[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 126 (Thursday, August 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 805--COMMEMORATING THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
   MURDER OF JAMES WRIGHT FOLEY AND CALLING FOR THE MORAL COURAGE TO 
  PRIORITIZE THE RETURN OF AMERICANS HELD CAPTIVE ABROAD AND TAKE ALL 
 NECESSARY EFFORTS TO DETER INTERNATIONAL HOSTAGE TAKING AND ARBITRARY 
                               DETENTION

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Mr. Graham) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 805

       Whereas James W. Foley was an American freelance 
     journalist, an author, teacher and humanitarian from New 
     Hampshire;
       Whereas James dedicated his career to robust, independent, 
     and compassionate journalism that took him to war zones and 
     classrooms alike;
       Whereas, upon his return after being detained for six weeks 
     in Libya, James said, ``for some reason I have physical 
     courage, but, that's nothing compared to moral courage. If I 
     don't have the moral courage to challenge authority, to write 
     about things that might have reprisals on my career, if I 
     don't have that moral courage, we don't have journalism'';
       Whereas, on November 22, 2012, James was kidnapped while 
     reporting on the conflict in northern Syria;
       Whereas, on August 19, 2014, James Wright Foley was 
     publicly beheaded by ISIS, his death then used as propaganda 
     to recruit for jihad against the United States of America;
       Whereas, on September 4, 2014, the James W. Foley Legacy 
     Foundation was established to inspire the moral courage 
     needed to secure the freedom of Americans taken captive 
     abroad, prevent future hostage-taking, and promote journalist 
     safety;
       Whereas the Foley Foundation participated in the National 
     Counter Terrorism Center task force, ordered by President 
     Barack Obama to evaluate United States hostage policy and 
     engagement with families of those held captive;
       Whereas, on June 24, 2015, President Obama issued 
     Presidential Policy Directive 30, which committed to 
     ``achieving the safe and rapid recovery of U.S. nationals 
     taken hostage outside the United States'' and established the 
     current United States hostage enterprise, which includes the 
     Hostage Response Group (HRG) at the National Security 
     Council, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs 
     (SPEHA), and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell (HRFC) that 
     together pursue recovery strategies, support returned 
     hostages and families of current hostages, and coordinate the 
     use of diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligence, and 
     military capabilities to resolve international hostage-
     takings;
       Whereas the Foley Foundation has worked since 2014, in 
     collaboration with the United States Government's hostage 
     enterprise and families of United States nationals taken 
     hostage abroad by terrorists or criminals and those 
     wrongfully detained by nation states to help reunite 
     families;
       Whereas, in 2019, after negotiating the release of a United 
     States citizen wrongfully detained in Iran, President Trump 
     reiterated that ``the highest priority of the United States 
     is the safety and well-being of its citizens. Freeing 
     Americans held captive is of vital importance to my 
     Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring 
     home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas.'';
       Whereas, since 2019, the Foley Foundation has annually 
     published research in the ``Bringing Americans Home'' report, 
     which evaluates the experiences of American families with a 
     loved one held captive abroad, returned hostages and 
     detainees, and government and nongovernment experts;
       Whereas, in December 2020, Congress passed, and President 
     Trump reaffirmed the United States commitment to bringing 
     home American citizens by signing into law the Robert 
     Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability 
     Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) to prioritize and provide 
     assistance to Americans wrongfully detained abroad and to 
     their family members;
       Whereas, in September 2021, Alexanda Kotey pleaded guilty 
     to eight counts of kidnapping, torture, and accessory to 
     murder of four Americans, including James Wright Foley, Kayla 
     Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff, and Peter Edward Kassig;
       Whereas, on August 19, 2022, the Department of Justice 
     convicted former British jihadist, El Shafee ElSheik in 
     Federal Court in the Southern District of Virginia for the 
     kidnapping, torture, and murder of Americans Sotloff, Kassig, 
     Mueller, and Foley, as well as three British citizens;
       Whereas, under Democratic and Republican presidents, the 
     United States has successfully freed more than 120 Americans 
     from unjust captivity abroad;
       Whereas President Joe Biden's July 2022 Executive Order 
     14078 (relating to bolstering efforts to bring hostages and 
     wrongfully detained United States nationals home) declared 
     that hostage taking and the wrongful detention of United 
     States nationals constitute an unusual and extraordinary 
     threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy 
     of the United States; and
       Whereas the targeting of United States nationals for use as 
     political pawns by nation states is a grave threat to the 
     security of United States nationals traveling abroad, seeks 
     to hold the United State Government hostage, and strains 
     international stability: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) stands with all those who have been taken hostage or 
     wrongfully detained, those who have been released, and the 
     families and friends who fight for their freedom;
       (2) prioritizes the return of all innocent United States 
     nationals targeted for kidnapping or wrongful detention 
     abroad and will continue to take the necessary steps to deter 
     our adversaries from using Americans as tools for their 
     geopolitical ambitions;
       (3) acknowledges the need to urgently work with allies and 
     partners to develop a coordinated approach to deter and 
     prevent international hostage-taking;
       (4) condemns the practice of targeting and wrongfully 
     detaining Americans in order to threaten American sovereignty 
     and interfere with United States foreign policy;
       (5) supports efforts to ensure that the United States 
     Government hostage enterprise is properly resourced and 
     authorized to address the evolving dynamic of hostage-taking 
     and wrongful detention, including through the Hostage 
     Response Group at the National Security Council, the Hostage 
     Recovery Fusion Cell, the Special Presidential Envoy for 
     Hostage Affairs, and supporting departments and agencies to 
     speed the safe return of United States nationals held hostage 
     abroad and deter future hostage-taking;
       (6) commends the personnel, past and present, of the 
     hostage enterprise who have endeavored to faithfully execute 
     the mission of recovering Americans unjustly held captive 
     abroad; and
       (7) recognizes August 19, 2014, as a solemn remembrance of 
     the national security threat posed by maligned captors and 
     its sacred obligation to protect United States nationals 
     abroad from being taken captive unjustly.

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