[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H4025-H4026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 WE HAVE MUCH TO GAIN FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH BRAZIL, BUT WE STILL 
                              NEED TO ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Santos) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. SANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to address an issue that we 
can no longer ignore.
  The Chinese Communist Party has manifested all over South America, 
and, most importantly, overpowering the United States in every single 
one of those relationships.
  Today, I will be talking about Brazil, the largest economy in South 
America, the 10th-largest economy in the world, and the 4th-largest 
food producer in the world.
  We have much to gain from our relationship with Brazil, but we still 
need to act.
  Now, the CCP has seized its opportunity to assert its dominance. 
China is the largest trading partner of Brazil, Chile, Peru, and 
Uruguay, and the second-largest trading partner for many other 
countries.
  According to the American Enterprise Institute's China Global 
Investment Tracker, Chinese entities invested a total of $148 billion 
in Latin America and the Caribbean countries between 2005 and 2022, 
with Brazil accounting for 44 percent of those investments, a total of 
$66 billion.
  Energy projects accounted for 62 percent of the investments and metal 
mining accounted for 21 percent.
  The database also shows that the Chinese construction projects in 
Latin America and Caribbean countries were valued at $68.6 billion over 
the same period, mainly in the energy, 50 percent, and transportation, 
which is another 30 percent--in those two respective sectors.
  The CCP has metastasized to the extent that it influenced the 2022 
Presidential elections in Brazil and successfully reinstated a 
convicted criminal into the Presidency.
  We must remember that China has even gone so far as to support a veto 
of a 2019 U.S.-backed resolution in the United Nations calling for free 
and fair Presidential elections globally.
  Luisa Inacio Lula da Silva, also known as Lula, is the current 
occupier of the Presidency as a direct result of the CCP's successful 
attempt to destabilize Brazil.
  Let's be clear: The honest Lula, is a man deemed unelectable by the 
Brazilian courts due to his conviction for his involvement in one of 
the most significant political corruption scandals in Brazil's history, 
which subsequently led to the demise of the country's economy.
  In doing so, he has weaponized the judicial system in Brazil to 
launch an assault like never before, prosecuting political opponents, 
silencing the media, and targeting everyday civilians.
  Lula has shielded himself behind the nation's highest court, with his 
ally, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, granting his every wish.
  You see, most Americans are quick to judge Brazil as a third-world 
country and pass up its value as an ally. This is only the beginning of 
the end for Brazil, our once great ally.
  I want to make sure that the American people understand that value; 
however, being the first Brazilian American to serve in Congress, I 
hope and hold that Brazil will stand firm.
  When Americans fought in World War II, Brazil was the only South 
American country to send troops; 50,000 men from Brazil fought 
alongside U.S. ally troops.
  I present that fighting spirit on the House floor today, Mr. Speaker. 
I want to stress that Brazil's population yearns for a capitalist 
market similar to ours and appreciates our world-leading example for 
democracy.
  Today, Brazilians suffer high inflation, arbitrary laws, and absolute 
devastation regarding infrastructure and healthcare.
  I am calling on my colleagues to urge President Biden to suspend all 
foreign aid to Brazil until a review is conducted via the United 
Nations to assess the humanitarian crimes taking place under the power 
of Lula's tyrannical regime.
  While we have an arrest warrant for Nicolas Maduro, the murderous 
Venezuelan dictator, it should come as no surprise that Lula parades 
him and hosts him with official visits legitimizing him while 
undermining us.
  With this kind of egregious behavior as an elected official, it is 
only natural that we ask why Lula would align with some of the world's 
most monstrous dictators presently in the crosshairs of U.S. sanctions 
or conflicts.

                              {time}  2030

  Brazil is not the only country impacted by China's election 
interference. The Maduro regime has become reliant on China for 
disinformation campaigns and social control programs, including ID 
cards that serve as scorecards of Venezuelan citizens loyal to the 
regime.
  When we examine who funds Venezuela, it is none other than China 
through their insidious and smoke-and-mirror charade toward world 
domination that the CCP has titled the Belt and Road Initiative, aka 
the BRI, a lending gambit that grants China's over 140 allied countries 
billions of dollars under the pretense of economic integration and 
interconnected development.
  It is only a matter of time before Lula leads Brazil down the same 
path.
  This is the perfect example of the kind of destabilization the CCP is 
known for, preying on countries via unsustainable and corrupt lending 
while ignoring global labor and environmental standards for their own 
economic gain.
  The CCP will stop at nothing to reach their goal of world domination, 
and as time goes on, we have fewer opportunities to preserve Brazil's 
achievability and viability as our number one trade partner and ally.
  Lula is nothing more than a repressive and destructive tyrant who 
aligns with underhanded puppeteers to make his case for power.
  Lula is actively parroting CCP propaganda, saying we are prolonging 
the Ukraine-Russia conflict for commercial gain, undermining us at 
every single turn, not to mention the BRICS agreement created under 
Lula's direction by former impeached President Dilma Rousseff, whose 
main goal today is to undermine and replace the U.S. dollar as the 
global currency.
  Mr. Speaker, as the first Brazilian American elected to this Chamber, 
I urge my colleagues to assist Brazil in restoring democracy and to 
stop legitimizing the Lula regime today. We must

[[Page H4026]]

ensure that an honorable and bona fide government can be installed and 
lead the country forward out of the clutches of the CCP.
  This serves a great benefit to us Americans, all of us in this body, 
all of us in this country, to keep a good relationship with our fellow 
ally, Brazil.
  (English translation of the statement made in Portuguese is as 
follows:)
  To my Brazilian friends, be strong. We are together in this fight.
  A meus amigos brasileiros, forga Brasil. Estamos juntos nessa luta.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York will provide the 
Clerk a translation of his remarks.
  Mr. SANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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