[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.

                          ____________________