[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 214 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7253-H7256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FAREWELL TO CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Sherrill). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2019, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I would hope that anyone who has ever had 
the privilege to serve as a Member of Congress leaves this place with a 
heart full of gratitude. After 32 years as a Member of this body, I 
certainly feel that way.
  It is hard to believe that I have been elected for 16 terms, 32 
years. I came here at age 41, not knowing exactly what to expect, and I 
have learned a great deal in these 32 years.
  I send gratitude, first and foremost, to the people of the 16th 
District of New York for sending me here 16 times. It has been an honor 
to have your trust and to be your voice here in the House.
  Gratitude to thousands of people: the Capitol Police; the Sergeant at 
Arms; the Congressional Research Service; the Architect of the Capitol; 
the Office of the Attending Physician, Dr. Brian Monahan; and so many 
others. It takes

[[Page H7254]]

a small army to keep Congress running, and you seldom get the 
recognition you have earned.
  Gratitude to my staff over the years, and let me acknowledge a few 
who have been with me for a long while: the staff director on the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, Jason Steinbaum; my chief of staff, Bill 
Weitz; and my administrative assistant here in Washington, Ned 
Michalek.
  Madam Speaker, I will include in the Record a full roster of my staff 
in the office of the 16th District and on the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, with my profound thanks. And, of course, Madam Speaker, I send 
gratitude to my fellow Representatives.
  When I came here, I never could have imagined that I would get to be 
chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It is a committee that 
I followed for many years. It is a committee that I have always thought 
was prestigious. It is a committee that I thought was very important, 
and to be on that committee was a wonder for me, but to be the chair of 
that committee is just unbelievable.
  I especially want to thank the members of the New York delegation, 
past and present. We are a group as richly diverse as the great State 
we come from. I am proud of the way we have stood together and stood up 
for New Yorkers, particularly in times of crisis and tragedy: the 
pandemic we are enduring now; Superstorm Sandy; the Great Recession; 
and, of course, in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

  I am grateful to our leadership on both sides, and it has been a 
unique honor to serve alongside our distinguished Speaker, Ms. Pelosi 
from California. I have served alongside her for the entire length of 
my time in the House, and let me tell you--let me tell everybody--she 
is certainly one of a kind. I am privileged to call her my friend.
  We work very hard here, and sometimes we are so busy working, we 
don't get to know some of our fellow Congress Members, particularly 
those on the other side of the aisle. As people are coming up to me and 
wishing me the best as I leave Congress, it is people from both parties 
who are doing it. My Republican colleagues are doing it and my 
Democratic colleagues as well, wishing me the best. It has been just an 
honor to serve with them.
  We have to get to know each other better. I think we have lost some 
of that.
  If you have a colleague and you don't serve on their committee and 
you are not from their State and you are from the opposite political 
party, you don't really get to know them. That is a shame, because I 
have learned that we have so much talent on both sides of the aisle, 
people who are coming up to me and wishing me well, Republicans as well 
as Democrats, and that is really the way it should be.
  Again, if you don't see somebody in the gym, if you don't travel with 
them to some countries on the other side of the globe, if you don't 
have much interaction with them, you won't get to know them, and that 
is one thing I hope changes, and changes soon.
  People have been stopping me here and wishing me well upon my 
retirement from Congress, and many, again, are from the other party, 
and I want to thank them, because it means a lot to me.
  I have tried to be bipartisan, not giving up what I believe and not 
pulling back from what I feel, but being bipartisan in that you can 
respect each other even if you don't agree on some of the issues.
  We are all here trying to do the same thing. We are all here trying 
to bring things home to our districts. We are here because we love 
America, and we are here because we are here with people who also love 
America.
  My greatest honor here has been to serve during this Congress as the 
chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

                              {time}  1715

  When I was sworn in for my first term back in 1989, the then-majority 
leader, who soon became Speaker, Tom Foley of Washington State, asked 
me my top three choices for committee assignments. I had to write it 
down, one, two, and three. For one, I wrote foreign affairs. For two, I 
wrote foreign affairs. And for three, I wrote foreign affairs.
  I did it because I wanted to emphasize the fact that I had hoped to 
be on the committee, even though people asked me: Why do you want to be 
on foreign affairs?
  It is not a committee that is back home. It is not something that you 
can meet people on. It is foreign affairs. It is all over the world.
  I haven't regretted being a member of the committee and being the 
chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for one day. To me, what 
is going on in the world, what is going on in the world now, what went 
on in the world before, what is going on in the world in the future is 
so important, and this Congress needs to be engaged and this Congress 
needs to be very much listening to what is going on, and help move this 
country to the direction that we all know the United States can do.
  I said foreign affairs because, you know, since I was a kid, growing 
up in Bronx, New York, in public housing, since that time, I have been 
fascinated with America's leadership role in the world.
  All four of my grandparents were Jewish immigrants from what is now 
Ukraine, who fled the pogroms of the early 20th century, looking for 
safe haven and opportunity. And guess what? They found it in America. 
They came here before World War I. If they hadn't come here, they 
almost certainly would have perished in the Holocaust.
  This country has been a refuge to people who are hurting for many, 
many years, and I am grateful for it.
  As a child of the Cold War, I remember learning about America as a 
beacon of freedom and democracy, standing opposed to an oppressive, 
totalitarian ideology. My entire life has been an education in what a 
force for good America can be when we are at our best, in the American 
values that support human rights and human dignity, and America's 
character of compassion and generosity.
  So, of course, as a public servant, I wanted to leave my mark on the 
way the United States conducts itself on the global stage. There are a 
few areas where I like to think I made a difference.
  I have always had a special place in my heart for the Balkans and, in 
particular, a country called Kosovo. There are many Kosovar Albanians 
in New York, and that is how I first got to know the community. A good 
friend of mine, Harry Bajraktari, is the one who introduced me to the 
community, and we have been doing work with the community and with the 
country of Kosovo ever since.
  I strongly supported the Clinton administration's intervention in the 
Balkans in 1999. We stopped genocide from happening again in Europe by 
doing that. That was NATO at its best, that was America at its best, 
stopping genocide. A million people were being thrown out of Kosovo, 
and we stopped it. That was one of my proudest moments as a Member of 
Congress.
  I remember talking with President Clinton and saying, We have got to 
help these people; we have got to help these people.
  And we did. We know in hindsight that it stopped a genocide. And 
since then, I have been a champion for Kosovo's sovereignty and 
independence. That country has made tremendous strides and is 
recognized by the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and so 
many other important nations.
  The people there are very, very pro-American; and when you go there 
as an American, you can't help but feel how much they love this country 
and how grateful they are that we helped them with their independence.
  I have been honored by that country to have had a highway and a road 
named after me. And they even put me on a postage stamp. I was joking 
with my wife. I said, You know, it is not a cheap postage stamp they 
put me on. It is a 2 pound postage stamp--two euro, I should say, a two 
euro postage stamp. What an honor for me.
  I served for a time as chairman and ranking member of the Western 
Hemisphere, Civilian Security, and Trade Subcommittee, and I have 
always pushed for a foreign policy that focuses on prioritizing what is 
going on in our own neighborhood.
  One of the last bills President Obama signed into law was my bill, 
the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act, which required our 
government to take stock of what has worked

[[Page H7255]]

and what has failed in our drug policy over the last few decades. The 
commission recently submitted its report to Congress with 
recommendations that I hope will improve U.S. drug policy and save 
lives.
  I have also been a strong advocate for closer ties to our Caribbean 
neighbors. I wrote the United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act 
to push for a new strategy to engage Caribbean countries that seek out 
the expertise of the vibrant Caribbean diaspora living right here in 
the United States.
  And when the Trump administration cut off assistance to Central 
America, I was proud to lead a bipartisan effort to restore those 
resources that are helping to reduce crime and violence and root out 
corruption.
  Thanks to my partner and friend,   Michael McCaul of Texas, who was 
right there on the trip with me, right by my side fighting with me, 
fighting with me for what is right. Michael is a Republican from Texas. 
I am a Democrat from New York. We have become really, really good 
friends, and I wish there would be more of that in Congress. When you 
get to know someone, again, in the other party, and you don't serve on 
a committee with them, but then you get to know them, you see how 
marvelous they are. We have such good people here from all over the 
country doing their best, working hard and representing their districts 
well, and Michael is certainly in that league.
  So I was proud to lead a bipartisan effort to restore those resources 
that are helping to reduce crime and violence and to root out 
corruption.
  I have also long focused on American policy toward Syria. In 2003, I 
wrote the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration 
Act, which helped end the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. It pushed the 
Syrians out of Lebanon.
  In 2012, I sponsored the first bill to arm the Free Syrian Army in 
its fight against the Assad regime. And just a year ago, my 
legislation, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, finally became 
law, providing the toughest sanctions to date on Assad, who has killed 
so many people, and his enablers.
  I encourage the incoming Biden administration to take full advantage 
of these tools, dial up pressure on the regime, and try to stop the 
violence.
  I said at the start of my time here, when I spoke to some people back 
home, that Israel would not have a better friend in Congress than Eliot 
Engel. And no matter where you stand on U.S. policy toward Israel, it 
would be tough to argue that I haven't lived up to that commitment. I 
have been proud to stand with our ally, Israel, our closest friend in 
the Middle East and, I would argue, in the world, throughout my career.
  I believe that the United States and Israel share an incredibly 
important partnership, and the cornerstone of this relationship is the 
support it receives from both sides of the aisle. Congress should 
continue to give this partnership its full support in the future. No 
one should play partisan politics with America's relationship with 
Israel.
  The Constitution gives Congress broad oversight authority to make 
sure the executive branch is serving the American people. As chairman, 
I have worked hard to demand accountability from the administration. It 
hasn't always been easy, but during this Congress, the committee has 
succeeded in shining a light on some pretty troubling developments at 
the State Department.
  It is important that this work continue into the next Congress, even 
as the Trump administration ends and President-elect Biden takes 
office. After all, we don't conduct oversight just for the sake of 
conducting oversight. It shouldn't be used as a political tool. If 
existing laws and regulations aren't up to the task of preventing 
abuses and mismanagement, then we need to remedy these weaknesses. It 
is up to Congress to bend back the crooked branch.
  I am confident that my successor, my friend from New York City, just 
like me,   Gregory Meeks, will carry the committee's work forward with 
distinction. I am glad that he is replacing me as chairman of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, and I know that he will do a wonderful job.
  It is on that point, the Foreign Affairs Committee's work, that I 
take the most pride. I have said for a long time that the Foreign 
Affairs Committee is the most bipartisan committee in Congress. Even at 
a time when our politics are so polarized, the members of our committee 
have worked together to advance American interests, values, and 
leadership around the world.
  We don't always agree. We have had heated debates in this Chamber 
over war powers, weapons sales, and more. But when we debate, we debate 
on the merits of the policy. Then we cast our votes. Immediately after, 
we get back to working together toward policies that leave politics at 
the water's edge.
  We have always said that the Foreign Affairs Committee is the most 
bipartisan committee in Congress, and it is. We have always said that 
politics should stop at the water's edge when Members of Congress are 
leaving our country and going to other countries because when we are 
there, Democrats and Republicans, traveling together, we represent the 
United States of America, and so partisanship should stop at the 
water's edge. We have worked very hard to do that.
    Michael McCaul has worked very hard to do that, and I wish that we 
would have more of that in Congress, realizing that we are all 
representing our districts back home, our districts and constituencies 
are different, and we are all trying to do the best we can.
  And I respect my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who work hard. 
People coming up to me and wishing me congratulations come from both 
parties, and for that I am deeply, deeply grateful.
  So as I said, we don't always agree. We have had heated debates in 
this Chamber over war powers, weapons sales, and more. But when we 
debate, we debate on the merits of the policy. Then we cast our votes. 
Immediately after, we get back to working together towards policies 
that leaves politics at the water's edge. That has always been the 
culture of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
  As I said before, I am grateful to my partner in maintaining that 
tradition, our ranking member, my friend from Texas,   Michael McCaul. 
We have become good friends. We have represented our country together 
overseas and we have wrapped up a lot of legislative victories. I 
certainly will miss working with him.
  You know, Members generally don't get to know each other. I said it 
before, if you are not on the same committee as someone, you will not 
know that person. If that person is not from your State, you probably 
won't know that person. And if you haven't traveled with that American, 
or done other things, you won't know that person.
  We have got to change that. We have got to know each other. We have 
got to work with each other. We have got to accept each other. We are 
all here because we love the United States of America.
  So with so much left on the Foreign Affairs Committee to do, I know   
Gregory Meeks will do a fine job of leading the committee. In the 117th 
Congress, I hope the Foreign Affairs Committee continues to take on 
these challenges. Congress needs to reclaim its authority in foreign 
policy that has been chipped away year after year, in deference to the 
executive branch, no matter who is in the executive branch.
  We need to make the State Department authorization act a regular part 
of Congress' work. And Congress needs to reassert its authority over 
war powers. I am confident that the committee can do big things, that 
Congress still has the capacity to do big things, to govern.
  We are here to govern. We come to Washington from 441 different 
communities, each with its unique character and concerns and 
priorities. That is 441 elected officials whose job it is to stand up 
for our constituents to make their voices heard. But we cannot lose 
sight of the fact that the House of Representatives--not 441 
individuals, but the body we constitute--has a responsibility to 
govern.
  When I came here 32 years ago, the two parties looked very different 
from the way they look now: Southern Democrats and Rockefeller 
Republicans. The diffusion of political ideologies across the aisle 
made it necessary for the two sides to seek out compromise if the House 
was going to get its work done.

[[Page H7256]]

  


                              {time}  1730

  As the parties have realigned over the years, it has become harder 
and harder for the House to advance anything that stands a chance at 
becoming law except noncontroversial measures or must-pass legislation 
like the defense authorization and spending bills.
  Frankly, again, as I said, it has become harder and harder just to 
get to know one another. I am a pretty progressive Democrat by most 
measures, but I always thought it was important to cultivate 
relationships with my Republican colleagues. We need to try to build 
cross-party bonds. We need to work together with all Members of the 
House.
  I may disagree with someone on 95 percent of policy questions, but if 
you don't know a person, Mr. Speaker, then you don't stand a chance of 
finding the 5 percent in common and trying to build on it. If you don't 
know a person, Mr. Speaker, it is so much easier to dismiss his or her 
motives, and that is really where things start to fall apart.
  No Member of this body doesn't love America. We share wildly 
different visions of the best way for America to meet its full 
potential, of the best way to improve the lives of the American people, 
but we all love our country. And I worry that more and more Members are 
mired in mistrust on the other side or saddled with purity tests, 
making it difficult to build relationships and seek common ground.
  We have to resist the urge to let the perfect be the enemy of the 
good. This doesn't mean abandoning our principles or losing sight of 
our goals. It means acknowledging the progress in our political system 
takes time and perseverance. It means understanding that, as convinced 
as I might be that my view is the correct one, a big chunk of this body 
and of this country is likely to disagree. It means taking wins where 
we can get them, even if they are modest. Because when we accomplish 
even a little bit of good here, we haven't done so in service of an 
idea or our party. We have done it for the American people. That is 
what it means to govern, and we are here to govern.
  For example, I am a proud member of the Medicare for All Caucus. 
Going all the way back to my time in the State house in Albany, I have 
supported single-payer healthcare. I hope to see Medicare for All in my 
lifetime. But that hasn't stopped me, over the last three decades, from 
voting for legislation that I thought would move the needle in the 
right direction.
  I was never under the illusion that we would get there with one 
swing. But we did get the Children's Health Insurance Program, and we 
did get the Affordable Care Act, which has made a difference in the 
lives of millions of Americans. It was real progress, which we are 
defending even today.
  It was also more than a decade ago, and our country still faces 
massive challenges when it comes to healthcare and a range of other 
issues. We owe it to the American people to try to govern, to try to 
work together, not to reflexively reject what the other side says, not 
root our entire agenda in trying to make political gains in the next 
election, not to ignore facts and science and reality because political 
allegiances demand it.
  And, yes, that means acknowledging the results of last month's 
election and supporting the smooth transfer of power next month when 
President-elect Biden takes office as President of the United States.
  The Constitution has given the American people this body, the House 
of Representatives. In turn, the House has given our country the 13th 
Amendment, suffrage for women, Social Security and Medicare, the Civil 
Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act. They weren't easy victories, but 
if our predecessors in Congress hadn't tried, then they would never 
have been victories at all.
  As we enter the dark winter of this pandemic, we know there is light 
at the end of the tunnel. Today in the United Kingdom and soon the 
United States, the most vulnerable are being vaccinated against this 
deadly disease. That will soon happen here. But so much work remains 
before we can get back to normal.
  People are out of work, out of money, and out of food. The American 
people will look to this body to govern. I know in my heart that we can 
put the American people first and answer the call at this pivotal 
moment in our country's history.
  The future success of the American people depends on the success of 
the House in meeting this challenge. So, I will be rooting for all of 
you.
  It has been a pleasure being your colleague. It has been a pleasure 
working with you. It has been a pleasure watching how hard you work and 
what we do for the American people. Thank you for letting me be your 
colleague. Thank you for being so kind to me and my family.
  When my son, who is now 34, my middle child, came to the House when I 
was first elected, he was 2 years old. My daughter was 7, and my other 
son wasn't born yet. He used to point to the Capitol, and he used to 
say: ``Capitol. Daddy works there.'' We would all kind of laugh and 
think he was really, really cute. Well, today, he is 34 years old, and 
my three children have grown up with Congress, with the House, and they 
know how much it means to me to be a Member of this House and how much 
it means to them to learn all the things that we have been doing for 
the past several years.
  I will never forget this place. I hope to come back and visit several 
times. I will never forget my colleagues and my friends. I will never 
forget that I am fortunate and we are fortunate to be Americans, to 
love this country, to help move the country to policies that we think 
are best for the country and for the world.
  So, I won't be a Member here, but I certainly will continue to have 
many friends here and will watch and see what this Congress does. We 
have some tremendously talented people.
  Again, I want to thank the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi; the majority 
leader, Steny Hoyer; and others as well who really have helped me and 
have been part and parcel of what I have done.  Jim Clyburn, thank you 
as well.
  My colleagues, life is bittersweet, and there are happy and sad 
things that sometimes come together. I am happy because I have had the 
privilege of serving here. I am happy because I like to think that I 
have done good for people in this country. But I am sad to be leaving 
this body.

  To my colleagues, I will be watching you; I will be proud; I will see 
what goes on; and I will stand by the TV or any other place and say: 
These are my colleagues, and they are very, very good. They care.
  It has been an honor and a privilege to be a Member of Congress in 
the United States of America. I am so grateful to have had that 
privilege.
  Thank you to all my colleagues. Best wishes, and God bless America.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________