[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5892-H5893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    AFFIRMING NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF UNITED STATES-IRAQ BILATERAL 
                              RELATIONSHIP

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1062) affirming the nature and importance of the 
United States-Iraq bilateral relationship, including security and 
economic components of the relationship, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1062

       Whereas the United States remains committed to supporting a 
     sovereign and democratic Iraq at peace with its neighbors and 
     safe for its citizens, regardless of their religion, sect, or 
     ethnicity;
       Whereas in 2014, forces of the Islamic State (commonly 
     known as ``IS'' and also known as ``ISIS'' or ``ISIL'') 
     seized significant territory in Iraq, leading Iraq's Prime 
     Minister to request international military intervention;
       Whereas the United States began military intervention 
     against the Islamic State in Iraq in 2014, working with 
     international coalition partners and Iraqi security forces to 
     combat the Islamic State and to retake Iraqi territory from 
     Islamic State fighters;
       Whereas the Islamic State ruled areas it controlled with 
     terror and brutal violence, including through heinous acts 
     such as mass executions, public beheadings, desecration of 
     holy sites, sexual enslavement and rape, and abuse and 
     torture of minors;
       Whereas the Government of Iraq declared military victory 
     against the Islamic State in December 2017, but insurgent 
     attacks by remaining terrorist fighters have continued and 
     threaten peace and stability in some areas of Iraq;
       Whereas an estimated 6 million Iraqis have been rendered 
     internally displaced since 2014, of whom 1.4 million remain 
     internally displaced;
       Whereas members of religious and ethnic minority groups, 
     including Iraqi Christian communities and Yezidis, faced 
     particular brutality under the Islamic State and often lacked 
     the resources and capacity for protection;
       Whereas the Islamic State's destructive rule and ensuing 
     military campaign left large areas of key population centers 
     uninhabitable, including Anbar, Salah al-Din, and Ninewa 
     governorates, where efforts at resettlement, reconstruction, 
     service delivery, governance, and security remain 
     challenging;
       Whereas the United Nations Office for the Coordination of 
     Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) 2020 humanitarian needs 
     assessment previously anticipated that as many as 4.1 million 
     Iraqis will need some form of humanitarian assistance in 
     2020, and humanitarian needs are likely to be further 
     exacerbated by socio-economic disruptions attributable to the 
     COVID-19 pandemic;
       Whereas the United States was the top donor to the 2018 and 
     2019 United Nations Iraq Humanitarian Response Plans and has 
     contributed nearly $2.75 billion to humanitarian relief 
     efforts in Iraq since 2014, including more than $750 million 
     in humanitarian support since fiscal year 2018;
       Whereas in July 2017, the United Nations Office for the 
     Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that 
     ``after decades of war, the sheer volume of explosive devices 
     renders Iraq one of the most heavily contaminated countries 
     in the world'';
       Whereas multiple nongovernmental human rights organizations 
     and media investigations have reported that areas still 
     suffering from the lack of reconstruction, service delivery, 
     governance, and security are acutely susceptible to re-
     radicalization by Islamic State underground cells or follow-
     on elements;
       Whereas human rights organizations have reported that 
     thousands of displaced Iraqis, including children, are unable 
     to obtain or replace civil documentation due to displacement 
     caused by Islamic State;
       Whereas some paramilitary forces, including some elements 
     of the ``Popular Mobilization Units'' or ``PMUs'' that 
     mobilized to fight Islamic State terrorists have yet to be 
     fully integrated into national security institutions and 
     threaten civilian populations in some areas, including 
     vulnerable minority groups;
       Whereas in late 2019, some Iraqi security force units, 
     including non-state militias, responded violently to peaceful 
     protests resulting in the deaths of more than 550 Iraqi 
     civilians and many more injured;
       Whereas in 2019 and 2020, Iranian aligned militias, some of 
     whom operate Iraqi PMUs conducted numerous attacks on United 
     States and coalition forces in Iraq as well as Iraqi military 
     facilities and Iraqi nationals, including a December 2019 
     attack that killed a United States citizen contractor and 
     wounded others, and a March 2020, attack that killed a United 
     States servicemember, a United States contractor, a British 
     soldier, and injured at least a dozen other troops;
       Whereas Iranian aligned militias and some PMUs were 
     reportedly involved in the December 31, 2019, to January 1, 
     2020, siege on the United States Embassy in Baghdad, in which 
     attackers set fire to structures and damaged property;
       Whereas in July 2019 the Combined Joint Task Force-
     Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) informed the Department 
     of Defense and Department of State Inspector General that the 
     Islamic State in Iraq continues to recruit from isolated 
     rural areas ``exploiting perceived weaknesses and failures of 
     the Iraqi government, particularly in Sunni areas where the 
     population feels neglected'';
       Whereas a July 2019 Department of Defense and Department of 
     State Lead Inspector General (LIG) Report to Congress on 
     Operation Inherent Resolve stated the ``Department of State 
     and USAID reported that the greatest obstacles preventing 
     IDPs from returning . . . are lack of security and economic 
     opportunity, and damage to housing'' as well as a lack of 
     ``legal assistance to recover or renew identification 
     documents'';
       Whereas in March 2020 Iraq confirmed its first case of 
     COVID-19, which soon spread throughout the country, straining 
     Iraq's already struggling healthcare system, and infecting 
     64,000 Iraqis and killing 2,685 Iraqis, including 592 Iraqi 
     doctors, as of June 2020; and
       Whereas the LIG reported in May 2020 that ``the emergence 
     of COVID-19 in Iraq has further restricted humanitarian 
     access and presented a significant risk to internally 
     displaced person (IDP) and refugee camps across the 
     country'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports a sovereign and democratic Iraq at peace with 
     its neighbors and safe for its citizens, regardless of 
     religion, sect, or ethnicity;
       (2) calls on the Administration to provide continued 
     support for Iraqi efforts to ensure stability and security 
     for a democratic Iraq;
       (3) calls on the Government of Iraq to take all appropriate 
     action to protect United States diplomats and United States 
     servicemembers, including by holding accountable those 
     involved in the December 31, 2019, through January 1, 2020, 
     attack on the United States Embassy;
       (4) supports robust exercise by Iraqis of the rights to 
     free speech and assembly as guaranteed to them by the 
     Constitution of Iraq;
       (5) calls on the Government of Iraq to hold accountable all 
     those responsible for violence against peaceful protestors, 
     including members of Iraqi security forces as applicable;
       (6) calls on all countries to continue upholding the 
     principle of non-refoulement for refugees subject to 
     violence, persecution, or death if forcibly returned to Iraq, 
     including for reasons of religious persecution, and to assist 
     internally displaced Iraqis to safely and voluntarily return 
     to their homes;
       (7) encourages the United States to continue to work with 
     bilateral and multilateral partners and international 
     nongovernmental organizations on the stabilization of Iraq;
       (8) calls on the Administration to continue assisting 
     religious and ethnic minority communities targeted by the 
     Islamic State for genocide;
       (9) calls on the Administration to continue to work with 
     the Government of Iraq to eliminate child labor and forced 
     labor in Iraq;
       (10) supports expanded bilateral trade and investment 
     between the United States and Iraq;
       (11) supports development of an Iraqi private sector based 
     on rule of law and free market principles;
       (12) supports the 2020 United States-Iraq Strategic 
     Dialogues and the principles agreed upon by both the United 
     States and Iraq in such Dialogues and the fostering of 
     continued dialogue based on such Dialogues;
       (13) calls on the Administration to continue providing 
     medical assistance to support the Iraqi healthcare sector in 
     combatting COVID-19; and
       (14) calls on the Government of Iraq to allow humanitarian 
     and stabilization assistance programs to be implemented 
     without bureaucratic delays or impediments.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1062, as amended.
  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 in strong support of Congressmen Allred and 
Reschenthaler's resolution affirming the importance of the United 
States-Iraq relationship.
  Iraq faces many challenges. ISIS cells are beginning to reemerge; 
coronavirus cases have climbed in recent months; and Iraq's economy, 
like much of the globe, is suffering. When

[[Page H5893]]

Iraq grapples with such challenges, the United States must show up to 
demonstrate leadership and friendship.
  This bipartisan resolution expresses support for sovereign, 
democratic Iraq and strong relations between our two nations, while 
also highlighting the need to address humanitarian challenges facing 
Iraq, such as internal displacement, violence against minority 
religious and ethnic groups, and recovery of communities impacted by 
the counter-ISIS fight.
  H. Res. 1062 also calls on Iraq to take all necessary steps to 
protect United States diplomats and servicemembers. When diplomats are 
able to do their job safely, investment in a growing economy can 
follow, benefiting the Iraqi people and their livelihoods.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for putting forth this resolution, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC, November 11, 2020.
     Hon. Richard E. Neal,
     Committee on Ways and Means,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Neal: I am writing to you concerning H.Res. 
     1062, Affirming the nature and importance of the United 
     States-Iraq bilateral relationship, including security and 
     economic components of the relationship. I appreciate your 
     willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation.
       I acknowledge that provisions of the bill 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. 
     1062 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.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                  Committee on Ways and Means,

                                Washington, DC, November 17, 2020.
     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. 1062, Affirming the nature 
     and importance of the United States-Iraq bilateral 
     relationship, including security and economic components of 
     the relationship, 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. 
     1062.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Richard E. Neal,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1062, reaffirming the U.S.-
Iraq bilateral relationship.
  In recent years, the United States and Iraq worked together to defeat 
the caliphate and free the Iraqi people from ISIS' tyrannical rule.
  The American people are committed to supporting a sovereign and 
democratic Iraq. We have provided billions of dollars in foreign 
assistance to help Iraqis recover from the devastating impact that ISIS 
has had on their lives.
  This year, the United States and Iraq held a strategic dialogue to 
further our bilateral relationship and discuss how we can continue to 
work together for our shared benefit.
  With this resolution, the House is reaffirming our commitment to 
helping the Iraqi people and calling on the Iraqi Government to fulfill 
its commitments too.
  The Iraqi Government needs to protect the United States' diplomats 
and servicemembers and hold accountable those involved in attacks 
against our Embassy, such as earlier this year.
  The Government of Iraq also needs to hold accountable those 
responsible for violence against peaceful protesters.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Engel for his work on this bipartisan 
resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Allred) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler) 
for their leadership in introducing this bipartisan resolution, which I 
support.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me today in 
supporting this important resolution, H. Res. 1062, 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 York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1062, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________