House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to any 
     conference committee which is named to consider provisions 
     addressing such subjects.
       Please place this letter into the committee report on H.R. 
     2037 and into the Congressional Record during consideration 
     of the measure on the House floor. Thank you for the 
     cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this 
     matter and others between our respective committees.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Adam B. Schiff,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2037, the Saudi Arabia 
Human Rights and Accountability Act.
  The killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist and 
former diplomatic adviser, was a hideous and gruesome crime. The United 
States must ensure that everyone involved in this appalling human 
rights violation must be identified and held accountable.
  Intimidation and violence by any government against peaceful dissent 
must be met with strong disapproval by responsible nations. If we do 
not respond forcefully to this brutal attack,

[[Page H5799]]

we invite future violations of international norms. Peaceful dissidents 
all over the world are watching us, waiting to see if we will stand up 
for their cause.
  That is why I am grateful to support H.R. 2037, which requires a 
report to identify those responsible for this heinous assault and 
blocks visas for those directly involved with this murder. We cannot 
have business as usual with those who carried out an extrajudicial 
murder in cold blood. They should not get to come to the United States 
and pretend like nothing happened.
  I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their commitment 
to ensuring that Jamal is not forgotten. He deserves justice, and his 
family deserves justice.
  I thank the chairman and Mr. Malinowski for working to ensure that 
even as we press for accountability, we can continue diplomatic 
engagements with our partner of Saudi Arabia. These diplomatic 
engagements are crucial in pushing for human rights improvements 
mutually beneficial to our Saudi allies, such as the release of 
wrongfully detained Americans and other matters.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Malinowski), who is the author of this bill and a valued 
member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Engel for his 
leadership on this issue. I also want to recognize Ranking Member 
McCaul and all my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee for 
working with me to ensure that we could move forward with this bill in 
a bipartisan way.
  All of us agree that our relationship with Saudi Arabia is important, 
but we equally agree that how the Saudi Government treats its people 
and the people of other countries is important.

                              {time}  1600

  We have known this for a long time, I think, but last year's murder 
of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi Government makes it especially 
important that we take meaningful action in defense of our interest and 
our values.
  When I was campaigning for Congress last year in New Jersey, foreign 
policy issues did not come up very often, and yet the murder of Jamal 
Khashoggi somehow broke through the noise. I was asked about it a lot.
  I think this is because people understand that, while human rights 
violations in countries like Saudi Arabia are all too common, what 
happened to Khashoggi was not common. He was not killed, after all, 
inside Saudi Arabia. He was a resident of the United States. And yet 
the Saudi Government lured him into one of their embassies on the soil 
of a NATO country, where they brutally slaughtered him.
  Many governments around the world abuse their people. Very few 
governments reach out beyond their borders to kidnap or kill people 
living in other countries. Russia has done it; Iran has reportedly done 
it.
  But this kind of crime is very rare. It is profoundly in our interest 
to keep it rare, and that is why it is essential that we name and hold 
accountable those who are responsible for the killing of Jamal 
Khashoggi.
  We need to do this not because what the Saudi Government did was 
wrong, but because it crossed a line that no partner of the United 
States should ever be allowed to cross--not just because it showed a 
lack of respect for human rights, but because it demonstrated a lack of 
respect for the United States.
  Let's remember that there are thousands of Jamal Khashoggis living in 
America today. Men and women who have taken refuge in our country from 
dictatorships around the world and who sometimes speak up about 
injustices in their countries of origin.
  If the Saudi Government gets away with what it did to a resident of 
the United States, what is to stop China or Russia or Cuba or Iran or 
North Korea or Venezuela or any other dictatorship from doing the same.
  We know it is not their scruples that hold them back. The only thing 
that stops them is their fear of the consequences if they do this to 
somebody living in our country or to an American abroad. That is why 
there have to be consequences.
  Our bill ensures that there will be. It requires the Director of 
National Intelligence to give us a list of everyone--without 
exception--whom the intelligence community believes to be responsible 
for planning, executing, or covering up this terrible crime. All on 
this list will be subject to a visa ban. The sanctions can only be 
lifted if the Saudi Government takes meaningful steps to reform human 
rights conditions in the kingdom.
  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that, while the Saudi Government has faced a 
lot of rhetorical condemnation for what they did to Jamal Khashoggi, it 
has not yet gotten the message. We know that the FBI has visited at 
least four Saudi dissidents living in the United States since 
Khashoggi's murder to warn them about the threats to their life from 
Saudi Arabia, including as recently as 6 weeks ago.
  The Saudis also continue to imprison American citizens without trial 
or charge, despite repeated requests from the Trump administration for 
their release. While I appreciate that the State Department has 
sanctioned several Saudis for their involvement in Khashoggi's murder, 
this action also risks sending the wrong message.
  By only sanctioning the rogues, whom the Saudis themselves are 
willing to throw under the bus for this crime, we risk reinforcing the 
Saudi Crown Prince's lie that the murder of Khashoggi was a rogue 
operation.
  The relationship with Saudi Arabia is important, but it is not so 
important that we have to lie for the Saudis or allow them, literally, 
to get away with murder. No relationship and no individual is so 
important that we need to debase ourselves in that way.
  Now is the time to send the message, especially now, before Mohammad 
bin Salman ascends to the Saudi throne, that this is wrong.
  Now is the time to make clear that reckless behavior, whether the 
murder of an American resident or the kidnapping of the Lebanese Prime 
Minister or the blockade of Qatar, carries a price, that the men who 
rule Saudi Arabia, who, after all, depend far more on us than we depend 
on them, need to take our interests and values into account rather than 
always counting on us to cover up for them.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to, once again, thank Chairman 
Engel and the Committee on Foreign Affairs' membership for their 
bipartisan work to respond to the terrible injustice of Jamal 
Khashoggi's murder.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Representative 
Malinowski for bringing this forward.
  Again, I have long expressed concern about the cozy relationship 
between the United States and Saudi Arabia across a number of 
Presidencies, both Democrat and Republican. For years, we have turned a 
blind eye toward their human rights abuses at home, their repression of 
women, and their export of radical Wahhabism, destabilizing the Middle 
East, Pakistan, and, now, up into the Balkans.
  It is long past time for the United States to take action, but Trump 
has taken the U.S. blind eye toward Saudi abuses to a new extreme. He 
and Pompeo have cozied up to Mohammad bin Salman, who was, according to 
U.S. intelligence agencies, European intelligence agencies, and, now, a 
report from the United States, involved in the brutal murder of a U.S. 
resident, a noted journalist because he had the temerity to write 
articles critical of His Highness MBS.

  And what does Trump do? He goes to Saudi Arabia. He does the sword 
dance. He calls them up on the phone and cozies up to them day after 
day after day.
  This legislation here in the House will help to begin to right the 
wrongs of the past, right the wrongs of this administration, and to 
send a strong message to the Saudis that what they are doing in Yemen 
is not acceptable, what they are doing throughout the Middle East and 
other parts of the world, exporting radical Wahhabism and 
destabilizing, murder is not acceptable. None of these things are 
acceptable.

[[Page H5800]]

  The President wants to arm them. We need to disarm this relationship 
and hold them accountable.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the chairman of the Rules Committee and 
co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2037. I am very proud 
to be a cosponsor of this bill, and I want to commend the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Malinowski), my good friend and colleague, for his 
long commitment to human rights and his leadership on this issue. I 
also want to thank Chairman Engel for working to ensure that this bill 
came before the House for consideration.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly 10 months since Jamal Khashoggi, a 
Saudi dissident, journalist for The Washington Post, and former general 
manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel entered the Saudi 
Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, and was never, ever again seen. He was 
assassinated by agents of the Saudi Arabian Government. Despite having 
arrested some of its own security personnel for this crime, the Saudi 
Government continues to refuse to disclose the location of Khashoggi's 
remains.
  In June, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, 
summary or arbitrary executions concluded that Khashoggi was ``the 
victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial 
killing for which the State of Saudi Arabia is responsible.''
  She called the trial in Saudi Arabia of the 11 suspects to be 
suspended, saying it would ``not deliver credible accountability.''
  ``The trial is held behind closed doors. The identity of those 
charged has not been released nor is the identity of those facing the 
death penalty. At the time of writing, at least one of those identified 
as responsible for the planning and organizing of the execution of Mr. 
Khashoggi has not been charged,'' she noted.
  She also found there was ``credible evidence that Saudi Crown Prince 
Mohammad bin Salman and other high-level officials were individually 
liable.''
  Not surprisingly, the Saudi Government, which denies the Prince was 
involved, has rejected the report. Meanwhile, despite all the 
international handwringing and denunciations, there has been little 
effective international response.
  This bill requires an intelligent assessment on responsibility for 
Jamal Khashoggi's murder, and it would sanction those named by imposing 
Magnitsky-style sanctions against them.
  It also requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress with a 
report on Saudi Arabia's human rights record, which, personally, I find 
to be among the most egregious in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S., Canada, France, and the U.K. all levied some 
level of sanctions against 18 Saudis allegedly linked to the killing. 
The Saudi Crown Prince is not among them. Germany, Finland, and Denmark 
have canceled arms deals with Saudi Arabia. The U.K. was also forced to 
cancel its armed sales to the Saudi Government, under court order.
  The Senate and the House have voted to condemn Jamal Khashoggi's 
murder and to end U.S. armed sales to Saudi Arabia because of Saudi 
Arabia's role in the Yemen civil war.
  President Trump has chosen to ignore the will of Congress, going so 
far as to invoke an imaginary emergency in order to continue selling 
arms to the Saudis. The Senate has voted to overturn those arms sales 
by passing resolutions of disapproval, which the House will consider 
later this week or next. I have introduced a bill in the House, H.R. 
643, that would end U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
  Now is the time for the House to act strongly and definitely. There 
must be consequences for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Such a heinous 
crime must not be met with impunity. H.R. 2037 is an appropriate step 
in ensuring that those responsible are named and held accountable.
  Again, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his leadership and 
urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for 
the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, the horrific murder of Jamal Khashoggi demands 
accountability and justice. After the astounding evidence we have seen, 
it just cannot be business as usual; and since the administration is 
dragging its feet, Congress must step forward.
  So I urge my colleagues to join me today and support the Saudi Arabia 
Human Rights and Accountability Act, and I thank the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Malinowski) for his leadership on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Malinowski). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2037, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________