Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

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 such time as I may consume. This legislation is sending a message to the international community that the Congress is serious about the fact that there is no one at the helm down the street, that there is a crisis, that oil price fixing has occurred and that that is being suffered by the American people. The consequences of that is suffered by the American people and what we are seeing from the other side of the aisle is attack upon attack upon attack on this side of the aisle when we wanted to bring forth a bipartisan statement before Energy Secretary Richardson's trip in upcoming days to fortify his position before the international community and specifically the OPEC countries. Now, despite the unfortunate tactics that we are seeing from the other side of the aisle, we are going to continue to send a message; and we are going to say we know there is no one at the helm; we know there is no one at the helm. We know that in Colombia today there is over 50 percent of the population under narco-terrorists and this White House has just found out about it, and that is an oil-producing country right by the largest oil producing country in this hemisphere, Venezuela, and this White House has just found out about it, and yet we hear speaker after speaker after speaker come and talk against the majority in this country, when what we wanted to do and what we are intent on doing and will continue to do is to send a message to the international community that while there may be no one at the helm down the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, this Congress, the sovereign Congress of the United States takes this issue seriously and is cognizant of the fact that it is unsupportable and condemnable that the American people are suffering every day when they have to go and purchase gasoline because of the lack of action and the lack of leadership of this presidency. That is what we are talking about here today. Now, what are we discussing at this very moment? My friend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost) got up and started reading some language from the bill. We are talking about a rule. We are talking about a rule that is bringing this underlying legislation to the floor. The rule says that any amendment is possible if you preprinted it and it is germane. I remember when we were in the minority here, when the Republicans were in the minority, how unusual it was to see open rules, to see rules where any Member could bring forth any amendment on any issue as long as it was germane. That is what we have here today, as long as you preprinted the amendment in the Congressional Record, in other words, given all of your colleagues prior notice of the fact that you seek to bring forth that amendment. That is what we are talking about now, about the rule. I wonder if there will be any discussion whatsoever about this rule. There may be, there may not be. As of now, what we have seen is total irrelevance. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of reading these articles by James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal regarding the case of 6 year old Elian Gonzalez. I would highly recommend them to all who are interested in learning the truth about that sad case from someone who has thoroughly researched it with great insight and sensitivity and submit them for the Record. [From the Wall Street Journal, Jan. 31, 2000] Havana's Hostages (By James Taranto) Miami.--No aspect of the Elian Gonzalez debate is more galling than the way Fidel Castro and his U.S. supporters have posed as champions of family unity. Havana routinely divides families by preventing children in Cuba from joining their parents in America, with nary an objection from the National Council of Churches and its allies in the fight for Elian's deportation. There are no official statistics on the number of separated families; Cuban-American leaders here offer estimates ranging from hundreds to thousands. Many stateside family members hesitate to go public for fear of retaliation against kin in Cuba. But in three weeks, a new group called Mission Elian has documented 32 such cases. In some, children in Cuba are separated from both parents in America. Typical is the story of Jose Cohen, the 35-year-old owner of a e-commerce company here. He had worked in Cuba's foreign-investment office, entertaining guests from abroad. Visitors told him about the outside world and whetted his appetite for freedom. So in August 1994 he, his brother Isaac and two other men crowded into a tiny two-seat motorized raft for a three-day voyage to America. Mr. Cohen left behind his wife, Lazara Brito Cohen, and his children, stepdaughter Yanelis, now 15, daughter Yamila, 11, and son Isaac, eight. When Mr. Cohen became a U.S. resident in April 1996, he applied for and was granted U.S. visas for his family. Mrs. Cohen applied to the Cuban government for exit visas. Hearing nothing for a year, she began sending letters to Cuban officials, from Fidel Castro on down. Mr. Cohen produces a sheaf of photocopied responses on Cuban government letterhead, each informing his wife that her case is being referred to another agency. Mr. Cohen says even the evasive answers have stopped since Mr. Castro made Elian's case a case celebre. Mrs. Cohen's experience can't be chalked up to mere bureaucratic inefficiency. When she tried to enroll Yanelis in high school in 1998, the school director told her that teens with foreign immigration visas are not permitted to study beyond junior high. Mrs. Cohen also has received menacing unsigned notes slipped under her front door. ``Forget about leaving Cuba. You will never leave Cuba,'' one said. Declared another: ``Your husband has a wife in the U.S.'' She once showed one of the notes to a bureaucrat at the immigration office. He read it and smiled. Another time, a man with a government ID card appeared at Mrs. Cohen's door. ``We want to help you,'' he said--and then tried to seduce her. She rebuffed his advances and threw him out. ``Every time we see the hope of living like every other family, it's not in the near future,'' Mr. Cohen says. ``My wife and three children are hostage of the regime.'' Bettina Rodriguez-Aguilera, a 42-year-old motivational speaker who heads Mission Elian, grew up in a family divided by Fidel Castro. She was a baby when her parents moved to the U.S. in 1959, taking her and her teen brother with them. Her father later returned to Cuba, where he wrote to her brother, who had stayed behind in America, asking him to apply for a visa waiver to speed his return to the U.S. He mentioned in the letter that he didn't intend to join the local Communist Party cell, known as a block party. For this he was charged with ``counterrevolutionary activities'' and imprisoned for 14 years. Ms. Rodriguez-Aguilera didn't see him until he came back to the U.S. when she was 17. His many years as a political prisoner had broken his spirit. ``Even though he was out of prison, his mind was still in prison,'' she says. He died in 1988. Sometimes the Castro government boasts to families that they are being held hostage. In 1991 Maj. Orestes Lorenzo, a fighter pilot in the Cuban air force, flew his MiG-27 to the Boca Chica Naval Air Station in the Florida Keys, where he defected. He left behind his wife and two young sons. They were summoned to the office of Gen. Raul Castro, the dictator's brother, and told they would never be allowed to leave Cuba. ``He has to return,'' Gen. Havana's practice of taking families hostage shouldn't surprise us. It is part and parcel of a totalitarian ideology enshrined in laws giving the state limitless power over the most intimate aspects of the lives of Cubans--including children. Article 5 of Cuba's Code of the Child, enacted in 1978, stipulates that anyone who comes in contact with a child must contribute to ``the development of his communist personality.'' Article 8 calls for ``efficient protection of youth against all influences contrary to their communist formation.'' Many Cubans here tell stories similar to that of Miami architect Ricardo Fernandez. His cousin in Cuba was summoned to meet her daughter's teacher, who demanded to know why she was sending the girl to church. To develop the ``communist personality,'' Havana harnesses that most potent influence: peer pressure. Mr. Cohen says Yamila, his 11-year-old daughter, was hustled with her classmates onto a bus earlier this month for an impromptu field trip. Destination: the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, where the children were told to join a rally demanding Elian's return. On the phone later, Mr. Cohen asked Yamila why she had gone along with the order. ``I was very nervous about what the rest of the children would say,'' she told him. This is the society to which the Clinton administration is trying to repatriate Elian--a society in which the government demands ideological purity even from six-year-olds. How can this be in any child's best interest? Havana's efforts at thought control work. The image of a mental prison recurs often in conversations with Cuban immigrants here. They talk about wearing la mascara--the mask--to hide their true feelings. They describe a process of self-censorship in which they don't allow themselves even to think certain things, lest a counterrevolutionary sentiment slip out in an unguarded moment. Since the government controls the economy, unemployment is among the risks for those who deviate. Mr. Cohen says his brother David, once a physician at a Havana clinic, was fired for wearing a Star of David necklace. The Cuban government has also blocked David Cohen's effort to emigrate to the Dominican Republic. It is in this context that we must evaluate Elian's father's refusal to come to the U.S. for a reunion with his son. He may well be a hostage, wearing la mascara and reading a government script. Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin, the nun who oversaw last week's reunion between Elian and his grandmothers, has said she sensed at the meeting that the women were being manipulated by the Cuban government. On Thursday Sister O'Laughlin issued a statement saying the meeting had changed her mind: She now believes Elian should stay. Gen. Rafael del Pino, who was the No. 2 man in the Cuban Defense Ministry when he defected to the U.S. in 1987, knows what it's like to have a custody dispute with the Cuban government. He escaped on a small plane and brought his wife, their two children and a teenage son by his previous marriage. His former wife later appeared on Cuban television and before the National Assembly, Cuba's one-party legislature, accusing her ex-husband of kidnapping and demanding her son's return. But in 1995 she herself escaped on a raft. Mr. del Pino says she told him her complaints had been coerced by Havana. Reached by phone at her home in North Carolina, she refuses to say, pointing out that her mother and daughter remain in Cuba. This story leads Mr. Lorenzo, who made his own freedom flight four years after the general's to speculate: What if, like Mr. del Pino's ex-wife, Elian's father eventually decides to escape? ``I wonder if we'll find that the father left the island with Elian, and they all died at sea,'' Mr. Lorenzo says. ``Who are we going to blame for that?''

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, a great Cuban patriot, the physician Oscar Elias Biscet, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison by the Cuban dictatorship for peacefully demanding free elections and human rights for the Cuban people. Dr. Biscet forms part of a new generation of leadership that has risen in the Cuban pro-democracy movement and that will play a key role in the free and democratic Cuba that is near. Dr. Biscet's imprisonment must be condemned and his immediate and unconditional release demanded by all freedom-loving people. A number of us here in Congress have written the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, urging that she add her voice to the call for Dr. Biscet's immediate release. We will not cease our efforts until he and all of the other Cuban political prisoners are free. I hereby submit for the record, Mr. Speaker, the letter sent by 13 Members of this House to U.N. High Commissioner Robinson, as well as a translation of a letter by Dr. Biscet that was written on a handkerchief and secretly taken out of Dr. Biscet's prison cell approximately 6 weeks ago. The letter was delivered to Cuban independent journalist Angel Pablo Polanco, who revealed its contents via telephone. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, February 25, 2000. Ms. Mary Robinson, Office of High Commissioner For Human Rights, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY. Dear Ms. Robinson: This is to request your urgent assistance on behalf of the Cuban human rights activist Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, who is scheduled to stand trial on February 25th, 2000 at the Municipal Tribunal ``10 de Octubre'' in Havana, Cuba. The Cuban dictatorship apparently plans years of incarceration for Dr. Biscet for so called crimes of ``dishonoring national symbols'', ``public disorder'' and ``inciting delinquent behavior''. On October 28, 1999 Dr. Biscet held a press conference, prior to the Ibero-American Summit held in Havana in early November. During the press conference, Dr. Biscet along with other members of the peaceful opposition movement announced a march calling for the release of all political prisoners and respect of human rights for the Cuban people. During the press conference two Cuban flags were displayed in an inverted position as a sign of protest for the countless human rights violations that occur on the island. Subsequently, on November 3, 1999, Dr. Biscet was detained and taken to ``Cien y Aldabo'', where he was placed in a damp cell without sunlight with three common criminals. Dr. Biscet represents the noblest of aspirations of democracy in Cuba. His efforts as the founder of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights, a humanitarian organization which promotes the respect for human rights through nonviolent means, have gained him the respect and admiration of notable human rights activists throughout the world and inspired countless Cubans to continue in their struggle for democratic change. The Cuban regime, intimidated by the effectiveness of Dr. Biscet's message, has detained him 26 times over that last 18 months, terminated his employment and evicted him and his family from their home. He has been subjected to psychiatric examinations and has been constantly pressured to abandon Cuba. We respectfully urge you to immediately denounce Dr. Biscet's unjust incarceration and trial and call for his immediate and unconditional release from prison. A statement of this nature would greatly serve to protect Dr. Biscet and his family from further harm by the Cuban government. Thank you for your consideration. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Robert Wexler, ------ ------, Christopher H. Smith, James A. Traficant, Jr., Dana Rohrabacher, Porter J. Goss, Peter Deutsch, Tillie K. Fowler, Bill McCollum, Luis V. Gutierrez, Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, Ben Gilman. Havana, January 20, 2000. Supreme Court of Justice of the United States of America Excellencies: I send you kind greetings. From a ``tapiada'' cell I write in darkness where it is forbidden to read and write. Under these conditions I pray God may grant you wisdom to make the proper decision in the case of the Cuban child Elian in order to dignify human life and liberty. Esteemed judges: a nation must never deprive any person of freedom unless the individual becomes a danger to society, always respecting human rights. Nor may parents deprive their children of their right to life and freedom. Limits must prevail for both, nation and parents, to prevent violations of inalienable human rights. I ask, what is life without freedom? Nothing, as without freedom life is deprived of the love of God. ``Justice exalts a nation, sin becomes its shame.'' Proverbs. Magistrates, glorify humanity. Thank you. Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, Lawton Foundation for Human Rights. Note: This letter, written on a handkerchief, was clandestinely taken out of the prison at the Department of Technical investigation in Havana where Dr. Biscet is incarcerated. The letter was delivered to the independent journalist in Cuba, Angel Pablo Polanco who revealed its contents abroad via telephone.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and honor a young student from my district in Florida who has achieved national recognition for exemplary volunteer service in his community. Justin Koren of Miami has just been named one of my State's top honorees in The 2000 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on the most impressive student in each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Mr. Koren, a senior at Coral Reef Senior High School, is being recognized for creating a volunteer teenage community theater group that brings the joys of live theater to others by performing at retirement homes, senior centers, day care centers, and migrant farms in the greater Miami area. In light of numerous statistics that indicate Americans today are less involved in their communities than they once were, it is vital that we encourage and support the kind of selfless contribution this young citizen has made. People of all ages need to think more about how we, as individual citizens, can work together at the local level to ensure the health and vitality of our towns and neighborhoods. Young volunteers like Mr. Koren are inspiring examples to all of us, and are among our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow. The program that brought this young role model to my attention--The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by the Prudential Insurance Company of America in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals in 1995 to impress upon all youth volunteers that their contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to inspire other young people to follow their example. In only five years, the program has become the largest youth recognition effort based solely on community service, with nearly 75,000 youngsters participating since its inception. Mr. Koren should be extremely proud to have been singled out from such a large group of dedicated volunteers. I heartily applaud Mr. Koren for his initiative in seeking to make his community a better place to live, and for the positive impact he has had on the lives of others. He has demonstrated a level of commitment and accomplishment that is truly extraordinary in today's world, and deserves our sincere admiration and respect. His actions show that young Americans can--and do--play important roles in our communities, and that America's community spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 408 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I agree fully with the premise of this legislation. There must be clarity and certainty in our commitment to the security of Taiwan, and the reunification of China can only occur peacefully. It must occur peacefully. Thus, we stand firmly with the security of our friends on Taiwan. 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. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Cox). (Mr. COX asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. BEREUTER 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 Southern California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss), the distinguished chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and my colleague on the Committee on Rules. (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter); pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 408 is a modified closed rule providing for the consideration of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, H.R. 1838. House Resolution 408 provides for 1 hour of debate in the House, equally divided between the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill and, further, the rule provides that the amendment recommended by the Committee on International Relations now printed in the bill be considered as adopted. The rule provides for consideration of the amendment printed in the Congressional Record, if offered by the minority leader or his designee, which shall be considered as read and shall be separately debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. And, finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit with or without instructions. H.R. 1838, Mr. Speaker, seeks to enhance the security of Taiwan. I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this legislation, which the majority whip, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), introduced in large part to respond to increasing concern with the threat to the peace and stability of Taiwan in light of the actions of the People's Republic of China toward Taiwan. Both the chairman and the ranking minority member of the committee of primary jurisdiction are cosponsors, along with four of my colleagues on the Committee on Rules. I believe that this legislation enjoys widespread bipartisan support in the House. The Taiwan Security Enhancement Act increases military cooperation with and establishes direct military communication between forces in Taiwan and in the United States in an effort to help Taiwan protect itself from potential threats from China. The legislation increases the number of Taiwanese military officers and officials to be trained at U.S. military academies and the National Defense University and increases the technical staff at the American Institute in Taiwan. In addition, the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act requires the President to justify any rejection of a Taiwanese defense request and requires annual reports by the defense secretary on Taiwan's security situation. I believe that it is entirely appropriate for Congress to express itself strongly on the important matter of the security of Taiwan. Since the nationalist escape to the island after the Communist victory on the mainland of China in 1949, the close relationship between the United States and Taiwan, I think, has been mutually beneficial to both peoples. The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 established on the part of the United States a concern for Taiwan and its people, at a time when diplomatic relations switched on the part of the United States from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China. The Taiwan Security Enhancement Act clarifies and reiterates the commitments made in the Taiwan Relations Act. The gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), the ranking minority member on the Committee on International Relations, stated in his testimony to the Committee on Rules that he was aware of no amendments to this legislation, and he was supportive of the request for a modified closed rule. As a firm supporter of this legislation, Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Committee on Rules has crafted a fair rule to provide for its consideration, and I would strongly urge the adoption of both the rule and the underlying bill. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), along with the majority whip, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), and the many others who have worked on this legislation for their efforts in bringing forward this important piece of legislation. I believe House Resolution 408 is a necessarily structured rule, a fair rule, and I urge its adoption. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I did not think I was going to be speaking on this resolution. I have come to the floor because shortly we will be bringing forth a rule on the Taiwan security legislation. But I want to commend the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) for bringing forth this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I have two sons. One of them is 16, the other has just turned 15. The 15-year-old is in ninth grade; the other one is in the eleventh grade. They both go to Catholic school. In south Florida, we have a wonderful series of Catholic schools, both primary and secondary, as well as a wonderful Catholic university, Barry University. We are very proud of the education that those schools provide. So I think it is very appropriate that the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) brought forth this resolution that we are debating it today. I do not know if it is the first resolution in history, Mr. Speaker. But I am glad that it has been done, because the reality of the matter is that the men and women who work in the Catholic schools throughout the United States deserve our commendation and they deserve our praise and we should go on record as expressing our appreciation for the work they do. Mr. Speaker, I never cease to learn in this body, because I never thought that this would be a controversial resolution. I think that praising the men and women, both the religious and the lay folks, who work in Catholic schools is something that everybody would wish to do. So this has been an educational experience today that it has become controversial, but that is democracy. Even something like this can become controversial. The reality of the matter is that I think we should all come together and praise the men and women who form the new generations who are privileged enough. Because all schools, whether they are private or public, are praiseworthy. But, specifically, definitely so are the Catholic schools and that is why I commend the gentleman from Colorado.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 362 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), 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. Speaker, House Resolution 362 is a structured rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 3196, the foreign operations appropriations bill for fiscal year 2000. The bill provides for 1 hour of debate in the House, equally divided between the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule provides that the bill shall be considered as having been read for amendment. Further, the rule provides that the amendment printed in the Committee on Rules report, if offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) or his designee shall be in order without intervention of any point of order or demand for a division of the question. The amendment shall be considered as read, shall be separately debatable for the time specified in the report, which is 20 minutes, with time equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. Also, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. Finally, the rule provides that House Resolution 359 is laid on the table. Mr. Speaker, the President vetoed H.R. 2606 on October 18. Since that time, very serious negotiations have taken place between the Congress and the administration to address the concerns raised in the President's veto message. The bill which this rule brings forth, H.R. 3196, is very similar to the conference agreement on H.R. 2606, with some provisions added to make this bill one that can pass both the House, the Senate, and be signed by the President. The main difference between today's bill and the vetoed bill are modifications of legislative language or earmarked funding within accounts. The rule allows for an amendment to be offered by the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Young) or his designee which would fully fund, for example, the Wye River Accord, the President's request for the Wye River Accord, which is extremely important and which will go very far in assuring the security of Israel, by providing $1.8 billion approximately for that purpose. I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Young), the gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan), the ranking member, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), and all of the Members who are working so hard in this issue. They are working in such good faith, and really in an admirable way. I want to congratulate them and urge my colleagues to adopt both the rule and the underlying bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), my chairman, the chairman of the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I also support the rule and urge my colleagues to vote for it. 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, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say a few words, just a few, about Mr. Ryan, the Governor of Illinois, and his recent 5-day propaganda junket to Cuba. I know that Mr. Ryan was motivated by large business interests which hope to profit from deals with the Cuban dictatorship, but that does not excuse his conduct. Mr. Ryan displayed a pathetic lack of sensitivity and common sense that history will record as constituting a great disservice to the freedom loving people of Illinois. For example, Mr. Ryan knows that there is a system of medical as well as of tourism apartheid in Cuba. He was specifically made aware of the case of a 2-year-old Cuban child, Christian Prieto, who fell from the second story of a building some months ago and was denied medical treatment at the CIMEQ hospital in Havana, a hospital with the necessary facilities to treat the child's severe neurological injuries, because the child is Cuban and his parents are not tourists with dollars or high ranking officials of the Cuban dictatorship. Only they have access to the CIMEQ, tourists with dollars or members of the regime's hierarchy. Yet, after bringing up the case of this 2-year-old Cuban child, Mr. Ryan just accepted the hysterical explanations of the case brought forth by Castro. Mr. Ryan refused to acknowledge the medical and tourism apartheid that the Cuban people have to suffer. In fact, Mr. Ryan demonstrated cold-hearted cynicism when, after referring to hospitals that he visited in Cuba as not meeting conditions that would make them certifiable anywhere in the United States, and knowing that Cubans are denied adequate medical care in that country because it is only available to tourists with dollars and the family of high government officials, Mr. Ryan nonetheless referred to Castro's health care system as an inspirational model for the entire Western Hemisphere. Mr. Ryan demonstrated another trait, cowardice, when he delivered a speech at the University of Havana. His written prepared remarks included various eloquent quotes from Abraham Lincoln about human dignity and freedom. The Cuban dictator, however, unexpectedly showed up to listen to the speech and sat in the front row. Ryan then proceeded to omit the calls for human rights. But, oh, yes, he did reiterate his brave call in front of Castro for an end to the cruel U.S. embargo on the Castro regime. Notice how Castro refers himself now to the Ryan speech. Mr. Speaker, if my colleagues want to learn the truth with regard to anything that Castro says, look for the opposite of what he says. So what does Castro say now about Ryan? ``Governor Ryan is a man of firm character, a man of frankness.'' Castro says that Ryan ``gave a great speech, it is nothing like the speeches we are used to hearing, it was without arrogance or superiority, he said rational things, and he was greatly applauded.'' Mr. Speaker, I think it is shameful that an elected official from the United States of America be held in such high regard by this hemisphere's last decrepit dictator. Nevertheless, despite what Castro now says of Ryan, the Cuban dictator did not fail to embarrass Ryan while the Governor was in Cuba. When Ryan gave Castro a letter asking for the release of Cuba's four best known political prisoners, Castro publicly joked that he would put the letter in the same stack with the hundreds of other letters that he has received asking for the release of those four dissidents. Castro ridiculed Ryan, but Ryan simply responded by continuing to ridicule himself, repeatedly calling for the number one foreign policy and economic objective of the Cuban dictator, the unilateral lifting of U.S. sanctions with absolutely no conditions, no call for the release of political prisoners in exchange for lifting sanctions, no call for the legalization of political parties or labor unions or the press, there was no call for free elections in exchange for lifting U.S. sanctions from Mr. Ryan. No, Mr. Speaker. I do not know what business deal Ryan is seeking from Castro for himself or for a family member, but have no doubt that seeking a business deal for himself or a family member he is. Also have no doubt, Mr. Speaker, that, when the Cuban people are free, they will refer Mr. Ryan to make certain that his Cuban business dreams remain unfulfilled.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), 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. Speaker, House Resolution 327 is a modified, open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 1993, the Export Enhancement Act of 1999. The rule provides for one hour of general debate, equally divided between the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations. The rule makes in order the Committee on International Relations amendment in the nature of a substitute as an original bill for the purpose of amendment. Further, the rule provides for the consideration of only pro forma amendments and those amendments preprinted in the Congressional Record prior to their consideration, which may be offered only by the Member who preprinted it or by his designee, and shall be considered as read. As has become standard practice, the rule allows the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole to postpone votes during consideration of the bill and to reduce voting time to 5 minutes on postponed questions if the vote follows a 15 minute vote. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, I believe this is an appropriate rule for the consideration of this legislation. It is legislation to reauthorize several very important United States investment trade promotion programs, including the Overseas Private Investment Corporation known as OPIC, the Trade and Development Agency and the export functions of the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce. OPIC's authority to operate lapsed on September 30, but it was extended by the continuing resolution on an emergency basis for only a few days more. This bill must pass the House and the Senate, as you know, in identical forms and be signed by the President in a very short time frame if these programs are to be able to continue uninterrupted. Therefore, I think that the preprinting requirement in this rule is an appropriate manner to allow interested Members to offer amendments while expediting the bill's consideration. H.R. 1993, the underlying legislation, reauthorizes most commercial export promotion programs that involve the United States Government. OPIC is authorized for 4 years and continuing under this bill will be able to continue its self-sustaining operations without raising its liability ceiling, which is an improvement and a significant change over the bill that was considered in the 104th Congress. In addition, H.R. 1993, the underlying legislation, codifies the cost-sharing and success fees of the Trade and Development Agency and provides the Agency with $48 million, the amount requested by the President. It also provides funding for all and reauthorizes three programs of the International Trade Administration in the Commerce Department, $202 million for the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, $68 million for the Trade Development Program, and $4 million for the Market Access and Compliance Program. I am encouraged that the bill directs the Department of Commerce to create a special initiative to promote trade opportunities and remove market barriers in sub-Saharan Africa and in Latin America. Obviously, Latin America is a tremendous export market for the United States and very important to the United States economy. I believe that this is a fair rule and it brings forth a very good underlying bill. I commend my colleagues, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), chairman of the Committee on International Relations; the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) and the others who have worked very hard on this legislation for advancing the bill. I certainly share their support for this important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 327 is a fair rule. I would urge, and I do urge its adoption. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, and at the same time commend him once again for his hard work on this legislation. (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)