Brendan Boyle

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to reaffirm my personal and professional commitment to animal welfare issues. I also want to make clear that, had I been in Washington, D.C. and able to vote, I would have voted YES on Amendment No. 28, roll call vote 202, and NO on final passage, roll call vote 205, on May 18, 2018. While both a Pennsylvania State Representative and Member of Congress, I have continuously fought to strengthen and enforce animal welfare laws, and to extend these protections to species as new abuses come to light. As a proud member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, I have been an active voice in the fight for the humane treatment of animals. I have cosponsored legislation that prohibits egregious abuses of wild and domesticated horses (Safeguard American Food Exports Act, PAST Act), opposes the abuse of animals in research (FACT Act, Animal Welfare Accountability and Transparency Act), protects the pets of victims of domestic abuse (Pet and Women Safety Act), phases out the use of live animals in military training (Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training Practices Act), outlaws the posting of torture of animals on social media (PACT Act), and bans the breeding of orcas in captivity (Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act). I have also introduced and cosponsored legislation that would eliminate the slaughter of dogs and cats for the purpose of consumption, both domestically (Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act) and abroad (Yulin Dog Meat Festival condemnation resolution). I am proud to help lead the effort to ensure language prohibiting the dog and cat meat trade is included in the Conference Report on H.R. 2/S. 3042, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Since its introduction, H.R. 1406, the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2017, which I co-lead has garnered the support of 245 bipartisan cosponsors--and rightfully so. I have consistently fought against the King Amendment to the Farm Bill, which would undermine state and local laws intended to protect animals--and have a devastating effect on laws across a wide range of state safety and welfare concerns. I have led numerous efforts to end wasteful testing on animals among federal agencies, and to promote adoption or humane caretaking for animals used in such testing. I am also leading the House effort to close loopholes in the Endangered Species Act, our nation's bedrock conservation law, that allow for payments in lieu of conservation efforts in exchange for ``take'' permits with little-to-no transparency or accountability. On May 18, 2018, I would have voted YES on Amendment No. 28, the Roskam-Blumenauer Amendment, which would strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting by ensuring the law applies to all U.S. territories, not just the states. I vow to do all I can to ensure commonsense provisions like this are included in the Conference Report, and beyond. I certainly wish such provisions weren't necessary in the first place, but it is Congress' responsibility to act as necessary to protect and promote animal welfare and public safety.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to make clear that, had I been able to vote, I would have voted Nay on roll call vote 72, Nay on roll call vote 73, Yea on roll call vote 74, and Yea on roll call vote 75 on February 14, 2018. I cosponsor Ms. Roybal-Allard of California's bill, H.R. 3440, the Dream Act of 2017. Last September, the Trump Administration announced its shameful decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program with a six-month delay. While Republicans have continually refused to take up legislation to reform our nation's broken immigration system, the President's announcement now forces Congress to act. I join my Democratic colleagues urging Speaker Ryan and our Republican colleagues to bring H.R. 3440 to the floor in order to permanently protect DREAMers and allow them to remain here and work legally to contribute to strengthening the nation they have called home since childhood. H.R. 3542, the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act, imposes sanctions on Hamas for violating internationally recognized human rights by using civilians as human shields. The gross human rights violations committed by Hamas are numerous and well-documented. Since its takeover of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has summarily executed and tortured civilians, and continuously put the civilian population of Gaza at risk. Hamas continues to intentionally position missile launch facilities, weapon stockpiles, and fighters near mosques, hospitals, homes, and schools. The terrorist organization routinely discourages Palestinian civilians from heeding warnings from the Israeli Defense Forces regarding imminent military strikes, and in some cases has forced civilians to gather on roofs to act as human shields. This legislation is sadly necessary. I remain dedicated to addressing these issues as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and I hope the Senate acts quickly to pass H.R. 3542.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to make clear that, had I been able to vote, I would have voted NO on roll call votes 240 and 241 on June 7, 2018.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to make clear that, had I been able to vote, I would have voted Yea on roll call votes 181, 182, and 183 on May 15, 2018.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, sadly, voter turnout in the United States ranks as one of the lowest among developed democratic countries. We know that low voter turnout results in frustration, apathy, and a democracy that is not truly representative of the public. Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, there is one relatively easy way that we can address this and improve voter turnout, and that is to switch to weekend voting. Weekend voting is a proven method that increases accessibility, engagement, and turnout. The reason why we vote on Tuesday in the United States is because of a law that has existed ever since 1845. It was because we didn't want to vote on the Sabbath; it took a day to travel to the county seat; and people needed to get back home in time for market day on Wednesday. Clearly, society has changed a great deal in the last 173 years. That is why I introduced the Louise Slaughter Weekend Voting Act to officially change election day to the first weekend after the first Friday in November. Weekend voting makes sense, and our representative democracy should demand it.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, for nearly 70 years now, the United States has led the Western alliance standing up to first the Soviet Union and then Russia within the organization known as NATO. Whether the President of the United States was Democrat or Republican, Truman, Kennedy, Reagan, Bush, Obama, it made no difference. Standing up and supporting our Western European allies, standing up and supporting NATO was an absolute given and, frankly, not even a partisan issue. Yet under this President and this administration, we now have, for the first time ever in the post-World War II era, a real question about American commitment to NATO and to the Western alliance. Mr. Speaker, I urge the Trump administration to follow the bipartisan lead of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to support NATO and support our Western allies. It has underpinned peace for 70 years.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain Samuel Schultz, a Marine, who was tragically killed April 3 in a helicopter accident during a training exercise in Southern California. Captain Schultz was a six-year veteran of the Marines and third generation in his family to become a pilot. His father is a licensed civilian pilot and his grandfather Albert flew with the Army Air Force in World War II. He died doing what he loved. A native of my district, Captain Schultz was born in Abington Hospital and graduated from Abington Senior High School in 2008. He went on to college at Penn State University where he enrolled in the Navy ROTC program. After graduating in 2012, Captain Schultz chose to join the Marine Corps and was assigned to the Third Marine Aircraft Wing's 465th Squadron of Miramar Air Station in San Diego. He had also served in Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, and had also been deployed with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit in California. He is an American hero. Captain Schultz was a smart, funny, genuine young man that loved extreme sports. An annual Mummer with his older brother Eric, Samuel is also survived by his parents Julie and Mitchell. My heart goes out to his family. Captain Samuel Schultz will be missed by all. We must never forget the sacrifices he and his family have made for our country.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the #Wearinglrish social media campaign started by Margaret Molloy, and the Irish designers that will be recognized by the campaign this year. For the past two years, Molloy has been encouraging her friends and family to wear Irish clothing and jewelry during March and highlighting their fashion choices by using the hashtag #Wearinglrish. What started as a small endeavor has grown into a movement that has captured the attention of everyone from the President of Ireland to the top fashion industry leaders in New York City. She launched the Wearinglrish NYC 2018 competition this past March, which will bring Ireland's best fashion and accessory designers to the United States where they will have the opportunity to showcase their talent and gain exposure to leaders in the American fashion industry. Out of 170 applicants, 10 winners will make their way to the iconic Grand Central Terminal in New York to debut their collections. The winning brands represent the best of modern Ireland: Aine, Alison Conneely, Blaithin Ennis, De Bruir, Inner Island, Jennifer Rothwell, Natalie B. Coleman, Sands and Hall, The Tweed Project, and Triona. They should be commended for their impressive accomplishments in their field. I believe that this competition comes at an important time for the U.S.-Ireland relationship. This modem friendship is built not just on shared heritage, but also on strong commercial and economic partnership. The #Wearinglrish campaign embodies this spirit and only strengthens the bonds between our two nations. I congratulate Margaret and all of the winning designers on their efforts to make this possible. Their passion for Ireland resonates deeply with my own Irish- American heritage and embodies the forward facing, mutually beneficial relationship our two nations enjoy.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered the first sponsor of H.R. 1094, the Weekend Voting Act, a bill originally introduced by Representative Louise Slaughter of New York, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, May 14, 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel- uniting Israelis, the greater Jewish community, and supporters of Israel the world over. Seventy years of independence, vitality, strength and innovation. Since then, our two countries have developed a close friendship based on a shared dedication and enduring, constant commitment to our common values: peace, democracy, and respect for human rights. Over the past 70 years, Israel has offered invaluable contributions to the international community, including start-up companies, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity advancements, and much more. Of course, it is also a stable democracy in the world's most challenging, conflict-stricken region in the world. My home city of Philadelphia is a sister city to Tel Aviv in order to foster further cultural ties and cooperation. I have had the honor of visiting Israel several times, where I saw firsthand the strength of the Israeli people. I encourage robust engagement with Israel from all U.S. allies and governments across the globe, and will continue to do all I can to champion peace and further our shared goals.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, since 2011, Bashar Al-Assad purposely and systemically destroyed Syrian communities in order to crush political opponents and retain absolute dictatorial power, with the help of his Russian and Iranian backers. Starting as peaceful protests, the people of Syria demanded basic freedoms from the Syrian government. Of course, this was met with a harsh crackdown, prolonged conflict, and today, a humanitarian crisis. As co-chair of the Friends of a Free, Stable and Democratic Syria Caucus, I believe we in Congress must do all we can to ensure that the welfare of the Syrian people remains the top priority of our involvement in the region, and condition any engagement with the Assad regime as such. My heart goes out to every Syrian that has to monitor the skies to see what aerial attacks will be coming that day; to every child that has been robbed of their innocence--forced to leave their home and live in constant fear, denied a basic education--and to every family member left wondering if their relatives will live to see the next day. We've all seen the images in Syria. They're hard to stomach. Yet, the attacks persist. The violence and ruthlessness persist. Assad and his supporters in Russia and Iran are responsible for all of this pain and suffering. H.R. 4681, the No Assistance for Assad Act, would ensure that American assistance for reconstruction in Syria should be available in areas controlled by Assad only if the regime stops its indiscriminate use of weapons, ends attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, releases political prisoners, allows human rights organizations access to prisons, and removes senior officials complicit in human-rights abuses. If the Assad regime, Russia, and Iran continue to break Syria, this legislation makes clear they must own the responsibility for rebuilding it. U.S. policy must not allow the regime in Damascus control American dollars that are meant to rebuild the country. I was proud to introduce this critical legislation with Ranking Member Engel, Chairman Royce, and my fellow caucus co-chair, Adam Kinzinger. I thank them for their hard work on this legislation and urge passage of this timely, important legislation.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Colorado who has done such a wonderful job of organizing us, month in and month out, to stand here on the House floor, really, more than anything, in a sincere and genuine effort to attempt to prevent a constitutional crisis from happening. It is vital--not as Democrats or as Republicans, but as Americans--it is vital that we allow this special counsel investigation to continue and to reach its natural conclusions, whatever the facts may show. I certainly hope, and I believe, that all of us should hope that it won't show collusion; that it won't show anything more than what has been reported about interference in our 2016 elections. But it is vital to the integrity of our democracy and our national security that we know that for sure. Now, one would think--given the record interference, really attack, from the Russian Federation upon the United States during the 2016 election, just as they have in other country's elections, such as Germany, France, and of course repeatedly on the Ukraine--one would think that the President of the United States would say, yes, we must get to the bottom of this. Instead, this President has not once asked his staff--as far as we know, and as has been verified by folks like the Director of the DNI and the Director of the CIA--has not once made it the mission of the U.S. to combat this interference. That is worrying. We also know now that on two separate occasions, the President has seriously considered firing the special counsel. That is exactly what President Nixon did in October of 1973, what has been called the Saturday Night Massacre, that prompted a constitutional crisis then. It would prompt a constitutional crisis today. Now, the President keeps calling the Mueller investigation a witch hunt, which is interesting because that is the exact term that President Nixon used. And if you look at headlines from that day, it was exactly the same term Nixon used. But the President calls it a witch hunt and says it hasn't produced anything. So far, the investigation of the special counsel has produced 17 indictments, including 5 guilty pleas--some witch hunt. I don't think those 17 individuals under indictment consider that a witch hunt and, certainly, the 5 individuals who have already pled guilty, including one who worked in this White House. So I will pause there, because I know there are a number of our colleagues who want to speak on this important issue. This is something that should unite us all. I am appreciative to those Republican colleagues, especially in the Senate, who have spoken out publicly and say that they support the Mueller investigation and support the independence and integrity of it, but it is time that we don't just say that we support it. I do think it is time that we have legislation that protects it so that we can ensure that this investigation will reach its natural conclusion.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me this time. Last week when I saw the vote calendar for this week and I saw on it was a schedule to vote on the balanced budget amendment, I actually laughed out loud. I assumed that it was surely a joke, because there is no way the Republican majority, just a few months after voting for a $1.9 trillion tax cut that would add more to the national debt than any other single vote in my lifetime, surely they wouldn't have the nerve to come back a few months later and, with a straight face, be pushing a balanced budget amendment. Yet it turns out it wasn't a joke. Here we are. Mr. Speaker, my fellow Americans, this is part of a two-pronged attack. Part one of that two-pronged attack was the $1.9 trillion tax cut--83 percent of which goes to the richest 1 percent. Part two is to stand up here and say: Oh, my goodness, we suddenly have a debt problem. It must be because we are spending too much. And part two calls for pushing through a draconian bill that would mandate trillions of dollars of cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, veterans programs, and other critical spending. Here are the statistics. Under this legislation, by 2028, $2.6 trillion would be cut from Social Security; $1.7 trillion cut from Medicare; $1.2 trillion cut from Medicaid, CHIP and the ACA; and finally, $250 billion cut from veterans disability. We cannot afford these draconian cuts. We must stand up and reject this laughable attempt to simply push through the largest cuts in American history. We must say ``no.''

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today marks the start of the eighth year for the Syrian crisis. We are no closer to a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Arguably, the situation has only gotten worse, particularly in Eastern Ghouta where the Assad regime is doubling down on its bombings and chemical attacks on civilians. The International Committee of the Red Cross proclaims that suffering in Eastern Ghouta has reached a ``critical point,'' stating that ``ordinary people are once again trapped in a situation where life slowly becomes impossible and where goods and aid are severely limited.'' Before the war, the country was, by Arab standards, solidly middle income with vibrant communities. Today, Syria's development has regressed by nearly four decades, and the Syrian economy has contracted by an estimated 40 percent. The majority of Syrians have lost their livelihoods. School attendance has dropped over 50 percent with more than two million children now out of school. An estimated 13.5 million people, including six million children, are in need of serious humanitarian assistance. 4.5 million of these people are in hard-to- reach areas, including 540,000 people in eleven besieged areas. The numbers are staggering. And we all know the images are beyond words. Meanwhile, Assad and Putin continue to indiscriminately target civilians in all locations, as well as civilian hospitals, despite a late February UN resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities to enable humanitarian access to those in need of aid. These atrocities led me to introduce H. Res. 632, which condemns Assad and Putin for their attacks on hospitals and medical personnel in Syria, and calls on our Secretary of State to work with the international community to conduct investigations into these serious violations of international humanitarian law. The United States must send a clear message to Assad and Putin that the international community is watching and we will hold them accountable. As the fighting enters its eighth year, I urge this administration to complete a comprehensive U.S. strategy for Syria that specifically addresses civilian protection and these attacks on humanitarian service providers.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I just introduced legislation that would require all federally funded transportation and infrastructure projects to use materials made right here in America. The Buy America 2.0 Act would bolster American manufacturing and create quality, family-sustaining jobs right here in our country. Democrats have been long fighting for these policies, but this effort should be bipartisan. American infrastructure projects should start supporting American workers. This is a wonderful opportunity to create millions of jobs right here at home while investing in critical infrastructure needs that have been long neglected. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members of this House, both Democrats and Republicans, to cosponsor my Buy America 2.0 Act. Let's put the American people back to work.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a distinguished Philadelphian who will be leading our city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade as grand marshal, Sister Mary Scullion. Sister Mary is a towering figure and a driving force for social change in Philadelphia. She belongs to the Sisters of Mercy, the third largest congregation of Sisters in Philadelphia, and is the cofounder of Project HOME, an influential nonprofit that seeks to break the cycle of homelessness. Since 1989, Sister Mary's organization has helped provide shelter to the homeless, set up programs for at-risk youth across the city, and organized wellness and healthcare services. She has also been a leader at the city, State, and Federal level to bring about awareness and much-needed funding to address the root causes of homelessness. As a religious and community leader, Sister Mary has become a household name in Philadelphia and a champion for the voiceless in our city. It is fitting that she has been selected to lead this year's St. Patrick's Day parade, and I rise to commend her on her lifetime of devoted service.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, from February 9- 25, 2018, the 23rd Winter Olympic Games will be held in PyeongChang of the Republic of Korea. The motto for these Games is, ``Passion. Connected.'', which is expected to be a new horizon for Asian winter sports as a compact Olympic team. The Games will be held roughly thirty miles south of the demilitarized zone, which separates North and South Korea. Due to a number of recent nuclear missile tests by the Kim regime, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are very high. However, the PyeongChang Winter Olympics could be a first step towards a solution to relax these tensions. It is encouraging that delegations from the two Koreas will march together under a single flag and athletes will compete as a single team in some events at the Winter Games. I hope this step forward will result in positive momentum toward achieving peace and prosperity on the peninsula. I wish the Republic of Korea all the best in hosting the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congresswoman Ros- Lehtinen; as well as my colleague, the ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, Ted Deutch, for their work on this important piece of legislation. The United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Extension Act would ensure Jordan's continued eligibility for a more streamlined process for accessing defense articles, acknowledging the very difficult challenges that Jordan faces from extremist organizations both within Jordan and on its borders. The legislation supports a new memorandum of understanding to enhance Jordan's military capacity and economic growth, and it authorizes an enterprise fund that would invest in Jordan's economy. I am glad that this bill reflects our comprehensive relationship with Amman, which is so vital at this point in history in the region. The legislation acknowledges the key role Jordan plays as a partner against ISIS, or Daesh, and as a home to thousands of Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugees. I would like to note the important work that Jordan does in facilitating cross-border assistance to Syria, preventing further destabilization. Jordan also plays a critical role in the Israeli- Palestinian peace process, and I hope that Jordan and Israel are able to soon return to the normal level of diplomatic cooperation. The bottom line is this: it is in our national security interest to work with Jordan on the security threats facing the region, as well as opportunities for economic growth within Jordan. This bill will help advance both of those goals. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am going to go ahead and close now and just reiterate what I said earlier. This is such important legislation and really achieves both goals on the security front as well as the economic front. Mr. Speaker, I urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. We have one of the two main sponsors for the bill who has just joined us and wants the opportunity to speak. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch).

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for bringing up my bipartisan bill, and I especially want to thank the chairman of our committee, Mr. Royce of California, for his action and moving on our bipartisan piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I believe cybersecurity is the national security challenge of our time. Cyber warfare is inexpensive to carry out and easy for adversaries to hide behind, making it especially damaging, difficult to detect, and impossible for the victim to quickly respond. In January, the CIA attributed to Russian military hackers a cyber attack that crippled computers in Ukraine last year. This attack wiped data from the computers of banks, energy firms, senior government officials, and an airport. The virus went on to affect computer systems in Denmark, India, and even here in the United States. For years, Putin has been using Ukraine as a field test for these cyber attacks. Ukraine, after all, is on the front line for these nation self-directed cyber attacks, and they are potential harbingers of attacks on the United States. By assisting Ukraine, we can learn best practices to best defend ourselves. For these reasons, I introduced H.R. 1997 with my Republican colleague from Pennsylvania, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, which encourages cooperation between the United States and our ally Ukraine on matters of cybersecurity and requires a report from the State Department on best practices to protect ourselves--to the benefit of both nations. In Ukraine, it is no coincidence that cyber attacks against itself increased when the Ukrainian people self-organized to demand an open and democratic society in 2014 contrary to Putin's interests. Days before the 2014 Presidential election, hackers infiltrated Ukraine's Central Election Commission with a series of attacks that disabled the website in an attempt to sow distrust in the outcome of the election of President Poroshenko. In December of 2015, hackers remotely shut down power at three regional electricity distribution companies, creating a power outage affecting more than 200,000 people. We can only imagine what it must feel like to lose electricity and heat during the winter in Ukraine. Cyber attacks, unfortunately, have only continued since. Ukraine's next Presidential election is just next year. Our own elections are right around the corner later this year, and, of course, the Presidential election is in 2020. Both the United States and Ukraine have clear interests in strengthening our cyber defenses. Moreover, our cooperation toward this goal will send a strong and important signal of Western support for Ukraine at a time when it is literally fighting to protect its own democracy. We must stand strong with the people of Ukraine and our NATO allies and come together in furtherance of our cybersecurity defenses. This bill is a reasonable first step to do just that, and it is obviously very timely. I thank Chairman Royce again, as well as Ranking Member Engel for their hard work and support for this bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it. It is time we address this vital issue. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Let me say one thing that strikes me and saddens me. When I hold townhalls or meetings with constituent groups, usually some variation of this comment will be made: Why don't you guys get along? Why don't you do something? Actually, I then tell them about our work on the Foreign Affairs Committee. I tell them that, under the leadership of Ed Royce and Eliot Engel as well as the other members of the committee from both sides of the aisle, a lot of work does get done and a real spirit of cooperation prevails in our committee meetings. I think that this piece of legislation is an example of that. This is an important issue. We are standing up for Ukraine, but as I mentioned earlier, we are also doing what is clearly in the best interests of the United States. Mr. Speaker, at the risk of sounding immodest, I urge passage of my legislation, legislation that I have worked on very hard with Brian Fitzpatrick. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch), who is someone who grew up a strong Philadelphia sports fan.

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. I would like to recognize Congresswoman Virginia Foxx and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, along with Congressmen Randy Hultgren and James McGovern, for their work on this bipartisan piece of legislation. The War Crimes Rewards Expansion Act would clarify the War Crimes Rewards Program. This program is an important tool for bringing to justice the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Under current law, the United States uses the program to pay rewards for the arrest or conviction of foreign nationals who commit some of the most heinous acts. In the past, bounties have helped find fugitives from the former Yugoslavia to Rwanda. The statute providing authorization for this program specifies that rewards can be paid to individuals who furnish information leading to arrests or convictions for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, as those terms are defined under the statutes of international tribunals. H.R. 3851 clarifies that the Secretary of State can also choose to pay rewards for arrests and convictions that take place under the laws of the United States as well as other individual countries. Under certain circumstances, prosecutions will have the greatest impact when they take place in domestic courts within the societies in which those crimes occur. Doing so can help ensure the parties understand the law, witnesses have access to the trials, and public awareness is maximized. The clarification provided in this bill will help build on the program's success, providing the State Department with clear authority to use rewards for a wide range of prosecutions, when appropriate. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.