[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 28, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





              AMERICA'S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DURING COVID-19

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL T. McCAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 2020

  Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, while we must continue to focus on 
flattening the curve and supporting struggling Americans here at home, 
we must also help combat the spread of COVID-19 abroad. The pandemic is 
just beginning in many developing countries in the Middle East, Africa, 
and Latin America. It is not hard to imagine a worst-case scenario as 
COVID-19 ravages these fragile nations, particularly in areas already 
plagued by conflict and extremism. The destabilizing impact that the 
virus will have on economies, government institutions, and communities 
is deeply concerning.
  This is a global pandemic, and the work that we do overseas makes us 
safer here at home, too, as this virus continue to spread. Since the 
outbreak began, the U.S. has provided $775 million to over 100 
countries around the world to combat the spread of COVID-19. This 
commitment builds on over two decades of sustained U.S. leadership and 
investment to strengthen health systems and respond to infectious 
disease outbreaks. In addition, according to the State Department, the 
American people, NGOs, faith groups, and the private sector have also 
stepped up to provide an estimated $3 billion in donations and 
assistance to save lives around the world.
  However, we must ensure that these vital resources are used as 
effectively and efficiently, as possible. Unfortunately, the Chinese 
Communist Party continues to cover up their culpability--withholding 
test samples, lying about mortality rates, and suppressing doctors and 
journalists from covering the facts-and ultimately undermining the 
global response. I support the Trump administration's efforts to insist 
on transparency and accountability. This includes accountability at the 
World Health Organization, which failed to immediately and effectively 
respond to this global pandemic. We cannot allow taxpayer resources to 
go toward organizations that were complicit in this cover up until 
there is accountability.
  Our assistance must not only consider the short-term needs of 
vulnerable populations and our partners overseas, but also longer-term 
recovery efforts to generate economic growth and opportunity. In this 
unpredictable time, authoritarian regimes, terrorist groups, and 
hostile nation states will try to take advantage of the chaos for 
strategic gains. The Chinese Communist Party, acting as both the 
arsonist and the firefighter, is leveraging this pandemic to project 
their power and influence through economic dependencies created by 
their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). As African nations cry out for 
much-needed debt relief from China's predatory BRI lending, reports are 
already emerging that China is seeking to condition relief on the 
handover of strategic assets, such as copper mining assets in Zambia.
  We must consider the follow-on shocks of COVID-19--on nascent 
democracies, counterterrorism operations, refugee camps, vaccination 
campaigns, education systems, food security, and nutrition 
interventions--as existing humanitarian crises, security threats, and 
development challenges are compounded and exacerbated. The U.S. must be 
strategic in our investments and adapt and prioritize our assistance to 
prevent further destabilization and conflict in the wake of COVID-19. 
Otherwise, the cost, in both lives and foreign assistance dollars will 
be exponential in the long run.
  I applaud Representative Yoho and Representative Bera for organizing 
this special order and for working across the aisle to address this 
crucial issue. I would also like to thank the frontline healthcare 
workers, both in my district and around the world, for their lifesaving 
work. Finally, I would like to thank the NGO community and the U.S. 
Global Leadership Coalition for their leadership and advocacy.

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