[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 86 (Thursday, May 7, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2328-S2329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SENATE RESOLUTION 567--COMMENDING CAREER PROFESSIONALS AT THE 
 DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOR THEIR EXTENSIVE EFFORTS TO REPATRIATE UNITED 
   STATES CITIZENS AND LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 
                                PANDEMIC

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Coons, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Markey, Mr. Booker, Mr. Rubio, 
Mr. Romney, and Mr. Cruz) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 567

       Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented 
     disruption in global commerce and travel;
       Whereas foreign governments around the world have limited 
     and restricted commercial travel arriving and departing from 
     their countries to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by closing 
     airports, seaports, and borders;
       Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting travel 
     restrictions abroad left tens of thousands of United States 
     citizens and legal permanent residents overseas without a 
     direct way to return to the United States;
       Whereas it was an extraordinary challenge for the 
     Department of State to help so many Americans seeking 
     repatriation from around the world at the same time;
       Whereas on March 19, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 
     pandemic and the mounting repatriation demand from United 
     States citizens and legal permanent residents living abroad, 
     the Department of State created a Repatriation Task Force to 
     facilitate the repatriation of these Americans and to notify 
     Congress and any Americans needing repatriation assistance of 
     these efforts;
       Whereas career professionals at the Department of State, 
     with exemplary contributions from the members of the 
     Department's Repatriation Task Force and embassy and 
     consulate staff around the world, in partnership with 
     commercial airlines and the United States Transportation 
     Command, brought home more than 78,000 Americans on 833 
     flights originating from 128 countries and territories during 
     an 18-week period;
       Whereas Department of State officers, their family members, 
     and locally engaged staff faced personal risk, long hours, 
     and rapidly changing local circumstances to assist Americans 
     needing transportation to the United States;
       Whereas Department of State officers and contract employees 
     across the United States have worked to ensure that vital 
     visa and passport services remain operational, including for 
     tasks critical to the support of our national security, 
     health care systems, and food supply chains; and
       Whereas at least 450 Department of State personnel were 
     diagnosed with COVID-19, including 5 who died from the 
     illness: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the tremendous work done by Department of 
     State career professionals--
       (A) to address the extraordinary challenges related to the 
     COVID-19 pandemic; and
       (B) to bring home more than 78,000 American citizens during 
     a time of crisis;
       (2) thanks Department of State career professionals who 
     volunteered to work at all hours to meet the Department's 
     highest priority, which was helping fellow citizens in a time 
     of dire need and stress;
       (3) commends the Repatriation Task Force for their efforts 
     to facilitate the repatriation of United States citizens and 
     lawful permanent residents;
       (4) thanks the employees at United States embassies and 
     consulates throughout the world, particularly career consular 
     officers, for their work to identify flights and execute the 
     departure procedure of thousands of individuals, despite 
     difficult operating conditions on the ground;

[[Page S2329]]

       (5) thanks the United States Transportation Command for its 
     assistance in securing flights for United States citizens and 
     legal permanent residents;
       (6) recognizes the efforts made by partners overseas to 
     help United States embassies and consulates secure the 
     flights and ground transportation need to allow these 
     Americans to return home;
       (7) expresses its condolences to the families, friends, and 
     colleagues of those Department of State personnel who died as 
     a result of COVID-19; and
       (8) urges the employees of the Department of State to 
     continue the important work of bringing home United States 
     citizens and legal permanent residents who remain stranded in 
     foreign countries.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce a resolution 
with Senator Risch, as well as other colleagues, to thank countless 
State Department career officials for their extensive efforts to bring 
home over 78,000 United States citizens and legal permanent residents 
during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic caused an unprecedented 
disruption in global travel, leaving tens of thousands of United States 
citizens and legal permanent residents stranded overseas with no direct 
way to return to the United States. While we will have ample 
opportunity in the future to examine and better understand the 
decisions made by senior leadership at the Department of State at the 
onset of the COVID-19 crisis that could have allowed the United States 
to more effectively respond to this pandemic, including to identify and 
mitigate repatriation challenges, I will note that once the Department 
recognized the enormity of the repatriation crisis, it's career 
professionals sprung into action and, characteristically, rose to meet 
the challenge and serve their nation with distinction.
  Staying true to the Department's most fundamental mission, to protect 
U.S. citizens abroad, State Department officers, family members, and 
local employees faced great personal risk and long hours to assist U.S. 
citizens during a time of dire need and stress. For that, my colleagues 
and I are tremendously grateful. We commend the extraordinary work done 
by the Repatriation Task Force, embassy and consulate staff around the 
world, and the United States Transportation Command. Their efforts 
resulted in the repatriation of over 78,000 Americans on 833 flights 
originating from 128 countries and territories in just an 18-week 
period. I would also like to extend my deepest thanks to Principal 
Deputy Assistant Secretary Ian Brownlee and Deputy Assistant Secretary 
Hugo Yon for their exemplary leadership of and contribution to the 
Repatriation Task Force, as well as to Wendy Kennedy for her work with 
the Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Furthermore, I would like to thank 
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Julie Chung, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary Kevin O'Reilly, Consul General Dana Deree (Honduras), Consul 
General William Bent (El Salvador), Consul General John Barrett 
(Recife), Deputy Chief of Mission Denison Offutt (Lima), Director for 
Central America Affairs Marta Youth, and Country Consular Coordinator 
Alexander Delorey (Quito) for their leadership in facilitating the 
repatriation of thousands of Americans citizens from countries in the 
Western hemisphere. I recognize that in calling out these individuals 
who were especially helpful to me and to my office that I run the risk 
of not naming the tens, if not hundreds of others who worked just as 
hard and contributed just as much; they have my thanks as well.
  I, along with my colleagues, are profoundly grateful to the 
Department of State personnel who have worked tirelessly these past few 
months, who have served the United States above and beyond the call of 
duty, and who have helped their fellow citizen in a time of dire need. 
I urge the Department to continue its good work and to remain ready to 
bring home American citizens and legal permanent residents as the 
COVID-19 pandemic persists.

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