Steve Chabot

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and a long-standing champion of human rights in China and around the world.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, a former judge, Mr. Poe, an esteemed member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the author of China-related resolutions, part of which were incorporated into this measure.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from the great State of Indiana (Mr. Pence) who is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution which underscores Beijing's broken promise to the International Olympic Committee and the international community. When Beijing was awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics, China's leaders committed themselves to using this historic event as a catalyst to improve human rights for the citizens of the world's most populous nation. By all credible accounts, however, the human rights situation in China has not improved on the eve of the games. The Olympics has led China's draconian security forces to further crack down on dissidents and increase repression of minority groups. The glimmer of gold from Olympic medals in Beijing cannot conceal a tarnished record of Chinese official sponsorship of dictatorial regimes in Sudan, Burma and North Korea. The shine of silver cannot blind us to the fact that the Beijing regime continues its bloody suppression of minority groups, including the Tibetans. The brilliance of bronze cannot block out the repression of Falun Gong practitioners, Internet journalists, underground church believers and other political prisoners left to languish in the laogai forced labor camps and the vast prison system. In a report issued just yesterday, Amnesty International affirmed that in the last year alone, thousands of dissidents, reformers and other independent voices were arrested as part of a campaign by Chinese authorities to ``clean up'' Beijing before the start of the Olympic games. According to the report, human rights activists have been targeted in other parts of the country as well, with many of those arrested and sentenced to manual labor without trial. Amnesty's report cites the case of one activist who was arrested earlier this month on charges of possessing state secrets, although it is believed that the arrest was prompted by his efforts to help the families of children killed in May's earthquake bring a legal case against local authorities. Amnesty's deputy director in Asia said: ``By continuing to persecute and punish those who speak out for human rights, the Chinese authorities have lost sight of the promises they made when they were granted the games 7 years ago. The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the games.'' I agree with what he said. When it comes to the pursuit of democratic values and human rights, we remain a world divided with a dream unfulfilled for many in China and elsewhere. I urge my colleagues to join in sending the Chinese leadership a strong message. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate the Speaker's words relative to China. The Speaker has a very tough job, and with that job goes praise and criticism. I know many of us, including myself, have been critical of the Speaker for not allowing, for example, a vote on ANWR on the floor of this House and we certainly think that we ought to have that vote. But I want to praise the Speaker on her speaking out when she was on a trip in India on a codel and she spoke out when the crackdown on Tibet was occurring, the scandalous, outrageous crackdown on Tibet was occurring. The Speaker spoke out, and I issued a press release and also a personal letter thanking her for speaking out on behalf of our country. I think it was the right thing for her to do, and I think it took a lot of courage for the Speaker of the House to actually speak out on behalf of Tibetans who are undergoing considerable civil rights, human rights abuses. The fact is, there are still, according to a recent article, at least 1,000 Tibetans that are unaccounted for because of this crackdown by the PRC, by Communist China. This is a very serious issue, and I'm glad that we're taking up this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) who is the cochair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and who recently traveled to China.

Mr. CHABOT. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, we have no further speakers and we yield back our time.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would first like to also commend the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) for his leadership and his offering this particular resolution, and I also rise to support this resolution, H. Res. 1279, which recognizes the Special Olympics on its 40th anniversary. On July 20, 1968, as was mentioned, Eunice Kennedy Shriver organized the first Special Olympic Summer Games, which took place at Soldier Field in Chicago. Since then, the Special Olympics has become one of the most prominent and celebrated sporting programs in the entire world. The Special Olympics today serves more than 2\1/2\ million people with intellectual disabilities. These inspirational athletes work with more than 1 million volunteers and coaches worldwide, training year round for competition in both Summer and Winter Games. In more than 200 countries, the Special Olympics has shown that intellectual disabilities are no impediment to fun and healthy athletic competition. These athletes are supported by more than 18,000 dedicated volunteers. In my own State, Special Olympics Ohio has approximately 200 local member organizations and over 18,000 athletes who are in training and competition. These organizations originate from county boards of MR/DD, public schools, developmental centers, parks and recreation departments, churches, and parent and community groups. For the past 40 years, these games have empowered individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit and have fun while engaging in sports training and competition. As was indicated by the gentleman from California, and I think the quote again warrants stating, that like the gladiators of ancient Rome, Special Olympics athletes pledge, ``Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.'' On this 40th anniversary, we congratulate these courageous athletes and wish the program many more years of continued success. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), who is the author of this particular resolution. As I indicated before, he is also a member of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly), the author of this resolution and also the ranking member and former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Europe. (Mr. GALLEGLY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich), who is also the cochairman of the House Croatian Caucus.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Holocaust was filled with unconscionable inhumanity and horrors and revealed the tremendous cruelty some human beings are capable of imposing on others. But there were exceptions. Within the darkness of the Holocaust, the story of Irena Sendler, who repeatedly risked her own life to rescue thousands of Jewish children in Poland from being murdered by the Nazis serves as an inspirational example of human bravery and selflessness and compassion. House Concurrent Resolution 361 commemorates Irena Sendler, who passed away in May of this year. The resolution, among other things, notes that the United States Congress mourns the loss of this heroine and remembers her for saving the lives of thousands of Jewish children and for her courageous dedication to justice and human rights. I support this resolution, and I want to thank the gentleman for his inspirational words. I urge my colleagues to do so as well. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. We will yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. If the gentleman has no further speakers, we have no further speakers either, and we will yield back.

Mr. CHABOT. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6456, which provides stopgap extensions of certain important State Department and broadcasting authorities until the Committee on Foreign Affairs can take them up as part of a comprehensive authorization during the 111th Congress. In response to administration requests, this brief bill does a number of things. It extends for another year the State Department's authority to hire retired Foreign Service officers for difficult-to-staff posts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to address visa and passport processing backlogs. It also extends authorities for Radio Free Asia, and for emergency broadcasting needs in the International Broadcasting Bureau and the Voice of America. It also makes clear that the State Department may pay the hotel expenses of its special agents on protective details in situations where agents are required to remain with their protectees overnight, even when that duty occurs in the agent's home locale. Finally, it incorporates the text of H.R. 3658, the House-passed bill introduced by the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno) to allow U.S. Foreign Service officers to take their rest and recuperative travel in U.S. territories. I urge support for this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), who is the author of this resolution. He is also a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of this resolution, H. Res. 1351. I would like to also thank the distinguished gentleman from California, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his support and his leadership on this, as well as the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano) for his leadership and their hard work in making this resolution possible. I also want to thank Ranking Member Ileana Ros- Lehtinen from Florida for her support. Each day that passes without the full support of the international community for the U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in Darfur is another day that these innocent people, and now the peacekeepers assigned to protect them, have to live in fear. Last year I had the opportunity to travel to Darfur with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas and Congressman Adrian Smith of Nebraska to witness firsthand the devastation of this region. The refugees with whom we met, mostly women and children in the refugee camps, described harrowing experiences of escape from the Janjaweed and the Sudanese Government. They're descriptions that I will never forget. Many of these women had been raped. Many of their husbands, brothers, sons, and fathers had been brutally murdered. We met with them in refugee camps in Darfur just weeks following the unanimous decision by the United Nations Security Council to deploy 26,000 peacekeepers to the region. Yet progress in Darfur has been jeopardized, as H. Res. 1351 points out. Almost a year since Security Resolution 1769 passed, the mission lacks more than 16,000 troops and police officers as well as essential communications equipment and helicopters. That's one of the things that they need the most, all of which are critical to the mission's success. The skeleton mission has been met with continued roadblocks from the Sudanese government which has thwarted it at every step, refusing to cooperate on the composition of the hybrid force, refusing to authorize night flights, refusing to issue visas for necessary staff, or to provide access to certain areas. The lack of international support for the mission and the opposition that it faces in the region has and continues to compromise the ability of UNAMID peacekeepers to secure the region--not only leaving the Darfuri people vulnerable to continued attacks but now the peacekeepers assigned to protect them. As the chairman indicated, back on July 8 of this year, this month, a couple of weeks ago, the world witnessed the deadliest attacks yet on our peacekeeping mission which resulted in seven deaths and 22 wounded. On July 16, another peacekeeper from Nigeria was attacked and killed. These attacks come on the heels of pleas from the U.N. that shortages of resources could ``jeopardize its efforts to stabilize the region.'' U.N. member nations and the rest of the international community must not sit idly by and watch the mission in Darfur fail at the expense of the millions of innocent people who have already survived one genocide. I think it is important to note that while the United States is often criticized for not doing enough, $4 billion or 72 percent--let me repeat that, 72 percent--of the cost of peacekeeping, development, reconstruction, and humanitarian efforts in Darfur have been paid for by the United States. So 72 percent is being funded by the American taxpayers. It is past time for our European allies, and especially the wealthy Arab countries, to assist in this effort. If we're paying 72 percent, I think you have to consider that we're sending literally hundreds of billions of dollars now to the Middle East, the wealthy oil countries there. And most of the people that have suffered in the Darfur region are Muslims, and the Arab countries have done little or nothing, many of them, despite the fact that we have hundreds of millions of dollars going over there for their oil revenues. And so, rather than building another expensive hotel or buying another yacht or some other luxury item, some of these dollars ought to be diverted to the poor people in Darfur, perhaps to buy some helicopters so that we can get the U.N. troops in to help these people that have, as I indicated, already survived one genocide and are essentially in the middle of another if the world doesn't act. So, for those who criticize the United States for doing enough--and yes, we always should do more--remember, we're supporting 72 percent of the effort there. The rest of the world is providing the other 28 percent. And let's urge, to the extent that we're able, those wealthy Arab oil countries to foot a fair portion of the bill to help out in this effort. And I urge my colleagues to support this critical mission by supporting H. Res. 1351. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 231, a bill to reauthorize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program through fiscal year 2012. This bill continues to fund the Department of Justice Byrne/JAG Grant Program at the fiscal year 2006 level. The House passed companion legislation, H.R. 3546, just a few weeks ago. The Byrne/JAG Program provides assistance to State and local law enforcement officials. These grants support a wide range of law enforcement activities to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system. Byrne/JAG grants may be used to help pay for personnel, overtime, or equipment. Funds are also used for statewide initiatives, technical assistance, and training. In June the FBI released its 2007 Unified Crime Report detailing the statistics for violent crime nationwide. The rate for violent crimes, including robbery, sexual assault, and murder, decreased nationally. However, the report also showed that the rate of violent crime increased in some communities across the country. Our Nation's law enforcement officials are dedicated to preventing crime and keeping our communities safe, and their efforts should be applauded. Congress plays an important role in supporting State and local law enforcement officials by continuing to reauthorize programs like this at appropriate levels. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.