[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 192 (Tuesday, December 3, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H9198-H9201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REAFFIRMING SUPPORT FOR THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT AND OTHER AGREEMENTS
TO ENSURE A LASTING PEACE IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 585) reaffirming support for the Good Friday
Agreement and other agreements to ensure a lasting peace in Northern
Ireland.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 585
Whereas, on April 10, 1998, the Government of Ireland and
the Government of the United Kingdom signed the Good Friday
Agreement;
Whereas the main goal of the Good Friday Agreement was to
bring an end to the violence on the island of Ireland and to
ensure self-determination, peace, and reconciliation for the
people of the island of Ireland;
Whereas the successful negotiation of the Good Friday
Agreement stands as a historic and groundbreaking success
that has proven critical to the decades of relative peace
that have followed;
Whereas an exit from the European Union by the United
Kingdom that does not appropriately protect the Good Friday
Agreement threatens to undermine progress that has been made
in moving beyond the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland;
Whereas the power-sharing agreement negotiated between the
Government of Ireland, the Government of the United Kingdom,
and parties in Northern Ireland in 1998 was a critical step
toward negotiating lasting solutions to the issues described
in the Good Friday Agreement and in other agreements that
followed;
Whereas the collapse of the power-sharing institutions in
2017 has created additional difficulties and is serving as a
roadblock to continued progress;
Whereas despite the historic progress of the Good Friday
Agreement and subsequent
[[Page H9199]]
agreements, important issues remain unresolved in Northern
Ireland, including securing justice for victims of state-
sponsored violence and other violence and providing for the
rights of all sections of the community;
Whereas the reintroduction of barriers, checkpoints, or
personnel, also known as a ``hard border'', between the
Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would further
threaten economic cooperation between the Republic of Ireland
and the United Kingdom as well as the successes of the Good
Friday Agreement;
Whereas the United States Congress served a prominent
assisting role in the negotiation of Good Friday Agreement
and has taken a leading role in striving for peace on the
island of Ireland more broadly; and
Whereas Congress greatly values the close relationships the
United States shares with both the United Kingdom and the
Republic of Ireland and stands steadfastly committed to
supporting the peaceful resolution of any and all political
challenges in Northern Ireland: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the United Kingdom and the European Union to
ensure that any exit from the European Union by the United
Kingdom supports continued peace on the island of Ireland and
the principles, objectives, and commitments of the Good
Friday Agreement;
(2) urges a successful outcome to the dialogue between all
parties in Northern Ireland to ensure that all of the
institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operate again and
that ongoing political challenges and debates can be
overcome;
(3) expresses support for the full implementation of the
Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements;
(4) expresses opposition to the reintroduction of a hard
border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland;
(5) supports the right of all the people on the island of
Ireland to self-determine their future as provided for in the
Good Friday Agreement; and
(6) will insist that any new or amended trade agreements
and other bilateral agreements between the Government of the
United States and the Government of the United Kingdom
include conditions requiring obligations under the Good
Friday Agreement to be met.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Sires) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires).
General Leave
Mr. SIRES. 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. Res. 585.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to start by thanking my colleagues, Mr. Suozzi and Mr. King,
for authoring this excellent bipartisan measure that reaffirms
Congress' support for lasting peace in Northern Ireland. The Good
Friday Agreement and the fulfillment of every obligation under it is
the only way to ensure that those times of violence and division never
return.
That is why I am alarmed by the current situation with Brexit, which
could reintroduce a hard border between the north and the Republic.
This is a dangerous prospect not only for the peace process but for the
economic stability of the island and for the rights of the border
communities.
With this bipartisan resolution we send a clear signal to the United
Kingdom and the European Union. It is a priority for Congress that any
Brexit deal must protect the Good Friday Agreement and all of its
components.
{time} 1700
We must ensure that nothing compromises the peace, security, and
economic prosperity across Ireland.
I am proud to be a cosponsor of this measure, and I urge all Members
to join me in supporting it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Ways and Means,
Washington, DC, December 2, 2019.
Hon. Eliot L. Engel,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Engel: In recognition of the desire to
expedite consideration of H. Res. 585, ``Reaffirming Support
for the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements to ensure
a lasting peace in Northern Ireland,'' the Committee on Ways
and Means agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as
to provisions that fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the
Committee on Ways and Means.
The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the
mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction
over the subject matter contained in this or similar
legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately
consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation
moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues
within our jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the
right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of
conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or
similar legislation.
Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter
confirming this understanding and would ask that a copy of
our exchange of letter on this matter be included in the
Congressional Record during floor consideration of H. Res.
585.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Neal,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, December 2, 2019.
Hon. Richard E. Neal,
Committee on Ways and Means,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Neal: I am writing to you concerning H. Res.
585, Reaffirming support for the Good Friday Agreement and
other agreements to ensure a lasting peace in Northern
Ireland. I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively
on this resolution.
I acknowledge that provisions of this measure fall within
the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means under
House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H.
Res. 585 to expedite floor consideration. I further
acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect
to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim
over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your
jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of
Committee on Ways and Means conferees during any House-Senate
conference convened on this legislation.
Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is
included in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your
cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to
continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the
legislative process.
Sincerely,
Eliot L. Engel,
Chairman.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 585, which calls for the
protection of the Good Friday Agreement and any Brexit deal that may
come to fruition. I congratulate the bill's sponsor, Tom Suozzi from
New York, for this important initiative.
The Good Friday Agreement brought resolution to the decades-long
violent conflict known as The Troubles. The signing of the Good Friday
Agreement 20 years ago was truly historic, extraordinarily difficult to
achieve, a remarkable framework for peace, and the hope for the
beginning of reconciliation.
In its most important provisions, the agreement launched a series of
challenging protocols by which the leaders of the nationalist and
unionist communities in Northern Ireland agreed to strive for better
governance and a peaceful solution of differences. It was characterized
by prisoner releases, new government structures, British
demilitarization of the North, the decommissioning of paramilitary
weapons, and systemic police reform.
In terms of realizing peace, consider this: In the 30 years between
1969 and 1998, approximately 3,500 people were killed in political
violence, while in the 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement, fewer
than 100 have lost their lives due to intersectarian violence--though
there was also the ongoing phenomenon of intrasectarian killings
attributable to internal disputes among paramilitary groups.
Mr. Speaker, there is a broad bipartisan consensus on peace for
Northern Ireland, dating back to the integral role played by President
Bill Clinton and Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell in the
negotiation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Congressman Suozzi's resolution, introduced with Peter King as the
lead Republican--and I am proud, like Mr. Sires, to be a cosponsor--
reflects this bipartisan interest. I, myself, Mr. Speaker, have
personally chaired 16 congressional hearings and markups of legislation
on human rights issues in Northern Ireland, most of them with a special
focus on police reform and the need to establish a public, independent
judicial inquiry into state-sponsored collusion in the murder of human
rights attorney Patrick Finucane and
[[Page H9200]]
others who were the victims of political assassinations on both sides
of the divide.
Mr. Speaker, I also sponsored an amendment that resulted in
suspending all U.S. support for and exchanges with the then-British
police force in Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Vetting standards for RUC officers were implemented and then enforced.
President Bush was then able to certify that human rights principles
were part of police training going forward, both in the RUC and in its
reformed successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Thus, I, too, like many in this Chamber, have a strong personal
interest in the subject of Congressman Suozzi's resolution.
Also, I am extremely worried about the negative implications of a
hard Brexit. This 1998 agreement has kept the peace on the island of
Ireland for over two decades by maintaining a soft border between the
two entities. A Brexit deal that results in a hard border between
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could very possibly
instigate another outbreak of violence. The fact is that armed
paramilitary groups still exist and could reengage in killing, should
there be a sustained backsliding attributable to the failure to achieve
an equitable Brexit resolution.
It is vital to the safety and security of Ireland that any potential
Brexit deal effectively address the Irish backstop issue and maintain
all components of the Good Friday Agreement. This resolution affirms
this as the U.S. position on Brexit, and I commend its author. Mr.
Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Suozzi), the author of this resolution.
Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Sires for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bipartisan H. Res. 585,
which I introduced along with my Republican colleague Peter King.
This resolution reaffirms the United States' support for the Good
Friday Agreement and other agreements in order to ensure a lasting
peace in Northern Ireland.
I want to start by thanking Chairman Engel for his support of this
bipartisan resolution and for his decades-long commitment to bringing a
lasting peace to the island of Ireland.
I also thank, again, my fellow Long Islander Peter King, my lead
Republican cosponsor of this resolution, who has been a staunch
advocate for the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process for the
length and breadth of his entire career in public service, over 30
years.
I thank all of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle on the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs and from the Congressional Friends
of Ireland who cosponsored this resolution. Particularly, I thank my
friend Bill Keating, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on
Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment.
Mr. Speaker, the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a
momentous achievement that marked the official end of The Troubles, a
dark period in history that saw communities torn apart, thousands of
people killed, and the island of Ireland literally divided by a hard
border.
While the Good Friday Agreement has been largely responsible for the
relative peace on the island of Ireland over the last two decades,
recent events have created uncertainty and put the agreement at risk.
The collapse of the key power-sharing agreement in early 2017 has
created a roadblock to continued progress on several important issues.
Furthermore, the uncertainty created by Brexit has led to fears of
instability and even the reintroduction of a hard border separating the
Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Next week, the people of the United Kingdom will go to the polls in a
crucial election that will determine the outcome of Brexit. While it
would be inappropriate for any American elected official to interfere
in another country's electoral process, it is important that the United
States makes our position clear on policies in which we have a vested
interest.
This resolution reiterates the United States' full support for the
implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. It also urges the parties
to continue their dialogues in the hope that the governing institutions
created by the agreement can once again operate.
This resolution also makes it clear that as the United Kingdom
continues to work through the Brexit process, all parties should ensure
that the final outcome supports peace on the island of Ireland, as well
as all the principles, objectives, and commitments of the Good Friday
Agreement. In particular, this resolution expresses strong opposition
to the reintroduction of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland
and Northern Ireland. A return to a hard border, as Congressman Boyle
has repeatedly pointed out, could do immense damage and must be avoided
at all costs.
I am pleased that in Brexit negotiations so far, all parties seem to
agree that a hard border is unacceptable, and I urge continued
adherence to this position.
Finally, this resolution makes it clear that should the United States
and the United Kingdom pursue a bilateral trade agreement in the
aftermath of Brexit, that any such deal will be contingent on meeting
the obligations of the Good Friday Agreement.
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which I would have
jurisdiction over any such deal, I promise to ensure that this clause
of this resolution is strictly enforced.
I know that my good friend Richie Neal, who has cosponsored this
resolution and who serves not only as chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee but also as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Friends
of Ireland, feels exactly the same way.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to take a moment to thank my good friend and
constituent Marty Glennon for his years of activism in support of the
peace process. His wisdom and support of this resolution as it made its
way through the legislative process has been extremely valuable.
During these difficult times of often partisan and divided
government, it is gratifying to see such overwhelming bipartisan
support to ensure that Brexit and other political challenges do not
threaten the Good Friday Agreement or the peace process.
When my great-grandfather, Jeremiah Holmes, first emigrated from the
Emerald Isle in the late 1800s, leaving his home in Bweeng outside of
Malllow in County Cork, little did he know that his son would go on to
work for IBEW, putting lights on the Empire State Building. Little did
he know that, one day, his great-grandson would be a Member of the
House of Representatives and work to continue the United States'
important role in preserving peace on the island of Ireland.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the passage of this important bipartisan
legislation.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).
Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Mr. Suozzi's
resolution, again saying that it is in America's national interest to
protect the Good Friday Agreement peace accords.
As was stated on the floor, the U.S. has equities in this agreement.
The work of George Mitchell back in the 1990s was instrumental,
according to all the parties involved, in terms of its success.
Since then, Congress has reaffirmed that involvement by appropriating
funds for the Northern Ireland Trust Fund, which promotes
reconciliation amongst the sectarian factions that unfortunately are
still apart, to an unfortunate degree. Nonetheless, it has been a great
success over the last 21 years.
As an undergraduate student studying in England in 1973, I visited
Belfast and Enniskillen in those dark days of The Troubles, with 30,000
British soldiers patrolling the streets, bombings taking place, over
3,000 causalities.
Fast forward to today, I brought a trade mission from Connecticut
over with an aerospace-focus. There is calm. There is a functioning
government and system and rule of law that has transformed that island
and, particularly, Northern Ireland's society. It is all about trying
to protect that future with this resolution.
I would just end by saying this is in accordance with the people of
Northern Ireland. When Brexit was voted on, the people of Northern
Ireland voted almost 56 percent to remain in the European Union because
they wanted to
[[Page H9201]]
make sure there was no risk of a hard border.
Again, the measure passed, including Great Britain's votes, but only
by an even smaller margin of 51 percent. So this resolution is not just
a sentimental expression by people here in the U.S. It is totally in
accordance with what I think is the will and the wishes of the people
of Northern Ireland.
I thank the sponsors on both sides of the aisle, in terms of making
sure that this important diplomatic success for the 20th century, that
the U.S. was an instrumental part of, will be protected.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Kildee).
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I
thank my friends, Mr. Suozzi and Mr. King, for offering this
resolution, and particularly Mr. Suozzi for his leadership on this
issue.
Like many Members who have spoken, I am proud of my own Irish
heritage. It is a heritage that continues to this day. My sister lives
in Ireland with her husband, Daithi, and their children, Siofra, Paddy,
Ciaran, and Fiach. Those four children are part of the first generation
alive that have been able to live with the guarantee of some sort of
peace on that island.
It is important that we recognize that, as much as many of us have
this familial connection to the people of Ireland, this question is so
much bigger than that. This is really a question as to whether or not
we are going to support a negotiated peace, which is an achievement not
just of the people of the U.K. and the island of Ireland but as an
achievement of the American people as well because we are a guarantor
of that agreement.
It even goes beyond that, however. What message does it send to the
people of the world, especially in those places that continue to have
longstanding conflicts, if in the name of a hasty decision to implement
Brexit, we were to set aside this achievement that says to the people
of the world, not just the people of that island, not just to the
people of the U.K., not just to the people of the U.S., but to the
people of the world that peace can be achieved through face-to-face
negotiation? That is a powerful message that goes beyond the direct
impact that its reversal would have on the people of Ireland.
Finally, as my friends have said, nobody in the U.K. or in the U.K.
Government should expect that the United States would pursue and
willingly sign any U.S.-U.K. trade agreement that does not respect the
principles that the Good Friday Agreement implemented.
So, the question is: Are we going to deal with this now? Will we
ensure, as the people of the world want, that we protect this important
peace? I think we should. The people of the world think we should.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my friends join me in supporting this really
important resolution.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Brendan F. Boyle).
Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the
gentleman from New Jersey.
The Good Friday Agreement was just the start of the creation of peace
and reconciliation on the island of Ireland, not the end. Brokered by
the United States, this agreement was one of our Nation's great foreign
policy achievements of the 20th century.
This ongoing peace process requires our continued engagement,
especially now as Brexit becomes a reality. We cannot and, let's be
clear, will not stand by idly and watch the Good Friday Agreement
weakened or destroyed.
I was proud to introduce a similar resolution back in January, and I
am equally proud to cosponsor Mr. Suozzi's bill, which reaffirms our
bipartisan support in this Chamber for the Good Friday Agreement, and I
urge my colleagues to support it.
{time} 1715
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for
the purpose of closing.
Once again, I thank Mr. Suozzi and Mr. King for introducing this
good, bipartisan measure. The United Kingdom and European Union must
safeguard Ireland's continued peace, safety, and prosperity as they
work to secure a Brexit deal.
We must ensure Ireland continues toward a bright, strong future,
never returning to the violence and the division of The Troubles. The
Good Friday Agreement must be protected.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all the Members to support this important
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 585.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________