[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 15058-15059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON HUMANITARIAN CRISES IN NIGERIA, 
                    SOMALIA, SOUTH SUDAN, AND YEMEN

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 115, S. Res. 114.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 114) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate on humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South 
     Sudan, and Yemen.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign 
Relations, with an amendment to strike all after the resolving clause 
and insert the part printed in italic, and with an amendment to strike 
the preamble and insert the part printed in italic, as follows:

       Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all in 
     famine, pre-famine, or at risk of famine in 2017;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the 
     Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 20,000,000 
     people are at risk of starvation this year in Nigeria, 
     Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
       Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-
     General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, 
     testified before Congress that the crisis represents ``one of 
     the most critical humanitarian issues to face mankind since 
     the end of the Second World War'' and warned that ``we are at 
     the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in 
     recent history'';
       Whereas, according to the United States Agency for 
     International Development (USAID), ``[m]ore than 5.1 million 
     people face severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 6.2 million 
     people--more than half of Somalia's total population--
     currently require urgent humanitarian assistance.'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 5.5 million 
     people--nearly half of South Sudan's population--will face 
     life threatening hunger by July.'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ``More than 
     seventeen million people--an astounding 60% of the country's 
     population--are food insecure, including seven million people 
     who are unable to survive without food assistance.'';
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund 
     (UNICEF), ``[s]ome 22 million children have been left hungry, 
     sick, displaced and out of school in the four countries'' and 
     ``Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of death this year 
     from severe malnutrition.'';
       Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions 
     are, to varying degrees, man-made and preventable--
     exacerbated by armed conflict and deliberate restrictions on 
     humanitarian access;
       Whereas parties to the conflicts, including even some 
     government forces, have harassed, attacked, and killed 
     humanitarian workers, blocked and hindered humanitarian 
     access, and continue to deprive the world's most hungry 
     people of the food they need;
       Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by OCHA, have 
     appealed for $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in 
     Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia; and
       Whereas Mr. Daccord testified before Congress on March 22, 
     2017, ``Our main message is clear: immediate, decisive action 
     is needed to prevent vast numbers of people starving to 
     death.'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,
     That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the United States should lead an urgent and 
     comprehensive international diplomatic effort to address 
     obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen that 
     are preventing humanitarian aid from being delivered to 
     millions of people who desperately need it;
       (2) the United States should encourage other governments to 
     join the United States in providing the resources necessary 
     to address the humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South 
     Sudan, and Yemen;
       (3) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South 
     Sudan, and Yemen should allow and facilitate rapid and 
     unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in 
     need and respect and protect humanitarian and medical relief 
     personnel and objects; and
       (4) the United States, working with international partners, 
     should support efforts to hold accountable those responsible 
     for deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access in 
     Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.

  Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment to 
the resolution be withdrawn; the Lee amendment at the desk be agreed 
to; the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; the amendment to the 
preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and the 
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute to the 
resolution was withdrawn.
  The amendment (No. 1103) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to, 
as follows:

   (Purpose: To recognize that charities, non-profit organizations, 
 religious organizations, and businesses of the United States have an 
           important role in addressing humanitarian crises)

       Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       It is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) an urgent and comprehensive international diplomatic 
     effort is necessary to address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, 
     South Sudan, and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid 
     from being delivered to millions of people who desperately 
     need it;
       (2) the United States should encourage other governments to 
     join in providing the resources necessary to address the 
     humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and 
     Yemen;
       (3) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South 
     Sudan, and Yemen should allow and facilitate rapid and 
     unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in 
     need and respect and protect humanitarian and medical relief 
     personnel and objects;
       (4) the United States, working with international partners, 
     should support efforts to hold accountable those responsible 
     for deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access in 
     Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen; and
       (5) the contributions of charities, non-profit 
     organizations, religious organizations, and businesses of the 
     United States have an important role in addressing 
     humanitarian crises.

     SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as a 
     declaration of war or authorization to use force.
  The resolution (S. Res. 114), as amended, was agreed to.
  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute to the 
preamble was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as 
follows:

                              S. Res. 114

       Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all in 
     famine, pre-famine, or at risk of famine in 2017;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the 
     Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 20,000,000 
     people are at risk of starvation this year in Nigeria, 
     Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
       Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-
     General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, 
     testified before Congress that the crisis represents ``one of 
     the most critical humanitarian issues to face mankind since 
     the end of the Second World War'' and warned that ``we are at 
     the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in 
     recent history'';
       Whereas, according to the United States Agency for 
     International Development (USAID), ``[m]ore than 5.1 million 
     people face severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 6.2 million 
     people--more than half of Somalia's

[[Page 15059]]

     total population--currently require urgent humanitarian 
     assistance.'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 5.5 million 
     people--nearly half of South Sudan's population--will face 
     life threatening hunger by July.'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ``More than 
     seventeen million people--an astounding 60% of the country's 
     population--are food insecure, including seven million people 
     who are unable to survive without food assistance.'';
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund 
     (UNICEF), ``[s]ome 22 million children have been left hungry, 
     sick, displaced and out of school in the four countries'' and 
     ``Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of death this year 
     from severe malnutrition.'';
       Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions 
     are, to varying degrees, man-made and preventable--
     exacerbated by armed conflict and deliberate restrictions on 
     humanitarian access;
       Whereas parties to the conflicts, including even some 
     government forces, have harassed, attacked, and killed 
     humanitarian workers, blocked and hindered humanitarian 
     access, and continue to deprive the world's most hungry 
     people of the food they need;
       Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by OCHA, have 
     appealed for $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in 
     Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia; and
       Whereas Mr. Daccord testified before Congress on March 22, 
     2017, ``Our main message is clear: immediate, decisive action 
     is needed to prevent vast numbers of people starving to 
     death.'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       It is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) an urgent and comprehensive international diplomatic 
     effort is necessary to address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, 
     South Sudan, and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid 
     from being delivered to millions of people who desperately 
     need it;
       (2) the United States should encourage other governments to 
     join in providing the resources necessary to address the 
     humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and 
     Yemen;
       (3) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South 
     Sudan, and Yemen should allow and facilitate rapid and 
     unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in 
     need and respect and protect humanitarian and medical relief 
     personnel and objects;
       (4) the United States, working with international partners, 
     should support efforts to hold accountable those responsible 
     for deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access in 
     Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen; and
       (5) the contributions of charities, non-profit 
     organizations, religious organizations, and businesses of the 
     United States have an important role in addressing 
     humanitarian crises.

     SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as a 
     declaration of war or authorization to use force.

                          ____________________