[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 20, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3535-S3536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                    PEACE CORPS REAUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise to highlight the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee's vote to favorably report the Peace Corps 
Reauthorization Act to the full Senate for its consideration. This 
legislation, the first reauthorization since 1999, is critically 
important to strengthening American leadership in the world.
  Last year, the Peace Corps celebrated its 60th anniversary of when 
President John F. Kennedy established this important program, run by 
its first Director, Sargent Shriver. The Peace Corps' mission then, as 
it is today, is to ``promote world peace and friendship'' by 
encouraging economic growth and well-being to underserved populations 
abroad, as well as giving Americans a better understanding of the wider 
world and vice-versa.
  The Peace Corps is emerging from one of the most challenging crises 
it has ever faced. On March 15, 2020, as the gravity and uncertainty of 
the COVID pandemic gripped the world, every mission was suspended for 
the first time in the Peace Corps' history. In addition to executing 
the enormously complex operation of evacuating more than 7,000 Peace 
Corps volunteers from all around the globe, the Peace Corps was faced 
with the challenge of how to operate and serve during a period of 
global social isolation.
  As the world continues to recover from the pandemic, the Peace Corps 
is busy executing plans for reentering countries and resuming its 
mission of service around the world. While the

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Peace Corps' return is a testament to the resilience and adaptability 
of this vitally important branch of U.S. foreign affairs, COVID's 
continued presence around the world requires the Peace Corps to 
undertake a wide array of new public safety measures to keep 
volunteers, staff, and host communities healthy and safe.
  And so this reauthorization comes at a most critical time for the 
Peace Corps. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enact long 
overdue reforms and to make sure the agency can effectively promote 
international peace, development, and people-to-people engagement. And 
it represents significant reforms and strong bipartisan congressional 
support for the Agency at an inflection point in its history.
  This legislation will strengthen the Peace Corps, giving it the 
baseline budget it needs to build the program that Americans deserve. 
It sets a $375 per month minimum for the Peace Corps volunteers' 
readjustment allowance. It suspends student loan interest during 
volunteer service. It extends healthcare coverage for returned Peace 
Corps volunteers. And it provides greater whistleblower protections so 
the Peace Corps will be transparent and accountable, honoring the 
standards and aspirations of its original vision, as outlined in 1961.
  The Peace Corps is on track to redeploy volunteers to 30 countries by 
the end of this fiscal year. And it has set an aggressive goal of 
returning volunteers to almost all of the prepandemic countries by the 
end of fiscal year 2023. The programs and policy reforms authorized in 
this legislation are crucial to ensuring the safe and successful return 
of volunteers to the field.
  I am especially proud of the bipartisan work that has gone into this 
bill and appreciate the collaboration of the ranking member of Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Risch, for joining me on this 
important legislation. And I am pleased that we are joined by our 
colleagues, Senators Cardin, Young, Shaheen, Portman, Feinstein, and 
Cornyn, who should be commended for their support of the Peace Corps 
and to ensuring the Peace Corps can continue to support and enhance 
America's leading role in the world.
  I also want to salute the tremendous input from the Peace Corps 
community. Their commitment to improving security, conditions, and 
opportunities for future Peace Corps volunteers is vital to the 
introduction of this bill and improves our national security as well.
  So I urge my colleagues to support this bill and its swift passage. 
Passage of this bill will help bring about a revitalized, retooled 
Peace Corps. Making this bill law will help ensure the return of 
volunteers executing the important work of the Peace Corps, 
representing the United States of America overseas.

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