Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 419 is an open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 3994, the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate, evenly divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations. It is a fair rule and allows ample opportunity for all Members to present their views on this very important underlying legislation. Since the beginning of the war on terror in Afghanistan, the Bush administration has made a continuous point that this is not a war against the people of Afghanistan. It is in reality quite the opposite. The Commander in Chief has worked to include the people of Afghanistan in our efforts to rid their country of terrorist networks and he has met this challenge with extraordinary success. Now that the roots of freedom are in place, we should work to ensure that the people of Afghanistan and the interim government have resources to ensure that Afghanistan remains a full member of the democratic community. The passage of the Afghanistan Freedom Promotion Act reiterates our commitment to peace and stability in the region. It authorizes over $1 billion over the next 4 years for development, economic, and security assistance for Afghanistan. It also provides President Bush with needed flexibility in allocating assistance to take into account the fluid situation in Afghanistan and the corresponding needs there. It is important, however, that we realize that this is not a blank check, this legislation, without verification. It conditions reconstruction and development assistance on the Afghan government, providing full support for counternarcotics efforts and implementing the commitments to peace and pluralism that were made in Germany last December. The bill also earmarks $15 million annually to support the UN Drug Control Program activities in Afghanistan and $10 million annually for supporting a traditional Afghan assembly. The underlying legislation also provides assistance to meet urgent humanitarian needs such as food aid and disaster relief and emphasizes the need to assist refugees in returning to their communities when it is safe to do so. This is a good bipartisan bill, Mr. Speaker. It preserves the successes that have been achieved in Afghanistan. The legislation provides for the national security of the United States as well as other friends and allies by helping the effort to eliminate Afghanistan as a source of terrorism and instability in the region. I urge my colleagues to support both this rule and the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 419 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. (Mr. DIAZ-BALART asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), a genuine expert not only on foreign affairs but especially the war on narco-trafficking.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 159 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 160 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Ferguson).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), my good friend and colleague from the Committee on Rules.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 404 is a rule providing for the consideration of House Resolution 392 at any time on the legislative day of today, Thursday, May 2, under suspension of the rules. The rule further provides 1 hour of debate on the suspension measure, rather than the customary 40 minutes. This is a fair rule that would allow consideration, Mr. Speaker, of an important resolution. Mr. Speaker, I am a proud cosponsor of the resolution before us today. It expresses strong solidarity by this Congress of the state of Israel. Israel continues to be victimized by acts of terror. This resolution reaffirms the Congress' belief that Israel has a right to self-defense in the face of cowardly attacks against innocent civilians. The United States has been a proud friend of Israel since President Truman promptly recognized the Jewish state in 1948. If there is one issue that unites us in this Congress, Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, it is and it should be our support for Israel. As the resolution states, since September on a basis proportional to the United States population, approximately 9,000 Israelis have been assassinated by homicide bombers, three times the number of innocent civilians killed in the terrorist attacks of New York and Washington on September 11. Israel has been under attack in recent months, ferociously and viciously attacked. Friends can best show their friendship when friends are precisely under attack. Our friend, Israel, is today under attack and so today once again we reiterate our friendship with Israel. I would like to lend my supporting commendation to the efforts of President Bush and Secretary Powell and all of those involved in the difficult search for peace. I also would like to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) and all of my fellow co-sponsors of this resolution for introducing and for pressing for its passage at this time. Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Rules this afternoon brings to the floor a rule such as this to allow the House to consider very timely measures. I urge all of my colleagues to support this very straightforward rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. (Mr. DIAZ-BALART asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton). (Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 404 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. McInnis).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mr. Virginia (Mr. Schrock).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, prior to yielding to my friend from Colorado. I would simply like to answer the question of whether it is in America's interests to pass this resolution today. When we stand with our friends, and when we reiterate our solidarity and our friendship with a nation that is our friend and that is under attack, the message that we are sending is that precisely we stand with our friends in good times and in bad times and that we are a friend worth having. And that is in the interest of the United States. So because of our special friendship with Israel, because of the history of our friendship with Israel, and the ties that bind us, and because we stand with our friends, we are passing this resolution.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul). (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this has been an interesting debate today. I think it is very appropriate that this resolution is before us. It is a very important vote. Obviously, the vote on the previous question is a key vote. What the proponents of this resolution, of which I am a proud cosponsor, are saying is basically let others be neutral. We should never be wary of standing with Israel. We should never be wary of standing with our friends, even when we are alone. That is one of the distinguishing and most honorable characteristics of this great Nation. So with this vote today this Congress will be telling Israel that they can count on us; that Israel, our friend, can count on this Congress, can count on the United States of America. So I would urge all of my friends, all of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to support this resolution.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence).