[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 31, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE AGREEMENT TO RESTORE GOVERNMENT IN NORTHERN 
                                IRELAND

  (Mr. NEAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the political parties 
at Stormont in Belfast as they near an agreement that will restore the 
executive government. After nearly 2 years of delay, Stormont is one 
step closer to resuming the people's business. This is a victory for 
democracy and for the people of Northern Ireland.
  The Good Friday Agreement marked the end of the longest period of 
conflict in Irish history. It happened because everyone involved acted 
together in good faith. Almost 26 years later, the parties in Northern 
Ireland are doing precisely that: acting in good faith to restore 
government and resume the difficult work, indeed, of legislating.
  When the United States helped broker the Good Friday Agreement, 
cementing its place as a guarantor of the agreement, it did so with one 
primary objective: ensuring every tradition in Northern Ireland had a 
voice in pursuit of peace and prosperity. With that restoration of 
power sharing on the horizon, people today in Northern Ireland are 
winners. Their voices will be heard once again.

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