[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11969]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        POW/MIA SELECT COMMITTEE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, the fourth line in the Warrior Ethos reads: 
``I will never leave a fallen comrade.'' Every soldier who passes 
through Army basic training knows this motto, and truly it is the 
spirit of our entire military.
  Currently, more than 75,000 Americans are unaccounted for from 
conflicts ranging from World War II to the war on terror. We must 
continue to vindicate the spirit of the Warrior Ethos and aid our 
military to make sure that we never leave any servicemembers behind, 
which is why I am cosponsoring a resolution for the creation of a 
Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs in the House.
  This select committee will be responsible for investigating these 
unaccounted for servicemembers and finally bring peace of mind and 
closure to their families.
  So, Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that we not abandon this 
obligation and that we help our brave servicemembers never leave behind 
a fallen comrade.


                    Ending Unnecessary Shark Finning

  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, sharks are being killed 30 percent faster 
than they are able to reproduce, which is having a serious impact on 
our ocean's ecosytem. One contributor to this decline is an inhumane 
practice that is known as ``finning.''
  Finning is the removal of the fins from a shark and, often times, is 
done while the shark is still alive. These fins are mostly used for 
shark fin soup, which is a traditional soup seen in many Asian 
countries. After harvesting the fins, these sharks are thrown back into 
the ocean, where they are left to die from suffocation, blood loss, or 
be killed by other predators, since they have no way of having an 
opportunity to defend themselves.
  That is why I am cosponsoring the Shark Fins Elimination Act, which 
will make it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins, unless the 
shark was lawfully taken with a license or permit. This bipartisan 
effort will protect the fragility of our ocean wildlife and prevent 
these cruel practices.

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