[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 13, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H560-H564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          IGO ANTI-BOYCOTT ACT

  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3202) to prohibit any official action to recognize or 
normalize relations with any Government of Syria that is led by Bashar 
al-Assad, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 3202

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Assad Regime Anti-
     Normalization Act of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO THE CAESAR SYRIA CIVILIAN PROTECTION 
                   ACT.

       (a) Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act.--Section 7412 of 
     the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (title LXXIV 
     of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
     2020; 22 U.S.C. 8791 note) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``the President shall 
     impose'' and all that follows through the end of the 
     paragraph and inserting ``the President--''
       ``(A) shall impose the sanctions described in subsection 
     (b) with respect to a foreign person that the President 
     determines--
       ``(i) knowingly engages, on or after such date of 
     enactment, in an activity described in paragraph (2);
       ``(ii) is an adult family member of a foreign person 
     described in clause (i), unless the President determines 
     there is clear and convincing evidence that such adult family 
     member has disassociated themselves from the foreign person 
     described in such clause and has no history of helping such 
     foreign person conceal assets; or
       ``(iii) is owned or controlled by a foreign person 
     described in clause (i) or (ii); and
       ``(B) may impose the sanctions described in subsection (b) 
     with respect to a foreign person that the President 
     determines knowingly provides, on or after such date of 
     enactment, significant financial, material, or technological 
     support to a foreign person engaging in an activity described 
     in any of subparagraphs (B) through (H) of paragraph (2);''.
       (B) in paragraph (2)--
       (i) in subparagraph (A)--

       (I) by amending clause (i) to read as follows:

       ``(i) the Government of Syria (including any entity owned 
     or controlled by the Government of Syria), a senior political 
     figure of the Government of Syria, a member of the People's 
     Assembly of Syria, or a senior foreign political figure (as 
     such term is defined

[[Page H561]]

     in section 101.605 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations) 
     of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party of Syria, including any 
     such senior foreign political figure who is--

       ``(I) a member of the Central Command, Central Committee, 
     or Auditing and Inspection Committee of such Party; or
       ``(II) a leader of a local branch of such Party;'';
       (II) in clause (ii), by striking ``; or'' and inserting a 
     semicolon;
       (III) in clause (iii), by striking the semicolon and 
     inserting ``; or''; and
       (IV) by adding at the end the following new clause:

       ``(iv) Syria Arab Airlines, Cham Wings, or any foreign 
     person owned or controlled by Syria Arab Airlines or Cham 
     Wings;'';
       (ii) by amending subparagraph (C) to read as follows:
       ``(C) knowingly sells or provides aircraft or spare 
     aircraft parts--
       ``(i) to the Government of Syria; or
       ``(ii) for or on behalf of the Government of Syria to any 
     foreign person operating in an area directly or indirectly 
     controlled by the Government of Syria or foreign forces 
     associated with the Government of Syria;'';
       (iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``; or'' and 
     inserting a semicolon;
       (iv) in subparagraph (E)--

       (I) by striking ``construction or engineering services'' 
     and inserting ``construction, engineering, or commercial 
     financial services''; and
       (II) by striking the closing period and inserting a 
     semicolon; and

       (v) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
       ``(F) purposefully engages in or directs--
       ``(i) the diversion of goods (including agricultural 
     commodities, food, medicine, and medical devices), or any 
     international humanitarian assistance, intended for the 
     people of Syria; or
       ``(ii) the dealing in proceeds from the sale or resale of 
     such diverted goods or international humanitarian assistance, 
     as the case may be;
       ``(G) knowingly, directly or indirectly, engages in or 
     attempts to engage in, the seizure, confiscation, theft, or 
     expropriation for personal gain or political purposes of 
     property, including real property, in Syria or owned by a 
     citizen of Syria;
       ``(H) knowingly, directly or indirectly, engages in or 
     attempts to engage in a transaction or transactions for or 
     with such seized, confiscated, stolen, or expropriated 
     property described in subparagraph (G); or
       ``(I) knowingly provides significant financial, material, 
     or technological support to a foreign person engaging in an 
     activity described in subparagraph (A).''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(4) Transaction defined.--For purposes of the 
     determination required by subparagraph (a)(2)(A), the term 
     `transaction' includes in-kind transactions.
       ``(5) Additional definitions.--In this section:
       ``(A) Commercial financial services.--The term `commercial 
     financial services' means any transaction between the 
     Government of Syria and a foreign bank or foreign financial 
     institution operating in an area under the control of the 
     Government of Syria that has a valuation of more than 
     $5,000,000.
       ``(B) Financial institution.--The term `financial 
     institution' means a financial institution specified in any 
     of subparagraphs (A) through (K), (M), (N), (P), (R), (T), 
     (Y), or (Z) of section 5312(a)(2) of title 31, United States 
     Code.
       ``(6) Significant transaction clarified.--In this section, 
     the term `significant transaction' includes any natural gas, 
     electricity, or other energy-related transaction.''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(c) Congressional Requests.--Not later than 120 days 
     after receiving a request from the chairman and ranking 
     member of one of the appropriate congressional committees 
     with respect to whether a foreign person knowingly engages in 
     an activity described in subsection (a)(2) the President 
     shall--
       ``(1) make the determination specified in subsection (a)(1) 
     with respect to that foreign person; and
       ``(2) submit to such chairman and ranking member that 
     submitted the request a report with respect to such 
     determination that includes a statement of whether the 
     President has imposed or intends to impose the sanctions 
     described in subsection (b) with respect to that foreign 
     person.''.
       (b) Extension of Sunset.--Section 7438 of the Caesar Syria 
     Civilian Protection Act of 2019 is amended by striking ``the 
     date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act'' and inserting ``December 31, 2032''.
       (c) Determinations With Respect to Syria Trust for 
     Development.--
       (1) Determinations.--Not later than 120 days after the 
     enactment of this Act, the President shall--
       (A) determine whether the nonprofit organization chaired by 
     Asma Al-Assad, the First Lady of Syria, known as the ``Syria 
     Trust for Development'' meets the criteria for the imposition 
     of sanctions--
       (i) under section 7412(a) of the Caesar Syria Civilian 
     Protection Act of 2019, as amended by subsection (a);
       (ii) under Executive Order 13894 (84 Fed. Reg. 55851; 
     relating to blocking property and suspending entry of certain 
     persons contributing to the situation in Syria); or
       (iii) by nature of being owned or controlled by a person 
     designated under any executive order or regulation 
     administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control; and
       (B) submit to the appropriate congressional committees each 
     such determination, including a justification for the 
     determination.
       (2) Form.--The determination under paragraph (1)(B) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form, but the justification 
     specified in such paragraph may be included in a classified 
     annex. The unclassified determination shall be made available 
     on a publicly available website of the Federal government.
       (3) Sanctions relating to importation of goods unchanged.--
     Paragraph (1) may not be construed to create any new 
     authorities or requirements to impose sanctions on the 
     importation of goods.
       (4) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Financial Services of 
     the House of Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
     Urban Affairs of the Senate.
       (d) Findings on Applicability With Respect to Syrian Arab 
     Airlines, Cham Wings Airlines, and Related Entities.--
     Congress finds the following:
       (1) In 2013, the President identified Syrian Arab Airlines 
     as a blocked instrumentality or controlled entity of the 
     Government of Syria and concurrently sanctioned Syrian Arab 
     Airlines pursuant to Executive Order 13224 for acting for or 
     on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force 
     of Iran.
       (2) In 2016, the President sanctioned Syria-based Cham 
     Wings Airlines pursuant to Executive Order 13582 for having 
     materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, 
     material, or technological support for, or goods or services 
     in support of, the Government of Syria and Syrian Arab 
     Airlines.
       (3) Section 7412(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the Caesar Syria Civilian 
     Protection Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 8791 note) mandates the 
     application of sanctions against any foreign person that 
     ``knowingly provides significant financial, material, or 
     technological support to, or knowingly engages in a 
     significant transaction with . . . a foreign person subject 
     to sanctions pursuant to the International Emergency Economic 
     Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) with respect to Syria or 
     any other provision of law that imposes sanctions with 
     respect to Syria,'', which applies to airport service 
     providers outside of Syria.
       (e) Severability.--If any provision of this Act, or the 
     application of such provision to any person or circumstance, 
     is found to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, 
     or the application of that provision to other persons or 
     circumstances, shall not be affected.

     SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF RECOGNITION OF ASSAD REGIME.

       (a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United 
     States--
       (1) not to recognize or normalize relations with any 
     Government of Syria that is led by Bashar al-Assad due to the 
     Assad regime's ongoing crimes against the Syrian people, 
     including failure to meet the criteria outlined in section 
     7431(a) of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019;
       (2) to actively oppose recognition or normalization of 
     relations by other governments with any Government of Syria 
     that is led by Bashar Al-Assad, including by fully 
     implementing the mandatory primary and secondary sanctions in 
     the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 and 
     Executive Order 13894; and
       (3) to use the full range of authorities, including those 
     provided under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 
     2019 and Executive Order 13894, to deter reconstruction 
     activities in areas under the control of Bashar al-Assad.
       (b) Prohibition.--In accordance with subsection (a), no 
     Federal official or employee may take any action, and no 
     Federal funds may be made available, to recognize or 
     otherwise imply, in any manner, United States recognition of 
     Bashar al-Assad or any Government in Syria that is led by 
     Bashar al-Assad.

     SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY STRATEGY TO COUNTER NORMALIZATION WITH 
                   ASSAD REGIME.

       (a) Report and Strategy Required.--
       (1) Submission.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 
     years, the Secretary of State (in consultation with the 
     Secretary of the Treasury, the Administrator of the Drug 
     Enforcement Administration, and the heads of other 
     appropriate Federal departments and agencies) shall submit to 
     the appropriate congressional committees a report and 
     strategy to describe and counter actions taken or planned by 
     foreign governments to normalize, engage with, or upgrade 
     political, diplomatic, or economic ties with the regime led 
     by Bashar al-Assad in Syria (in this section referred to as 
     the ``Assad regime'').
       (2) Elements.--The elements of the report under paragraph 
     (1) shall include--
       (A) a description of violations of international law and 
     human rights abuses committed by Bashar al-Assad, the 
     Government

[[Page H562]]

     of the Russian Federation, or the Government of Iran and 
     progress towards justice and accountability for the Syrian 
     people;
       (B) a full list of diplomatic meetings at the Ambassador 
     level or above, between the Syrian regime and any 
     representative of the Governments of Turkey, the United Arab 
     Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, the 
     Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, or 
     Lebanon, respectively;
       (C) a list including an identification of--
       (i) any single covered transaction exceeding $500,000; and
       (ii) any combination of covered transactions by the same 
     source that, in aggregate, exceed $500,000 and occur within a 
     single year;
       (D) for each identified single transaction or aggregate 
     transactions, as the case may be, included in the list 
     described in subparagraph (C), a determination of whether 
     such transaction subjects any of the parties to the 
     transaction to sanctions under the Caesar Syria Civilian 
     Protection Act of 2019, as amended by section 2;
       (E) a description of the steps the United States is taking 
     to actively deter recognition or normalization of relations 
     by other governments with the Assad regime, including 
     specific diplomatic engagements and use of economic sanctions 
     authorized by statutes or implemented through Executive 
     Orders, including--
       (i) the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (22 
     U.S.C. 8791 note);
       (ii) the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty 
     Restoration Act (22 U.S.C. 2151 note);
       (iii) the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and 
     Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.);
       (iv) Executive Order 13894 (84 Fed. Reg. 55851; relating to 
     blocking property and suspending entry of certain persons 
     contributing to the situation in Syria);
       (v) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 
     (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.);
       (vi) the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions 
     Act (22 U.S.C. 9401 et seq.); and
       (vii) the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 
     U.S.C. 1901 et seq.); and
       (F) an assessment of how recognition or normalization of 
     relations by other governments with the Assad regime impacts 
     the national security of the United States, prospects for 
     implementation of the United Nations Security Council 
     Resolution 2254, prospects for justice and accountability for 
     war crimes in Syria, and the benefits derived by the 
     Government of the Russian Federation or the Government of 
     Iran.
       (b) Scope.--The initial report required by subsection (a) 
     shall address the period beginning on January 1, 2021, and 
     ending on the date of the enactment of this Act, and each 
     subsequent report shall address the one-year period following 
     the conclusion of the scope of the prior report.
       (c) Form.--Each report under subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in an unclassified form, but may contain a 
     classified annex. The unclassified section of such a report 
     shall be made publicly available on a website of the United 
     States Federal Government.
       (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this section, 
     the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the 
     Judiciary, the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee 
     on Appropriations, and the Permanent Select Committee on 
     Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     the Judiciary, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
     Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Select 
     Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
       (e) Covered Transaction Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``covered transaction'' means a transaction, including an 
     investment, grant, contract, or donation (including a loan or 
     other extension of credit)--
       (1) by a foreign person located in Turkey, the United Arab 
     Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, the 
     Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, or 
     Lebanon; to
       (2) a recipient in any area of Syria held by the Assad 
     regime.

     SEC. 5. REPORTS ON MANIPULATION OF UNITED NATIONS BY ASSAD 
                   REGIME IN SYRIA.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary 
     of State, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
     the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations of the Senate a report on the manipulation of the 
     United Nations by the regime led by Bashar al-Assad in Syria 
     (in this section referred to as the ``Assad regime''), 
     including--
       (1) a description of conditions, both explicit and 
     implicit, set by the Assad regime with respect to United 
     Nations operations in Syria including with respect to 
     implementing partners, hiring practices, allocation of grants 
     and contracts, and procurement of goods and services;
       (2) a description of the extent to which the United Nations 
     has rejected or otherwise opposed any of the conditions 
     described in paragraph (1);
       (3) an identification of officials or employees of the 
     United Nations (including funds, programs and specialized 
     agencies of the United Nations) with ties to the Assad 
     regime, including family ties, or persons designated for 
     sanctions by United Nations donor countries;
       (4) a full account of access restrictions imposed by the 
     Assad regime and the overall impact on the ability of the 
     United Nations to deliver international assistance to target 
     beneficiaries in areas outside regime control;
       (5) a description of ways in which United Nations aid 
     improperly benefits the Assad regime and its associates in 
     defiance of basic humanitarian principles;
       (6) a description of the due diligence mechanisms and 
     vetting procedures in place to ensure entities contracted by 
     the United Nations to ensure goods, supplies, or services 
     provided to Syria do not have links to the Assad regime, 
     known human rights abusers, or persons designated for 
     sanctions by United Nations donor countries;
       (7) an identification of entities affiliated with the Assad 
     regime, including the Syria Trust for Development and the 
     Syrian Arab Red Crescent, foreign government ministries, and 
     private corporations owned or controlled directly or 
     indirectly by the Assad regime, that have received United 
     Nations funding, contracts, or grants or have otherwise 
     entered into a formalized partnership with the United 
     Nations;
       (8) an assessment of how the Assad regime sets arbitrary or 
     punitive exchange rates to extract funding from the United 
     Nations, as well as the total amount extracted by such means;
       (9) an assessment of the degree to which the various forms 
     of manipulation described in this section has resulted in 
     compromises of the humanitarian principles of humanity, 
     neutrality, impartiality, and independence of the United 
     Nations; and
       (10) a strategy to reduce the ability of the Assad regime 
     to manipulate or otherwise influence the United Nations and 
     other aid operations in Syria and ensure United States and 
     international aid is delivered in a neutral and impartial 
     manner consistent with basic humanitarian principles.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Lawler) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3202, the Assad 
Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023. I want to begin by thanking my 
colleague and friend,   Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who is the 
chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on the Middle 
East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
  This legislation is critically important. It has been almost 13 years 
since Bashar al-Assad unleashed his brutal war on the Syrian people. 
Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have died because of the Assad 
regime's unrelenting brutality. This is a regime that, with support 
from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, tortures men, women, and children at 
an unthinkable scale.
  These crimes are undeniable. We have eyewitnesses, survivor testimony 
of Assad's cruelty from Caesar, who was forced to photograph dead 
bodies from the Gravedigger, who was forced to dig mass graves for 
those who were brutally murdered.

                              {time}  1700

  The Assad regime has repeatedly used chemical weapons against the 
Syrian people. Just this past November, a court in France found 
sufficient evidence to issue an international arrest warrant for 
Assad's complicity in war crimes specifically linked to his use of 
chemical weapons.
  Assad is a murderer, a war criminal, and the head of a narco-state 
now that Syria is a hub for illicit Captagon production and 
trafficking. Yet, shockingly, we have seen some countries downplay 
these abhorrent crimes against humanity and welcome Assad's Syria back 
into the community of nations.
  Let me be clear. There can be no normalization with the Assad regime. 
This regime will never change, and Assad and his backers' hands are 
soaked with the blood of the Syrian people. That is why, today, we are 
considering this bill to ensure there is justice for the Syrian people 
who continue to suffer under the

[[Page H563]]

Assad regime and his Russian and Iranian backers.
  This legislation amends the Caesar Act to ensure full and robust 
implementation by the executive branch of mandatory sanctions targeting 
the Assad regime and its backers. It also expands the scope of 
sanctionable activity to cover more crimes, including stealing 
humanitarian aid and property. Further, it codifies United States 
policy to oppose recognition of Assad, and it requires a strategy to 
counter creeping normalization with Assad by other countries.
  This bill also increases transparency around the Assad regime's 
manipulation of the U.N. system and theft of U.N. aid meant for the 
Syrian people. Also, crucially, this bill reauthorizes the Caesar Act 
ahead of that foundational legislative statutory expiration later this 
year.
  The Syrian people have suffered the brutality of this criminal regime 
and its backers for far too long. The world cannot simply excuse Assad 
or his backers' crimes because it is convenient. We have seen the 
consequences of this play out in Ukraine at devastating cost. We must 
hold the regime and its Russian and Iranian backers accountable, and 
that is exactly what this bill will do.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                                                 January 30, 2024.
     Hon. Jim Jordan,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
     Washington. DC.
       Dear Chairman Jordan: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from 
     further consideration of H.R. 3202, the Assad Regime Anti-
     Normalization Act of 2023, so that the measure may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House floor.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of 
     your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives 
     on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would 
     support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate 
     number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate 
     conference on this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on this bill into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration. I appreciate 
     your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward 
     to continuing to work together as this measure moves through 
     the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                Michael T. McCaul,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                                 January 11, 2024.
     Hon. Michael McCaul,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman McCaul: I write regarding H.R. 3202, the 
     Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023. Provisions of 
     this bill fall within the Judiciary Committee's Rule X 
     jurisdiction, and I appreciate that you consulted with us on 
     those provisions. The Judiciary Committee agrees that it 
     shall be discharged from further consideration of the bill so 
     that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.
       The Committee takes this action with the understanding that 
     forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in 
     any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any 
     future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their 
     subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment 
     of an appropriate number of conferees in the event of a 
     conference with the Senate involving this measure or similar 
     legislation.
       I ask that you please include this letter in your 
     committee's report to accompany this legislation or insert 
     this letter in the Congressional Record during consideration 
     of H.R. 3202 on the House floor. I appreciate the cooperative 
     manner in which our committees have worked on this matter, 
     and I look forward to working collaboratively in the future 
     on matters of shared jurisdiction. Thank you for your 
     attention to this matter.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Jim Jordan,
                                                         Chairman.

  Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, and I rise in support of H.R. 3202, the Assad Regime Anti-
Normalization Act of 2023.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to support this bipartisan legislation 
introduced by my dear friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the 
Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, Representative   Joe 
Wilson of South Carolina.
  First, it is with deep sadness that I note that it has been over 13 
years since the Syrian people first rose up for their basic rights and 
have subsequently endured brutal assaults by Assad's Russian- and 
Iranian-backed military year after year. The Assad regime has 
unceasingly engaged in a campaign of violence against the Syrian 
people, committing what has amounted to countless war crimes and the 
most egregious violations of international humanitarian law.
  As we consider this bill today, it is critical we acknowledge that 
the war has resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 Syrians and more 
than 8 million displaced. The regime continues to regularly target 
hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians 
face bleak prospects for the future.
  It is in this context we consider this bill, which responds to moves 
by some governments to look past these atrocities and re-admit the 
Assad regime into international institutions. The Biden administration 
has opposed efforts to reengage with the Assad regime and continues to 
highlight ongoing crimes against the Syrian people.
  I stand with the administration and those who believe Assad must be 
held accountable. I am glad that members of both parties have stood 
together to publicly condemn the welcoming of the Assad regime back 
into the Arab League.
  As we condemn such actions and stand with the Syrian people, I also 
support the Biden administration's efforts to provide the Syrian people 
with vital, lifesaving humanitarian assistance to assist in the 
recovery from multiple earthquakes last year and Assad's continued 
military assaults.
  Therefore, I support this measure, which I hope will discourage other 
states from overlooking Assad's crimes, and which makes it U.S. policy 
not to recognize an Assad-led Syrian Government.
  This bill also expands targeted sanctions against the Assad regime 
while preserving important humanitarian exemptions and provisions.
  The bill includes a bipartisan amendment, which passed unopposed in 
the committee, that refines the sanctions provisions so as not to 
impinge on legitimate humanitarian aid efforts to the Syrian people.
  Finally, this bill mandates greater scrutiny of the Assad regime's 
diversion of international aid for its own benefit and at the expense 
of the Syrian people.
  I thank my friend, Representative Wilson, as well as Chairman McCaul 
and Ranking Member Meeks for their work on this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, and 
the author of this bill.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, distinguished graduate 
of Columbia College, I am very grateful to be here with Congressman 
Mike Lawler.
  It has been 13 years since the Syrian revolution, where pro-democracy 
demonstrators peacefully gathered to express against the corrupt and 
murderous regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad. People carrying roses and 
shouting ``peaceful, peaceful'' were met with unspeakable atrocities. 
There was merciless scale slaughter, systematic rape, ultimately 
chemical warfare used against the people of Syria, as we saw when 
President Donald Trump acted so quickly to try to address the 
atrocities of chemical warfare. We had the devastating bombardment and 
the killing of so many civilians that the United Nations had stopped 
counting at over half a million innocent civilians.
  Assad did not act alone. His ability to kill opposition and regain 
territory was made possible by the support of like-minded war criminals 
and kleptocrats like war criminal Putin and the Iranian regime, both of 
which benefit from their alliance with Assad.
  Assad has displaced over half the population of Syria. That is nearly 
10 million people in a country of 20 million. Sadly, families have been 
living in refugee camps for over a decade. They have lost their homes, 
their businesses, their religious institutions, their schools--multiple 
generations had worked together to build such a successful country, as 
was Syria.
  I am grateful that this bipartisan bill affirms the United States' 
policy of non-normalization of the brutal Assad regime. It holds those 
seeking to do

[[Page H564]]

business with the unrepentant, mass murderer and drug trafficker, 
Bashar al-Assad, accountable.
  It also includes comprehensive transparency mechanisms to prevent 
U.N. funding from being diverted or stolen to the regime while 
including robust protections of humanitarian assistance.
  Assad continues his reign of terror against the people of Syria, with 
help from war criminal Putin and the regime in Tehran, while 
destabilizing the region and trafficking the destructive Captagon drug, 
which is now reaching Europe, and with Chinese providing drugs to 
Africa to destroy families.
  The unconditional welcoming of mass murderer Assad into the Arab 
League, which we so appreciate the Arab League itself, was disgraceful. 
To do business with Assad is a normalization of death and depravity, in 
contrast to the moral standards of American allies who are members of 
the Arab League.
  The passage of this bill is a testament to the work of the Syrian 
Americans, many of whom are survivors of torture at the hands of the 
regime. All of them have lost a loved one.
  I am grateful to Speaker   Mike Johnson, Chairman  Mike McCaul, 
Ranking Member  Greg Meeks, as well as staff, Gabriella Zach, Omar 
Hossino, and Stephanie Pendarvis, along with the Syrian-American 
patriots who are in the gallery today, who have worked to bring this 
bipartisan bill to the floor.
  I am also grateful to be working with my good friend, Congresswoman 
Kathy Manning of my sister State of North Carolina, and also 
Congressman Mike Lawler of New York.
  To the Syrian people: You are not forgotten and you will never be 
forgotten. Your country has a rich history of democracy. We will 
continue to stand for a free and democratic Syria against the dictators 
with rule of gun who are invading democracies with rule of law.
  Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Hill), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and vice 
chairman of the Committee on Financial Services.
  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for 
yielding, and I thank my good friend from South Carolina.
  Madam Speaker, I stand in full support of   Joe Wilson's good bill to 
counter the butcher, Assad. The gentleman from South Carolina and I 
spent a great deal in 2023 traveling the Middle Eastern region talking 
to our partners in the Arab world, warning them of the consequences of 
readmitting Assad back into the Arab League.
  While official U.S. policy does not support normalization with Assad, 
we have U.S. Government officials, like Brett McGurk and Assistant 
Secretary Barbara Leaf, watering down that position of U.S. policy, 
encouraging Arab countries to ``get what you can for normalization.''
  What did we get?
  Madam Speaker, we got more war. The Arab countries said: Let's cut 
out Captagon trade and drugs. Let's return refugees from Jordan and 
Turkiye and Lebanon back to Syria. Let's eliminate Iranian influence in 
Syria.
  Madam Speaker, did we get those things?
  No.
  That is why this bill to counter normalization is so important, 
because Syria, for the American people, is a giant aircraft carrier for 
terrorism--Israel being attacked from Syria, Iraq being attacked from 
Syria, Americans killed because of attacks from Syria.
  Madam Speaker, I support Mr. Wilson's bill, and I urge my colleagues 
to support it.
  Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am 
prepared to close.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
West Virginia (Mr. Mooney).
  Mr. MOONEY. Madam Speaker, 13 years ago, the Syrian people took to 
the streets demanding basic rights such as freedom of speech, freedom 
of democratic elections, things which many Americans, frankly, take for 
granted these days.
  They also demanded an end to the Assad dictatorship. Assad responded 
with extreme brutality, including use of chemical weapons, such as 
sarin gas.
  I am honored to represent the proud and patriotic Syrian-American 
community in West Virginia. I rise today to support this bipartisan 
legislation which will hold the Assad regime accountable for its crimes 
against the Syrian people.
  Unlike President Trump, President Biden has refused to enforce the 
congressionally mandated sanctions. For example, President Biden has 
allowed countries in the Middle East to normalize relations, such as 
waiving sanctions for countries in the region to make energy agreements 
with Syria. The Assad regime should not be allowed to normalize, and it 
should not be recognized by the United States.
  Syrian Americans, like many immigrants, work hard. They come here and 
defend their communities. They want peace and freedom around the world, 
things we all support. It is important for America to take leadership 
in this regard.
  My mother fled a Communist country, Cuba, and that country, to this 
day, is still oppressed by the Communist brutal dictator there, who 
will just beat you up if they disagree with you. This is a good time to 
stand in support of the people and freedom and stand up against the 
brutal Assad dictatorship.
  Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
for the purpose of closing.
  We cannot overlook the Assad regime's atrocities against the Syrian 
people. Allowing the regime back into international organizations would 
do just that.

                              {time}  1715

  I support the administration's work to hold the Assad regime 
accountable and believe this bill reinforces the administration's 
efforts by making it U.S. policy not to recognize an Assad-led Syrian 
Government, discourages other nations from doing so, and expands 
targeted sanctions on the regime.
  Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting H.R. 
3202, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I thank   Joe Wilson of South Carolina, the chairman 
of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Subcommittee of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee for his leadership on this bill.
  When the Assad regime's war against the Syrian people began, the 
American people saw daily images of the regime's cruel abuses. As often 
happens, the news cycles change and stories slip from the front page, 
and then are rarely covered at all; however, it does not mean that the 
regime has changed or reformed or ceased.
  The same butchers who gassed and tortured children are still running 
Syria, and they are continuing their brutality. It is vital that the 
United States maintain its policy of no normalization or we will be 
giving a green light to dictators around the world that they can wait 
out accountability for their crimes. Attention will shift, and they can 
stay in power, and that would be a death knell for human rights and 
international norms and standards.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in voting for H.R. 3202, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3202, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LAWLER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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