[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2894-H2900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
prayer
The Chaplain, the Reverend Margaret Grun Kibben, offered the
following prayer:
God of the ages, we give You thanks for the past, for the present,
for the future, and all the opportunities therein as we gather today,
and we consider those whose past was dedicated to serving You and this
country and their country with the abilities and the skill and the
enthusiasm that You have graced upon them. Thank You that they have the
opportunity, and we have the opportunity to honor their service in this
moment together.
In our present, may we realize that You are not done with us yet,
that You have continued to give us opportunity, even an opportunity
like this one here, to connect with people we haven't seen in a while,
to connect with people over the pond, to be able to see that in this
time and in this place, yet, we are needed, and that You look to us
once again to our graces, our abilities, our skills, our enthusiasm, to
find a way to serve You in a different way with as much effectiveness
and purpose.
So we give to You then our future that as we have dedicated ourselves
in service to You and to our countries, we ask once again that You can
look within us and You call within us a sense of reality, of purpose,
and of hope that in our contributions, we will be effective, but most
importantly, faithful in our service to You. We pray these things in
the strength of Your name.
Amen.
Pledge of Allegiance
The Honorable Barbara Comstock led the Pledge of Allegiance as
follows:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of
America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. I now ask the clerk to call the roll of all former and
retiring Members.
The Clerk called the roll and the following Members answered
``present'':
Mr. Altmire of Pennsylvania
Mr. Carnahan of Missouri
Mrs. Comstock of Virginia
Mr. Davis of Tennessee
Mr. Dioguardi of New York
Mr. Goodlatte of Virginia
Mr. Gordon of Tennessee
Mr. McMillen of Maryland
Mr. Nye of Virginia
Mr. Payne of Virginia
Mr. Ross of Florida
Ms. Sanchez of California
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Mr. Stearns of Florida
Mr. Upton of Michigan
Mr. Yarmuth of Kentucky
Mr. Baird of Washington
Mrs. COMSTOCK. The Chair announces that 13 former Members have
responded to their names.
The Chair now calls on the Honorable L.F. Payne of Virginia,
president of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, to
address the Members.
Mr. PAYNE. Good morning.
Barbara, thank you very much. It is always a great honor and a real
pleasure to be back here in the House Chamber and especially being here
with friends and so many colleagues. Thank you all for being here.
Let me begin by thanking Speaker McCarthy for inviting our
association into the House Chamber for this annual report. You may
recall that it wasn't that long ago in December when we were here to do
the 2022 report. You may wonder why are we back so soon. Well, the
reason for that is that we are returning to normal. We had changes
during COVID, and now we are back to what we have done for a very long
time. I am so pleased that we are here and so pleased that you all have
joined us.
I want to welcome a very special group of guests who are with us
today. We are very pleased to have more than a dozen of the Irish
Association of Former Parliamentarians and their guests who traveled to
Washington to join our annual meeting. They are led by their
association's president, Mary Flaherty, and they will be with us today
for the activities of the day. They will experience the Gettysburg
battlefield tomorrow and Congressional Baseball Game tonight, which is
a wonderful bipartisan tradition where the Democrats and Republicans
play each other at the Nationals Ballpark. We thank you all so much for
coming a long way to join us, and we are very honored by your presence
here.
Like most of you here, I consider my service in Congress to be the
most important and impactful chapter of my professional life, and the
memories that are evoked standing here in this Chamber are ones that
are really very, very special. I cherish these relationships, and I
cherish the relationships I had with my colleagues and the
congressional staff when I was a Member of Congress.
I am proud of the legislation that I was involved in. There is a
great sense of satisfaction, as you all know, that comes with public
service. That is what I remember most, and that is what I try to
highlight when I speak about our Congress, our Article I branch of the
Constitution.
That is why I am so committed to this organization, the U.S.
Association of Former Members of Congress, because it empowers those of
us who have served to be able to continue to give back. We do so by
both involving Senators and House Members, and more importantly--and
this is really important today, more than a lot of other times--we are
doing this in a completely bipartisan manner. Today, you will hear
members of the Democratic Party and members of the Republican Party
speaking about our organization, the U.S. Former Members of Congress.
We will focus today, my colleagues and I, on two of the main programs
that achieve our mission. First is the Congress to Campus program,
which aims to engage the next generation in representative democracy.
Second are the Congressional Study Groups, which have become an
unparalleled resource to current Members, and they serve to strengthen
our important international relationships with our allied countries,
including Korea, Japan, Germany, the EU, all while fostering
bipartisanship in Congress.
Let me just briefly highlight some of our accomplishments, our
organization's accomplishments, during the first half of this year
before we get to those two main programs. We had a record year this
year for recruiting, with an unprecedented number of new former Members
joining us both as annual members and sustaining members.
Of the Members who left in the last election, more than half have
already joined our organization, and the recruiting process is still
going on. This new class of former Members has yielded our biggest
number yet of new sustaining members, which is a special category of
membership. These folks make financial commitments to ensure the
longevity of FMC, our organization, the Former Members of Congress. I
want to thank all of the former Members who have made this commitment.
I am inserting into the Congressional Record their names to help
express our appreciation and our gratitude.
Sustaining Members of FMC
The Hon. Les AuCoin (Oregon)
The Hon. Brian Baird (Washington)
The Hon. Joe Barton (Texas)
The Hon. Mike Bishop (Michigan)
The Hon. Rick Boucher (Virginia)
The Hon. Susan Brooks (Indiana)
The Hon. Cheri Bustos (Illinois)
The Hon. Dave Camp (Michigan)
The Hon. Ben Chandler (Kentucky)
The Hon. Mike Conaway (Texas)
The Hon. Paul Cook (California)
The Hon. Ryan Costello (Pennsylvania)
The Hon. Rodney Davis (Illinois)
The Hon. Peter DeFazio (Oregon)
The Hon. Val Demings (Florida)
The Hon. Jeff Denham (California)
The Hon. Charles W. Dent (Pennsylvania)
The Hon. Sean Duffy (Wisconsin)
The Hon. Donna Edwards (Maryland)
The Hon. Elizabeth Esty (Connecticut)
The Hon. Sam Farr (California)
The Hon. John Faso (New York)
The Hon. Bill Flores (Texas)
The Hon. Martin Frost (Texas)
The Hon. Tom Garrett (Virginia)
The Hon. Bob Gibbs (OH)
The Hon. Phil Gingrey (Georgia)
The Hon. Dan Glickman (Kansas)
The Hon. Bob Goodlatte (Virginia)
The Hon. Bart Gordon (Tennessee)
The Hon. Tom Graves (Georgia)
The Hon. Gene Green (Texas)
The Hon. John Hall (New York)
The Hon. George Holding (North Carolina)
The Hon. Asa Hutchinson (Arkansas)
The Hon. Lynn Jenkins (Kansas)
The Hon. Doug Jones (Alabama)
The Hon. Kaiali'i Kahele (Hawaii)
The Hon. John Katko (NY)
The Hon. Ron Kind (Wisconsin)
The Hon. Adam Kinzinger (Illinois)
The Hon. John Kline (Minnesota)
The Hon. Scott Klug (Wisconsin)
The Hon. Brenda Lawrence (Michigan)
The Hon. Andy Levin (Michigan)
The Hon. Alan Lowenthal (California)
The Hon. Elaine Luria (Virginia)
The Hon. Jim Matheson (Utah)
The Hon. Ben Michael McAdams (Utah)
The Hon. Jim McDermott (Washington)
The Hon. Mike McIntyre (North Carolina)
The Hon. Pat Meehan (Pennsylvania)
The Hon. Jeff Miller (Florida)
The Hon. Jim Moran (Virginia)
The Hon. Stephanie Murphy (Florida)
The Hon. Randy Neugebauer (Texas)
The Hon. Erik Paulsen (Minnesota)
The Hon. Tim Petri (Wisconsin)
The Hon. Ted Poe (Texas)
The Hon. Kathleen M. Rice (New York)
The Hon. Tom Rice (South Carolina)
The Hon. Martha Roby (Alabama)
The Hon. Peter Roskam (Illinois)
The Hon. Dennis Ross (Florida)
The Hon. Loretta Sanchez (California)
The Hon. Kurt Schrader (Oregon)
The Hon. James Sensenbrenner (Wisconsin)
The Hon. Donna Shalala (Florida)
The Hon. John Shimkus (Illinois)
The Hon. Bill Shuster (Pennsylvania)
The Hon. Lamar Smith (Texas)
The Hon. Jackie Speier (California)
The Hon. Cliff Stearns (Florida)
The Hon. Steve Stivers (Ohio)
The Hon. John Tanner (Tennessee)
The Hon. Mac Thornberry (Texas)
The Hon. Pat Tiberi (Ohio)
The Hon. David A. Trott (Michigan)
The Hon. Fred Upton (Michigan)
The Hon. Greg Walden (Oregon)
The Hon. Henry Waxman (California)
The Hon. Rob Woodall (Georgia)
The Hon. John Yarmuth (Kentucky)
The Hon. Ted Yoho (Florida)
Mr. PAYNE. In addition, we have supported the work of the House
Democratic Partnership, so ably led by two of our good friends and
colleagues, David Price and Peter Roskam, both of whom will be with us
today. The HDP aims to support the legislative branches of emerging
democracies and when invited to do so, we involved former Members in
overseas legislative strengthening projects. This year, for instance,
former Members have traveled to places like Kenya, North Macedonia, or
Guyana to support the important work of the HDP.
These are some of the 2023 highlights of two of our three objectives:
teaching about Congress and supporting Congress as an institution. The
third is FMC's original mission: to serve as an alumni group for former
Senators and Representatives. We are aware that this is an important
aspect of our work, and today's annual meeting clearly is a good
example of that work.
In addition, we have hosted author presentations. We have tapped into
our membership's institutional knowledge. For example, during the
recent debt ceiling negotiations, our members held seminars that others
learned from. When the new rules package was adopted by the Congress in
January, we explained to the public what that meant,
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and we have sent former Member delegations overseas to places like
Iceland and Korea.
At this point, I want to give my colleagues an opportunity to talk
more about our two main programming staples that the Former Members of
Congress are rightfully very proud of. They are the Congress to Campus
program, as well as our Congressional Study Groups.
I invite my colleague, Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, to make some
remarks. He will be followed by Loretta Sanchez of California. We will
then hear from Dennis Ross of Florida and Bart Gordon of Tennessee who
will each talk about the Congressional Study Groups.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you, L.F., for giving me and Loretta the chance
to report to the membership on FMC's largest and most important
domestic program, Congress to Campus. Loretta, who is a good friend,
and I had the opportunity to actually participate in the program
together. We have both done it many times, but we were together at
Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Pennsylvania just last
year.
L.F., thank you for your outstanding leadership of FMC and for your
tireless efforts to make us an even better organization. I know I speak
for our board and our membership when I say how much we appreciate all
that you do for the Former Members Association.
I want to take a point of personal privilege now and join L.F. in
welcoming the former members of the Irish Parliament. I do so,
especially to Leader Flaherty because my wife, Mary Ellen Flaherty
Goodlatte, is a first-generation American. Both of her parents were
born in Connemara, west of Galway. On the west gate of the town of
Galway, it says in Gaelic, from the fierce wrath of the O'Flahertys,
dear Lord please save us. I married into that family.
As those of you who are active with FMC know well, the Congress to
Campus program brings bipartisan pairs of former Members of Congress to
college campuses for a day and a half to 3 days at a time to meet with
classes, student groups, clubs, local media, faculty, and other members
of the campus community.
We don't shy away from difficult conversations with these various
audiences, and our bipartisan teams engage in frank, honest dialogues
about our legislative branch in action, public service, our democracy,
the role citizens play, current legislative issues, and other topics
dictated by the headlines. Just because we are former Members of
Congress doesn't mean we no longer have strong opinions shaped by our
values and political beliefs. We continue to be partisan beings, and we
showcase to our audiences that you can be partisan but still respectful
and civil and that a clash of ideas is actually a good thing. We call
it healthy partisanship, and that is what we showcase with Congress to
Campus.
When you go to a Congress to Campus visit with a colleague from the
other side of the political aisle, you will be asked to share real-life
experiences in both the political and public realms. You and your
colleagues discuss your unique experiences, balancing public and
private lives, giving an unparalleled insight into the many roles of
our elected Representatives. In addition, you will focus on the real-
world application of policymaking and illustrate how government policy
influences the everyday lives of citizens. Congress to Campus is an
exceptional insight into life in Washington and on Capitol Hill.
During a typical visit to a campus, Members arrive the evening before
the full day of programming and connect with students and faculty right
away with a welcoming reception. The next day starts around 8 or 9 in
the morning and lasts until 5 or 6 in the afternoon, meeting with
students for the entire day. The school is responsible for putting
together the minute-by-minute schedule, which Members receive before
hopping on a flight or driving in their car. Members then spend half of
the third day with students on campus and the other half heading back
home. During any regular visit to a campus, Members meet with anywhere
between 150 to 800 students. Most importantly, we let the school
dictate the schedule. Our conversation with the school always starts
with: What is the best use of this resource? How can our Members team
be most productive for your students?
Currently, there is a great deal of negativity surrounding Congress.
The Congress to Campus program highlights the power of bipartisanship,
the dignity of public service, and the importance of an actively
engaged citizenry.
The three goals of Congress to Campus are first, to showcase civil,
respectful, and productive debate on issues where former Members still
wear their partisan hats, like environmental policy or the Second
Amendment, but can engage the students in a back and forth, very
different from the shouting matches they witness on cable news and
social media, and, I hasten to add, all too often nowadays on college
campuses themselves.
Second, to encourage public service in the next generation, show
interested students a path toward Capitol Hill, and mentor future
public servants.
Third, to remind the students of their roles as citizens. They need
to be active participants in our representative democracy. Otherwise,
our form of government does not work. Students hear from the former
Members that, at a minimum, they have a responsibility to be informed
voters, but Congress to Campus also shares the many other ways those
being represented can hold accountable those doing the representing.
The program is important because it helps present a positive image of
how government should work and can work, and it is really important for
students and faculty to see Democrats and Republicans talking to each
other, joking with each other, agreeing with each other on some things,
disagreeing on other things, but with grace and respect and ultimately
teaching that people can and do like others who come from different
backgrounds and points of view. This is something that there is just
too little of today.
The former Members of Congress all donate their time and insight pro
bono to the program. None of them receive any fee or honorarium for
their time. FMC funding only goes toward covering travel and lodging
costs. Congress to Campus is made possible, thanks to the support of
the Stennis Center and the Park Foundation.
This past spring, Congress to Campus went to 16 different college
campuses, 13 in-person and 3 virtual, reaching nearly 10,000 students.
This fall, Congress to Campus is slated to host over 25 programs, which
is a record-breaking semester by far. Most schools are hosting in-
person programming, but there are still opportunities to hold these
events virtually, as well.
To date, Congress to Campus sessions have been held on 181 campuses
in 43 States and 5 countries with 2 new countries reaching out for
programming this year. In just the past 10 years alone, the program has
reached almost 60,000 students. Every year, Members donate between 800
and 1,000 hours to the program.
A faculty member at Boise State, who participated in programming
earlier this year said: ``The Congress to Campus event went really
well. Both Representatives were fabulous and very open to the busy
schedule. It was a near perfect 3 days, and I look forward to doing it
again. Representative Smith was wonderful, and I would recommend her to
any Congress to Campus program. She has an interesting story that
resonated with a lot of different people. Representative Jones was also
fantastic. We would have him back for other events without hesitation.
He is a perfect representation of the program, and I hope you are able
to entice him to other Congress to Campus events in the future. Truly
A-plus-plus.''
To quote a student from Skidmore College in New York: ``Coming here
today, [for the former Members] it was not a political opportunity. For
them, it was just a talk about their beliefs and their experiences. So,
it was definitely a new experience for me, and it was very
refreshing.''
A professor from the school also stated: ``First, we talk about
congressional committees. We talk about term limits. We talk about
elections and gerrymandering in my class. But to hear the Members of
Congress talk about how they experience those things, at a real level,
just brings that material alive.''
Another wonderful aspect of Congress to Campus is the summer program
with Envision by WorldStrides. Envision is where over 225 middle school
students
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gather in this very room to listen to a bipartisan pair of former
Members of Congress sharing their experiences and wisdom with young
minds.
As you entered the Chamber this morning, you actually ran into a
group of Envision kids who had just concluded one of these sessions led
by Steve Israel and myself. Every summer there are between 13 and 15
slots to fill, 1 Democrat and 1 Republican each, every Tuesday and
Wednesday during the summer. Programming started yesterday and happened
earlier this morning. Out of the 26 spots we have available, 25 have
been filled so far. We need one last Republican volunteer.
It is because of Members like you all, that students from around the
Nation have the opportunity to come to the United States Capitol and
hear Members from both sides of the political aisle discuss leadership
and bipartisanship. That being said, if anyone will already be in D.C.
on June 28 from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m., please contact Patricia Ochs at FMC.
I encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful experience. You will feel
like you were back in Congress again talking to a town meeting.
I participate because I think it is a great way to reach young people
and give them a positive understanding of how government is supposed to
and actually can work. I also believe strongly that it is important for
all of us, including students, to learn that an important part of
solving problems in their daily lives is to work with and listen to
others, including people you don't agree with, in order to solve
problems and move ahead.
Thank you very much for giving me this time, and I will now pass this
on to my good friend from California, Loretta Sanchez.
Ms. SANCHEZ. Thank you for yielding me the time, both Mr. Payne and
Mr. Goodlatte, and good morning to everyone. What a pleasure it is to
be here and to speak to you on one of our greatest programs, the
Congress to Campus program.
As Bob mentioned, the program continues to grow and to reach wider
audiences. It is great because we get to educate and to inform our
youth.
Thanks to a grant from The Park Foundation these past 2 years, we
have actively reached out to minority-serving institutions, such as
historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving
institutions, women's colleges, community colleges, Tribal colleges,
and service academies.
The Park Foundation is a nonprofit, and it is dedicated to advancing
a more just, equitable, and sustainable society and environment, both
nationally and in our local communities.
They are committed to challenging the powers that threaten an
independent media, a robust democracy, and the future of the planet.
The Park Foundation helps with funding, specifically for these
minority-serving institutions, to put the program on their campus.
This year, we had 32 schools reach out to FMC to bring the program to
their institutions. Seven of those were at these minority-serving
institutions. The past spring, the number was four, and the fall before
that, the number was three.
The word is getting out about our Congress to Campus, and it is
spreading, and I think it is making a difference.
Most of us would agree that some students, or at least where I come
from, I am a Latina, they don't get the opportunity to connect with
current or former Members of Congress. Some don't even know what it is,
quite frankly, and they want to be engaged. They want to be mentored,
especially once they find out about what we are all doing here.
The program allows them to have one-on-one experiences, to inspire
them, to show them the path that leads to public service.
A new vision and a possible extension of our current program is an
idea that is called the Congressional pipeline.
FMC will expand and build upon the current program we have by
encouraging the next generation of public servants. That is what we are
really about, getting people excited about doing what we have done or
being a staffer here or being in our Federal agencies. We want them to
want to be public servants and demonstrating how respectful debate and
a focus on solutions is really the root of our American democracy.
It is also going to provide unparalleled resources and opportunities
to college students who participate in our Congress to Campus program
and then want to take additional steps to become a public servant.
We envision accomplishing these goals by bringing some of these
students who have experienced our program, for example, at an HBCU or
an Hispanic-serving institution to Washington, D.C., for the total
Washington experience.
The pipeline will do five things: It will provide equal access to
opportunities for a wide range of students, including those students,
like myself, who would have never had an opportunity to visit here or
our district offices.
It will provide Congress to Campus students with information and
resources on pursuing public service career paths, both in person and
virtually.
It will facilitate opportunities for students to meet with
individuals currently serving in Congress, and also the former Members
because we are still important, including our staff, both in Washington
and in the district offices.
It will create a one-semester fellowship for four and six students,
which would include a semester internship at the FMC office here in
downtown Washington, D.C.; scheduling meetings each week with current
and former Members and staff and ambassadors and embassy staff here in
D.C. on how to pursue the careers in public service; of course, free
time on weekends so they can go and see everything that you Irish
leaders all want to go and see.
It will establish a network of Congress to Campus grads and FMC
fellows who, in turn, will help other students who are interested in
following in their footsteps by becoming speakers, reaching out in
their own home districts, et cetera, so that we can continue to move
people into public service.
We ask you to be a part of our Congress to Campus program, to help us
to identify students, to help students seek bipartisanship and
civility, that they are still alive and thriving and that this is the
way forward, especially during a time that has been a difficult time
for our Nation.
One big testament to the program is our before and after surveys. I
don't know about before, but 100 percent--imagine that--100 percent of
students on their post-event survey say that their mind has actually
changed for the better about Congress.
The 76 percent--and I don't know what happened to the other 24, but
76 percent say they want the Congress to Campus program to come back to
their school again.
I love this program. I love it because it makes me younger, right?
When you are interacting with the young people, it makes you feel
young. You hear their voices, their ideas. You hear their dreams about
a better tomorrow. It makes me feel better about what kind of world we
are leaving for our kids. They inform me. They inspire me. I see them,
their minds clicking, thinking about how they can shape the world.
Many of the students come up to me afterward and they say: How do I
get involved in politics? And I hand them my card, and I say: Let's
keep in touch; and we do. Many of them are working in their local areas
now to become politicians, and they are not afraid of it. It is not a
bad thing to be a politician.
If you want to get involved, please contact Patricia Ochs, our
Congress to Campus program manager.
L.S., let me thank you again and echo what Bob said earlier about
your exceptional leadership at FMC, and thank you for the opportunity.
I really think it is a godsend to be able to participate in the
Congress to Campus program. Thank you also for giving me the
opportunity to report on the program.
Mr. ROSS. Loretta, thank you. I admire your passion and your
enthusiasm for the Congress to Campus program. I have had the fortunate
opportunity, of course, of doing one of those digitally with you. It
was inspiring for me as well and something I hope that we continue to
develop with the game plan we have.
Today, my colleague Bart Gordon and I would like to report on the
Congressional Study Groups on Germany, Europe, Japan, Korea, and maybe
in the future with Ireland--who knows.
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In the past year, there have been critical developments on the
international stage amongst America's closest allies and partners
around the globe.
We witnessed the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion of
Ukraine and rededicated ourselves to a robust and reliable NATO
alliance and celebrated one of our closest partnerships in the Indo-
Pacific with Korea's President Yoon visiting Washington on an official
State visit that culminated with his rousing speech right here in this
Chamber.
With consideration of these and other international developments, it
is my great pleasure to highlight the work of the Congressional Study
Groups on Germany, Japan, Europe and Korea, the flagship international
programs of FMC.
As you know, our four Congressional Study Groups are the most active
and unparalleled peer-to-peer exchange involving current Members of
Congress and senior congressional staff in a highly impactful dialogue
with their colleagues in legislative branches overseas.
In an ever-changing world, the year-round bipartisanship, and
nonadvocacy outreach of these study groups to Capitol Hill remains the
premier forum for productive, candid, and timely dialogue on the issues
most relevant not only to America's leaders but to our friends and
allies abroad.
One is hard pressed to find another organization that so consistently
engages a diverse group of Members of Congress, the diplomatic
community, administration officials, the private sector, and civil
society in such critical conversations.
Each study group is proud to count over 75 Members of Congress as
members, and each is led by a bipartisan, bicameral group of four co-
chairs. These co-chairs exemplify the study groups' dedication to
meaningful and robust education, not only serving in their role at the
official study group events, but connecting with the embassies and
outside organizations to speak on panels, attend roundtables, and meet
with countless visiting delegations to further the goals of their
respective study groups and the international relationships that they
support.
In the past year, the study groups have led six tours for Members of
Congress and their senior staff; engaged new Members of the 118th
Congress in introductory events with our embassy partners; hosted a
German delegation of parliamentarians, business leaders, and key
members of German civil society on a study tour in Texas; and held
dozens of roundtables between Members of Congress, chiefs of staff, the
diplomatic corps here in D.C., and business advisory members on
critical issues such as the war in Ukraine, the debt ceiling, the IRA,
supply chain security, energy, and international security, among other
topics.
This critical work, however, would not be possible without the
general patronage of a dedicated group of individuals, organizations,
and business advisory council members.
In particular, I recognize Dr. Satohiro Akimoto of the Sasakawa Peace
Foundation USA, Thomas Byrne of The Korea Society, Sung Won Bae of the
Korea Foundation USA, Heather Conley of the German Marshall Fund of the
United States, Paige Cottingham-Streater of the Japan-U.S. Friendship
Commission, and Julia Friedlander of the Atlantik-Brucke for their
support as key funders of the Congressional Study Groups in 2023.
We also benefit tremendously from our partners and Business Advisory
Council, and I include their names for the Congressional Record.
BAC partners to FMC and Congressional Study Groups
Aflac, Allianz, All Nippon Airways, BASF, Bayer, B. Braun
Medical, Beam Suntory, Central Japan Railway Company, CJ
America, Deutsche Telekom, DHL, Fresenius SE, Hitachi, Honda,
Hyundai, Itochu, JTI, KITA, LG, Lockheed Martin, Lufthansa
German Airlines, Marubeni America Corporation, Mercedes-Benz,
Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries America, Mitsui & Co., Mizuho, NEC, Nissan,
Nomura, Panasonic, Philips North America, POSCO,
Representative of German Industry and Trade, Samsung, Sojitz,
Subaru, Tellurian, Toyota Motor North America, UPS, and
Volkswagen Group of America.
Mr. ROSS. Since last year's report to Congress, FMC's Business
Advisory Council has grown with the additions of Philips North America
and LG. Our Business Advisory Council continues to benefit from the
guidance and leadership of advisory board members Brad Knox of Aflac,
Majida Mourad of Tellurian, Anna Schneider of Volkswagen, Mark Sobol of
Longwave Partners, Jeff Werner of Panasonic, and Nancy Ziuzin Schlegel
of Lockheed Martin.
Amidst economic uncertainties, supply chain difficulties, and energy
and climate crises, these companies continue to be champions for
effective and productive dialogue between our elected parliaments. We
thank them for their support of our Congressional Study Groups.
In an increasingly tumultuous world where the bonds America shares
with her allies abroad are more important than ever, I am proud to say
the sustained involvement of our stakeholders and continued engagement
with our international partners play a critical role in the maintenance
and growth of these relationships and will continue to do so in the
years ahead.
I yield to my friend and colleague, Mr. Bart Gordon of Tennessee, for
further remarks.
Mr. GORDON. Thank you, Dennis, for giving us that overview of the
Congressional Study Groups. I have been asked to elaborate a little bit
on that with specific details, but first, Pete has asked me to give a
quick tutorial for our Irish friends. We are glad you are here.
This is really sacred ground for us and Members of Congress. This is
the House Chamber. It is sort of like church, how you go back to the
same pews. Over here on this side is where the Democrats normally sit.
You have heard the expression ``side of the aisle.'' That is the aisle.
Republicans normally sit over here.
It is really an opportunity, since we don't have specific chairs, to
interact, to go talk with somebody about a bill that may be coming up.
Of course, here, where Barbara is, is where the Speaker would sit,
but the Speaker really doesn't come in very often. Normally, it is a
Speaker pro tempore. Next to her is the Parliamentarian to make sure
that the Speaker doesn't get in trouble, and then Susan Cole is the
Reading Clerk. There is a variety of other clerks down here. They are
all part of the family and all make sure that things work well.
When bills come before the Congress, you will see these tables behind
us where there are microphones. What happens is we have a Rules
Committee. The Rules Committee will say, okay, we are going to have a
certain bill that Fred brought out of the Energy and Commerce
Committee. It is going to have 4 hours of debate, equally divided
between the Democrats and Republicans.
Fred would be here as chairman of that committee, and the Democratic
ranking member would be over on the other side. ``Ranking member''
means the senior member of the minority party. They then would yield to
folks as they go through the debate.
As a practical matter, there are not that many Members who are here
during all of the debate because they can watch it on C-SPAN. When the
bells start ringing, they know that they have 15 minutes to get here to
vote.
When you come in to vote, you have an ID card like that. If you look
on the back of some of these chairs, that is where we put in our ID for
votes. This wallpaper will come up, and you can see how everybody votes
up here. Above each door, it is like a basketball scoreboard. You will
see the yeas and the nays, and we will have visitors.
This is a special place for all of us, and we are glad that you and
the spouses are here.
It really does become a family here. It is spouses, our staff, and
our clerks. We all work together to try to make this thing work.
Dennis gave you a good overview of the study groups. I am going to
tell you a little more about it. Pete may give you a test, I am not
sure, after this, but this year the FMC's Congressional Study Groups
are celebrating an impressive and significant set of milestones. Our
Congressional Study Group on Korea is celebrating its fifth
anniversary. Our Congressional Study Group on Europe is celebrating its
12th anniversary. Our Congressional Study Group on Japan is celebrating
its 30th anniversary. Our Congressional Study Group on Germany has been
active for 40 years.
[[Page H2899]]
At their core, each study group engages an active cadre of
Congresswomen and Congressmen dedicated to ensure productive dialogue
between the prime decisionmakers in the United States Congress and our
closest allies abroad.
This meaningful dialogue among elected parliamentarians, however,
doesn't succeed in a vacuum. It is my pleasure to showcase a few
takeaways of our past programming year that highlight the diversity of
the Congressional Study Groups' programming.
The Congressional Study Groups' engagement has grown from beyond just
including lawmakers in Washington to the active engagement of Members
of Congress and their senior staff. It is complemented and synergized
with discussions and events that draw from key voices in the executive
branch, the diplomatic community, the private sector, and civil
society.
Over the past year, our study groups had a chance to welcome new
Ambassadors upon their arrival to Washington, featured Foreign
Ministers upon visiting the United States, hosted CEOs and chairmen of
the world's largest corporations, and engaged expert pollsters and
journalists.
Congressional Study Groups gave current Members of Congress and
senior congressional staff the chance to hear firsthand from our
friends in Berlin, Tokyo, and Seoul about issues facing not just their
nations but the everyday citizens of our closest allies.
Far more than just a few exchanges with policy experts, each visit is
designed to ensure our programming has a reach far beyond our capital
cities. Delegations met with student groups, representatives of the
media, cultural and historical experts, and policy experts, all to give
a comprehensive and representative impression of the bilateral
relationship with the United States.
It bears repeating that all of our work through the Congressional
Study Groups is completely bipartisan. Our delegations are always an
equal mix of current Members or senior congressional staff from each
side of the political aisle. As you all know, there is great value in
creating opportunities for Members and staff to build relationships
that transcend party labels.
While the Congressional Study Groups aim to chiefly strengthen
relationships with our allies overseas, they also are a great resource
for our current Members seeking to build collegiality and trust with
Members of the other party.
Whether sending delegations abroad or hosting visiting delegations
from overseas here in the United States, our mission remains the same:
constructive, productive dialogue that informs, educates, and yields
pragmatic solutions.
In addition to our many U.S. delegations traveling abroad, the study
groups brought decisionmakers from Germany to Texas, Louisiana, and
Pennsylvania this past year to more deeply understand the issues that
shape and inform American public opinion and the average voter.
A further delegation of Japanese parliamentarians will visit Texas
this September, and maybe they can figure out what is going on in
Texas.
In the spirit of furthering this dialogue among our friends and
allies, FMC's Diplomatic Advisory Council continues to provide a form
of high-level, candid dialogue among our partners abroad. This close
group of dedicated diplomatic representatives based here in Washington
grew in the past year to include 12 new Ambassadors. We now count 27 of
the highest diplomatic representatives among this roster.
As a matter of fact, I am going to the Irish Ambassador's residence
next week as they say good-bye to the German Ambassador. She has been a
good friend of our group.
Furthermore, Ambassadors from Greece, Finland, the European Union,
the Republic of Korea, and Japan have hosted over 30 individual Members
of Congress through the council programs.
Let me conclude--and I am sure you are glad to hear that--with one
important point. You all have heard over the past few years how
supportive FMC is of the work of the Select Committee on the
Modernization of Congress. This committee, which is now a standing
subcommittee of the House Administration Committee, identified several
ways to strengthen bipartisanship and stronger ties among current
Members of Congress. Among these recommendations aimed at civility and
bipartisanship, the committee recommended the support and encouragement
of bipartisan congressional delegation travels overseas, which is the
work of Congressional Study Groups.
I strongly encourage you as former Members to help educate the public
about the importance of these types of experiences.
FMC plays an incredible role through these study groups. All of us
can play an equally important role by sharing our insights about this
work that is so important to the Nation.
Let me close with a bit of a historical note. As Lincoln Davis, my
friend and neighbor from Tennessee, knows, Davy Crockett was a Member
of Congress from Tennessee. He represented a portion of the old
district that I had. He was the only Member of the Tennessee
congressional delegation who voted against the Indian Removal Act. They
were going to move them out somewhere. Because of that, he was defeated
in his next election.
He came and stood right where I am standing on the House floor. His
last speech to the United States Congress was: I told my constituents
that I would serve them to the best of my ability, and I did. So to
hell with them. I am going to Texas.
Mr. PAYNE. Bob, Loretta, Dennis, and Bart, thank you very much for
those informative remarks, and thank you very much for all you do for
FMC.
Bart has told you about the important work done by the Congressional
Study Group on Korea. I want to note that the study group is a program
that is exclusively offered to current Members of Congress and current
staff. However, there is a very active former Member program with
Korea, which we call Korea ExDel, that runs in parallel with the study
group.
While wholly separate, both programs strengthen the U.S.-Korean
relationship, and it would not be possible without the tireless work of
two very dear friends of ours, former Member of Congress Jay Kim, who
was the first Korean American elected to Congress, and his wife,
Jennifer Ahn. Both of them are committed to the active and high-level
dialogue involving the U.S. and Korea. Through Jay and Jennifer, we
have sent several delegations to Korea.
I thank them both very much for all that they have made possible and
for their incredible support of FMC as an organization.
I will take this opportunity to include in the Congressional Record a
statement of appreciation for all of their very good work.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Hon. L.F. Payne,
FMC President of Virginia House of Representatives,
Honoring the Impact of Mr. and Mrs. Jay Kim to U.S.-ROK Relations
Madame Speaker, I rise today to thank our former colleague,
the Honorable Jay Chang Joan Kim (R-CA, 1993-1999) and his
spouse, Mrs. Jennifer Ahn Kim, for their incredibly positive
impact on United States-Republic of Korea bilateral
relations.
A survivor of the Korean War and witness to the birth of
the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance, Mr. Jay Kim was born
1939 in what is now Seoul, South Korea, and notably became
the first Korean American Member of Congress.
After immigrating to the United States, Jay Kim completed
public schools in California and earned his undergraduate
degree in engineering in 1967 and subsequently, his master's
degree in environmental engineering in 1969, both from the
University of Southern California. A shining example of the
American Dream, Mr. Kim founded his own engineering business
with a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Later, he tried his hand at local government and completed a
PhD in Political Science at Hanyang University in Seoul,
South Korea. In 1992, Mr. Kim handily won the race for the
newly drawn 41st Congressional District in California.
In the 103rd Congress, Mr. Kim was assigned to the House
Public Works and Transportation and Small Business
Committees. He served on the panel for both the 104th and
105th Congresses, where he spoke out against the North Korean
regime. His tenure in the House helped pave the way for more
Korean American Member of Congress to follow. After departing
Congress in 1999, Mr. Kim continued to advance U.S.-ROK
relations as Chair of the Washington Korean-American Forum,
later founding his own organizations to promote the
advancement of U.S.-ROK relations, including the Jay Kim
Foundation.
His wife, Mrs. Jennifer Ahn Kim, serves as Vice President
of the Jay Kim Foundation,
[[Page H2900]]
and has worked diligently for many years to strengthen U.S.-
ROK relations by developing delegations for Former Members of
Congress to South Korea, among numerous other programs. She
most recently has collaborated with the U.S. Association of
Former Members of Congress to help connect Korean government
officials, corporations, and civil society groups with our
membership.
I wish to honor Former Member and Mrs. Jay Kim, for their
years of dedication and hard work to continue fortifying the
relationship between the U.S. and one of our key allies, as
well as for being a great partner to the U.S. Association of
Former Members of Congress. They have had a tremendously
positive impact on the two countries they both love so much:
Korea and the United States, and they are highly deserving of
our recognition and appreciation for all they have
accomplished.
Mr. PAYNE. I also thank all of the many volunteers, the former
Members of Congress who make FMC's success possible.
All the work that you have heard about today is done by volunteers
who are former Members of Congress. It is estimated that more than
7,000 hours a year of volunteer time is donated to FMC, enabling us to
carry on what we consider to be this very important work.
In addition to volunteering their time, there are five members of the
Executive Committee, and I thank Barbara Comstock, Donna Edwards,
Dennis Ross, and Charles Boustany for that work.
I thank our Board of Directors, a number of whom are here today.
There are 30 of us on the board, and we certainly appreciate all that
you do. You are really a great board, and you do great work. Thank you
all.
In that vein, we are asking now the membership of FMC to elect the
2023 class of board members to a 3-year term. In the interest of
expediency, I will read their names, four Democrats, four Republicans,
and ask for a vote.
The candidates are:
Russ Carnahan of Missouri,
Val Demings of Florida,
Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut,
Bob Goodlatte of Virginia,
Brenda Lawrence of Michigan,
Peter Roskam of Illinois,
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, and
Fred Upton of Michigan.
Do I hear a motion and a second?
All in favor, say ``aye.'' Opposed, ``no.'' The ayes have it.
Congratulations, and I thank all eight of you for your willingness to
serve. You will be a great class.
One last thank-you goes, importantly, to the staff of FMC: Pete
Weichlein, who is here with us today; Sabine Schleidt, who is not with
us at the moment; and all the folks who are here who are part of our
FMC staff.
When Pete first came 20 years ago, he was sort of all there was at
FMC. Today, we have 13 very capable staff members, and I would like
them, if they would, to stand. Let's give them a round of applause for
all the good work they do.
Finally, as many of you know, every fall, the FMC organizes a quite
moving memorial service to pay tribute to the current and former
Members who we lost in the previous year. We will do so again in
September, and we hope you will be able to attend that. We are
coordinating with Speaker McCarthy the best date for that to be held,
usually in September in Statuary Hall.
Unfortunately, we have lost a number of our friends and colleagues
since we last gave our report to the Chamber in December.
I include in the Congressional Record the names of these public
servants.
Members Who Have Passed Away Since Sept. 2022 FMC Memorial Service
Standish ``Fletcher'' Thompson of Georgia
James ``Jim'' Florio of New Jersey
Mark Souder of Indiana
Bill Brewster of Oklahoma
William Conover II of Pennsylvania
Gary A. Lee of New York
Romano ``Ron'' Mazzoli of Kentucky
Norman D. Shumway of California
Carroll Hubbard of Kentucky
A. Donald McEachin of Virginia
James ``Jim'' Kolbe of Arizona
William P. Curlin Jr. of Kentucky
Elliott H. Levitas of Georgia
Elwood ``Bud'' Hillis of Indiana
Arthur Ravenel Jr. of South Carolina
David Durenberger of Minnesota
James ``Jim'' Broyhill of North Carolina
John Olver of Massachusetts
James Abourezk of South Dakota
Brian Donnelly of Massachusetts
Louis Arthur ``Skip'' Bafalis of Florida
Patricia ``Pat'' Schroeder of Colorado
John Jenrette of South Carolina
Ronald ``Ron'' Sarasin of Connecticut
Nick Galifianakis of North Carolina
Elmer ``Bud'' Shuster of Pennsylvania
Charles ``Charlie'' Stenholm of Texas
Robert ``Marion'' Berry of Arkansas
Thomas ``Tom'' Sawyer of Ohio
Donald ``Don'' Bonker of Washington
Mr. PAYNE. I now ask if you all might stand for a moment of silence
for these people and the service that they provided.
Thank you very much.
This concludes our report. Let me remind you that, today, we have a
full and exciting program, including tours of the Supreme Court and the
Library of Congress, followed by a luncheon with the Ambassador and the
people of Ukraine. Tonight, we have the Congressional Baseball Game,
and tomorrow is our excursion to Gettysburg.
I want to highlight, too, that all Members and former Members by now
should have received a survey. I would really appreciate it if you
would take the time to complete this. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes,
but it is going to give us a lot of information, not only about your
insights into today's politics, but as we are embarking on a strategic
planning process, this will be very helpful information about what you
think is important for us to be doing over the next 5 years.
With that, I conclude my remarks, and I thank the Speaker for giving
our association the opportunity to return to this place, which we
cherish very much. Thank you all.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Thank you, L.F., for this report, and more
importantly, thank you for your thoughtful and exemplary leadership of
this outstanding organization.
The Chair again wishes to thank the former Members of the House for
their presence here today. Before terminating these proceedings, the
Chair would like to invite those former Members who did not earlier
respond when the roll was called to give their names to the Reading
Clerk for inclusion in the roll.
On behalf of the FMC, I thank the congressional staff who have helped
make today's presentation possible.
As always, you have been a terrific resource, and we continue to very
much appreciate all of your service, both here today and, as always,
every day.
The meeting stands adjourned.
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