Andy Barr

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to honor a legendary Kentuckian, Roy Kidd. He was a renowned football coach at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky and he passed away on September 12, 2023. Coach Kidd was born in Corbin, Kentucky on December 4, 1931. He was a star athlete at Corbin High School, playing 3 sports. He attended Eastern Kentucky University, where he was an outstanding quarterback and also played center fielder. His coaching career began at the high school level where he coached from 1955 to 1961. He entered the college coaching ranks at Morehead State University and moved to EKU one year later. Coach Kidd served as head football coach for thirty-nine years, retiring in 2002. He amassed an outstanding record, winning over 300 games, with two I-AA national titles and two runner-up titles. Coach Kidd's teams had 25 consecutive winning seasons. He was twice named the NCAA Division I-AA National Coach of the Year and received the prestigious American Football Coaches Association's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. Coach Kidd was well respected and beloved by his former players. He was a staunch ambassador for his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University. His impact on the university was significant, resulting in the football stadium being renamed Roy Kidd Stadium in his honor and the street in front of the stadium named Roy and Sue Kidd Way. He was a member of the EKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni, the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame, the OVC Hall of Fame, and the Madison County Sports Hall of Fame. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association's highest football award is named the Roy Kidd Award. Coach Kidd is survived by his wife Sue. They were married for 62 years and have 3 children, six grandchildren, and four great- grandchildren. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Richmond. Roy Kidd was highly respected as a coach and a leader throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He was a man who of integrity who contributed greatly to his players by the lessons he taught both on and off the football field. I am honored to lift up his contributions to Kentucky before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exemplary Kentuckian, former Governor Brereton Chandler Jones. He was born in Ohio on June 27, 1939, and was raised in West Virginia. Mr. Jones passed away on September 18, 2023. He will long be remembered for his contributions to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and to the thoroughbred horse industry. Mr. Jones was raised on a West Virginia dairy farm. A star football player and class valedictorian, he went on to attend the University of Virginia, where he played football and graduated in 1961. At the age of 25, he was the youngest person ever elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates and served there until 1968. Mr. Jones met his wife Libby on a trip to Kentucky's Keeneland racetrack and they were married in 1970. They had two children, Lucy and Brereton, Jr. (Bret). The family moved to Woodford County, Kentucky in 1972 and established Airdrie Stud. The farm grew from 350 acres to its current size of over 2,500 acres and is internationally recognized for its horses. A leader in the thoroughbred industry, Mr. Jones chaired the Kentucky Thoroughbred Commission and served as treasurer of the Breeders Cup. Mr. Jones founded the Kentucky Equine Education Project in 2004 and served as KEEP's chair until 2011. Mr. Jones was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1987 and in 1991 he became Kentucky's 58th governor. His administration highlights included strengthening ethics laws, streamlining state government, and passing health care reform. He advocated for an amendment to the state constitution which allowed governors to succeed themselves once, but he exempted himself from the succession provision. Other accomplishments included increasing funding for state parks and phasing out the state inheritance tax. Governor Jones was a highly respected leader in the political realm in Frankfort and was also well-respected in the thoroughbred industry. He was a man who led with ingenuity and integrity. Brereton C. Jones was a true leader, and I am humbled to honor his contributions to Kentucky and to the Nation before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exemplary Kentuckian, Robert M. ``Mike'' Duncan. Mike was born in Oneida, Tennessee but came to Kentucky as a boy, where his father was a storekeeper in McCreary County. He is a graduate of the University of the Cumberlands and, in 1974, earned a degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Mike Duncan has a distinguished list of professional, political, and personal accomplishments. People that know Mike Duncan will agree that he is an honorable man with a genuine love for his fellow Kentuckians and for this great Nation. Mike has served as Chair, President, and CEO of the Inez Deposit Bank. He has served as president of the Kentucky Bankers Association and as a Director of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank's Cincinnati Branch. He is chair of the Board of Trustees of Alice Lloyd College. Always passionate about education, Mike has been a mentor to numerous students over the years. He has served as chair of the Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY and as a trustee of the Christian Appalachian Project. In 2012, he became the President and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a non-profit advocacy group. At the federal level, Mike served our country as Assistant Director of Public Liaison under President George H. W. Bush. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him to the President's Commission of White House Fellows. Bush also nominated Mike to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board where he served as chair in 2009 and 2010. He also served as a member and former chair of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service beginning in 2018. Mike began his political career as a driver for Bob Gable. He has gone on to serve in numerous political campaigns and has been a delegate to 10 Republican National Conventions. He served the Republican National Committee as treasurer and general counsel from 2002 until 2007, when he was elected as Chairman. He was first elected as Kentucky's National Committeeman to the RNC in 1992, a position that he has held since that time. Mike Duncan has been a leader in banking, in education, in federal service, and in the political arena. He is a man who leads with dignity, character, and selflessness. Mike Duncan is a true servant leader and I am humbled to honor his contributions to Kentucky and to the Nation before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Coach Alvis Johnson, Jr. of Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Coach Johnson, born in 1947, grew up in rural Christian County, Kentucky as the son of a sharecropper. He attended Western Kentucky University, where he played football and earned a master's degree in secondary education. He and his wife Rosetta moved to Harrodsburg in 1973 where he taught history, served as athletics director, and coached football as well as boys' and girls' track and field. He served there until 1997, where he was well-respected in the classroom and on the athletics fields. He led the boys track and field team to 4 state championships; the girls track and field to one state championship, and the football team to 3 state runner-up titles. Coach Johnson was a mentor and role model to his students, his fellow teachers, and his athletes. The football and track and field stadium is named in his honor. Johnson had over 50 athletes that went on to compete at the Division 1 level, including his sons, Dennis and Derrick who are now football coaches at Woodford County High School. Coach Johnson went on to serve for 8 years as an assistant athletics director at the University of Kentucky. Coach Johnson served on the KHSAA Board of Control and led as president in 1991. He was elected to the National Federation of High School Athletics' board of directors in 1992 and became that board's president in 1994, the first African American to do so. He served on the Kentucky Board of Education from 2019-2022. Johnson was inducted into the Kentucky Track and Cross-Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's Dawahare's/ KHSAA Hall of Fame. He was named the state high school track coach of the year 8 times and, in 1977, was named the Kellogg Corporation National Track Coach of the Year. He was twice named the state football coach of the year. Johnson also received the Disney's American Teacher Award in 1996. Coach Johnson was a member and longtime deacon at Centennial Baptist Church. He was active in the United Way and many other community groups. Coach Johnson had a positive impact on thousands of lives over his career as a teacher and coach. He showed genuine care and concern for people and his legacy lives on. This legendary man who was a mentor to many passed away on July 15, 2023. I am humbled to honor the memory of Coach Alvis Johnson, Jr. before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an exceptional man, Catesby Woodford Clay, of Paris, Kentucky, who today is celebrating his 100th birthday and a lifetime of leadership in the fields of natural resources and Thoroughbred racehorses. A staunch philanthropist, Mr. Clay has devoutly practiced his Catholic faith with his wife, Elizabeth ``Biz'' Clay, while raising 8 children and shepherding 15 grandchildren into the future. Although known by friends for his mischievous levity and penchant for boldly-colored clothes, Mr. Clay has been a most serious achiever. For over 73 years, he served Kentucky River Coal Corp, and its successor, Kentucky River Properties, in many roles, including president and board chairman. Kentucky River Properties has risen as a major regional operation with extensive coal reserves and more than 140,000 acres of Appalachian hardwood forests. Yet it is the welfare of people that has always been a top priority for Mr. Clay. He championed corporate charitable efforts that resulted in millions of dollars in contributions and scholarships for Kentucky colleges and public school systems, in addition to the establishment of an endowment fund for nursing scholarships and funding for drug addiction treatment. As the scion of a prominent family whose roots extend throughout the annals of Kentucky, he was the third generation to run historic Runnymede Farm, birthplace of 4 Kentucky Derby winners including this year's victor Mage. Mr. Clay bred top racehorses over 7 decades that won major races in Europe and Asia in addition to North America. Beyond forging an international reputation for elite horses, Mr. Clay served as a member of the Kentucky Racing Commission and as a 45-year stalwart on Churchill Downs' board of directors. He was feted as the 2009 Honored Guest by the Thoroughbred Club of America. A graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, Mr. Clay has generously supported Catholic missions from Kentucky to Africa and Asia. His son, Catesby ``Chris'' Jr., followed his spiritual path to become an ordained priest. Thus, I am honored to recognize Catesby Woodford Clay on his 100th birthday for his gentlemanly stewardship of a unique family heritage, his devotion to charitable causes, and his lifetime of success while committed to faith and family.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Jesse Commasel Tull, Sr. Mr. Tull fought for freedom as a soldier in the United States Colored Troops as a member of Company C, 119th U.S. Colored Infantry. Tull's Company C was 1 of 8 U.S. Colored Troops regiments assigned to various locations in Kentucky, including Camp Nelson, located in Jessamine County near the Kentucky River. Attaining the rank of Sargent, Tull performed guard, garrison, and recruitment duties at various points across Kentucky. He helped to enlist and emancipate many men and their families and thus aided his country to ultimate victory in the Civil War. In addition to his important military service, Mr. Tull became a Reverend in Jessamine County, ministering to many believers. He organized the Historic First Baptist Church of Camp Nelson, Ky. This church, located at the Camp Nelson Refugee Camp where soldiers' wives and children lived, was 1 of 3 African American churches organized in the area to minister to African Americans in their transition from slavery to freedom. Sgt./Rev. Jesse C. Tull served his country as a soldier and served God as a preacher. His descendants include his great grandson the Rev. R.P. Gates, Sr., current pastor of the Historic First Baptist Church at Camp Nelson. Rev. Gates has helped keep the story of Jesse C. Tull alive as he is remembered as an important part of our Nation's history. I am humbled to honor the memory of Sgt./Rev. Jesse C. Tull, Sr. before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1684) to require the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti and impose sanctions on political and economic elites involved in such criminal activities, as amended.

Mr. BARR. Mr. 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.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, prolonged political instability, exceptionally high poverty levels, a resurgence of cholera, food insecurity, a paralyzed economy and crippling inflation prices, continuous devastating natural disasters, lack of access to adequate healthcare, and distressing levels of insecurity--these are the ongoing crises facing the people of Haiti. Tragically, they are being made worse by corrupt oligarchs and political elites in the country who use gangs as a tool to advance their personal interests and gain power. Those lawless gangs are responsible for an exponential rise in violence and horrific human rights abuses. They are wreaking havoc against an already vulnerable population. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from New York, Ranking Member Meeks, who worked with Chairman McCaul and their bipartisan cosponsors to help confront those predators with this bill. This bill ensures that the Secretary of State will impose sanctions on Haiti's economic and political elite responsible for mobilizing these gangs to carry out their dirty work which has unleashed violence with no end in sight. The bill also requires annual reports to Congress on the ties between these gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti. To help the Haitian people restore democratic order, we must hold corrupt elites accountable for the violence they are instigating. Prohibiting these criminals from traveling to and operating in the United States is an important step in that direction. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, June 15, 2023. Hon. Michael McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McCaul: I write regarding H.R. 1684, the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency 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. 1684 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.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, what is going on in the nation of Haiti is a human tragedy. I again thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) for leading this bipartisan bill, which, as he eloquently described, would require the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti, thereby enabling the Secretary of State to identify and impose sanctions on political and economic elites with links to criminal gangs. Hopefully, that effort would improve the conditions that the people of Haiti are going through right now. Mr. Speaker, this bill deserves our support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3203) to impose sanctions with respect to Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors, to hold Chinese officials accountable for the spread of illicit fentanyl, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, that is currently before the House. The fentanyl crisis is one that is affecting families and communities across the United States. As of 2021, 70,601 Americans died as a result of synthetic opioid overdoses. As of 2020, 82.3 percent of all opioid- involved overdoses were the result of synthetic opioids. Last year, almost 70 percent of all drug overdose deaths were caused by fentanyl-- over 100,000 American lives destroyed because of this. This has certainly impacted my home State, the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A recent drug overdose report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy reported that there was a 14.5 percent increase in overdose deaths in my home State. According to cases autopsied by the Kentucky Office of the Medical Examiner and toxicology reports submitted by Kentucky coroners, the rise in the death toll was driven largely by an increased use of fentanyl, accounting for approximately 70 percent of all overdose deaths in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Unfortunately, this scourge has spread with the help of our greatest strategic threat, the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. We know that China has historically been and remains the primary source of fentanyl in global circulation. Since the Trump administration tightened controls on the shipment of fentanyl into the United States, the CCP has adjusted their practices and begun producing precursor chemicals and outsourcing final production to cartel laboratories in Mexico to then exploit our porous southern border and poison the American people. In 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 4,800 pounds of fentanyl, or enough to kill over a billion people. Just a tiny little bit of this very deadly synthetic opioid is enough to kill. This figure more than tripled in just 2 years to 14,700 pounds in 2022. In the first 2 months of 2023, Customs and Border Protection seized 12,500 pounds. Much of this is originating from China exploiting the cartels and exploiting our open southern border. We must attack the production of fentanyl at its source by targeting the source of the precursors in China. My legislation places sanctions on Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors and holds senior government and Chinese political officials accountable for the spread of illicit fentanyl. Specifically, it amends the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to expand the definition of a foreign opioid trafficker to include any Chinese entity that produces, manufactures, distributes, sells, finances, or transports synthetic opioids or active pharmaceutical ingredients or chemicals used to produce synthetic opioids and fails to take credible steps to detect or prevent opioid trafficking, including know-your- customer procedures or cooperation with U.S. counternarcotics efforts. The expanded definition also includes any senior officials of the PRC Government or other Chinese political official who has significant regulatory or law enforcement responsibilities and fails to take credible steps to combat foreign opioid traffickers. Their culpability, the culpability of the Chinese Communist Party in this epidemic in our country, does not end when the precursor products land in Mexico or illegally cross our southern border. We must look at every step of fentanyl's deadly supply chain. This bipartisan legislation passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee by voice vote earlier this year and is a needed step to control this deadly drug. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, February 9, 2023. Hon. Patrick McHenry, Chairman, Committee on Financial Services Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McHenry: Thank you for consulting with the Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3203, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl 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 H.R. 3203 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.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his bipartisan support of this important legislation. This is a bipartisan bill for good reason, Mr. Speaker: Because China has blamed the rise in overdose deaths in the United States and illicit fentanyl in the United States on the United States. The Chinese Communist Party has refused to address its role in this crisis. While Mexico is now the principal source of illicit fentanyl and its analogues, cartels manufacture these drugs in covert laboratories with ingredients, precursor chemicals sourced largely from Communist China. China is the primary source of chemical precursors used to synthesize fentanyl and other novel synthetic opioids, and this illicit fentanyl made in Mexican labs is then smuggled into the United States across our open and unenforced southern border, making its way into communities and killing Americans, killing many Americans in my home State of Kentucky. No, Kentucky is not a border State, but Kentucky is impacted by the fact that these Chinese precursors are making their way into China and then smuggled across our southern border. This is a huge problem, and we need to hold those individuals, those Chinese Communist Party officials, accountable for this scourge, for poisoning the American people. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to defend the American people, to stop this scourge, and to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their role in this poison that is pouring across our borders. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1176) to amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 to provide that the United States, as a member of any international organizations, should oppose any attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of the organization, and for other purposes.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Taiwan, an island of democracy and stability, is a key U.S. partner facing an increasingly aggressive Chinese Communist Party. Chinese military aggression is the most visible type of coercion against Taiwan, but CCP influence is widespread. In almost every international organization, the CCP is taking over leadership positions and pushing Taiwan aside. For far too long, the CCP has employed an insidious strategic approach to suppress Taiwan's participation in the international community. The Chinese Communist Party has undermined Taiwan and spread propaganda about that democracy's ability to participate in international organizations. We cannot turn a blind eye to this assault on the very institutions we helped build after World War II. There is no clearer example of the Chinese Communist Party's nefarious tactics than their manipulation of U.N. Resolution 2758. Passed in 1971, that resolution recognized the PRC as the U.N. representative for China. It said nothing about Taiwan's U.N. representation or sovereignty, yet the CCP propaganda wrongly claims that this resolution asserts PRC representation over Taiwan. Beijing has used it as a weapon to prevent Taiwan from participating in international organizations. This resolution, which was intended to bring nations together, has instead been exploited to isolate Taiwan. We cannot allow this blatant assault on freedom to go unchallenged. Taiwan is a vibrant and thriving democracy rooted in freedom, pushing the envelope on advanced technology like semiconductors. By supporting Taiwan's participation in international organizations, we bolster our own national security, enhance regional stability, and safeguard the interests of the United States and our allies. The consequences of Beijing's actions extend far beyond Taiwan's borders. The CCP's suffocating grip prevents Taiwan from sharing its invaluable expertise in areas such as public health, technology, and humanitarian aid. For example, Taiwan is not a member of the WHO because of the CCP, but it was Taiwan that came forward at the end of 2019 with an early warning of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the CCP robbed the world of critical time needed to counter the pandemic, causing millions to die around the world. This is what happens when the CCP manipulates international organizations, and this is what happens when Taiwan is excluded from international organizations: Millions die. By supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations, we demonstrate to the CCP that we stand firm in our commitment to promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights. I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a fellow co-chair of the Taiwan Caucus, for introducing this bipartisan bill, of which I am a proud original cosponsor. H.R. 1176 will send a clear message to the CCP that we will not tolerate their attempts to suppress, delegitimize, and coerce Taiwan and its people. The Taiwan Relations Act holds that it is United States policy to maintain their capacity ``to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion. . . .'' That policy must include the stance we are taking today, to resist the Chinese Communist Party's coercive tactics at international organizations. Mr. Speaker, this bill deserves our unanimous support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Curtis), the Republican principal sponsor of this bill and author of the bill. He is a great friend to the people of Taiwan and a member of the Taiwan Caucus.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I, once again, commend my colleagues, the gentleman from Virginia and the gentleman from Utah, for their leadership in introducing the Taiwan International Solidarity Act for standing with the people of Taiwan. Obviously, Taiwan does hold some status in some regional organizations, international organizations, and it holds observer or other status in several other bodies. But Taiwan cannot participate in organizations that are key to transnational issues, such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or INTERPOL, as has been pointed out. China continues to advocate for Taiwan's exclusion in these international organizations and blocks Taiwan's participation in the United Nations. This bill would amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act, or the TAIPEI Act of 2019, to reiterate that the United States, as a member of any international organization, should oppose attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures, of international organizations. This bill encourages U.S. allies and partners to oppose the Chinese Communist efforts to undermine Taiwan's official diplomatic relationships and its partnerships with countries with which it does not maintain diplomatic relations. The bill adds an additional requirement to report to Congress on the PRC's attempts to promote its One China position in undermining Taiwan's membership or observer status in international organizations and Taiwan's ties and relationships with other countries. Mr. Speaker, I traveled to Taipei back in September of last year. This was a major topic of discussion, Taiwan's systematic exclusion from international organizations, and the coercive actions of the Chinese Communist Party in working against Taiwan being a participant in the international community. This is wrong. The United States needs to stand with the Taiwan people and the democracy, that island of democracy and stability. That is why every Member of this body should support this important legislation and stand for Taiwan's inclusion and constructive participation in international organizations. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.