Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and my classmate in Congress.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), the chairman of the important Intelligence Committee.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), who is a valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) the chair of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Himes).

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a member of the community who this year will serve as a delegate to the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebration, which will be held in Varanasi, India from January 21 to 23. Dr. Mistry was born in India but emigrated to the United States in 1978. She has served the community as a pediatric dentist, delivering high quality treatment and care to young children and teenagers in New York for the past 38 years. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event occurs every two years, and is an opportunity for the Government of India to recognize the contributions made by the overseas Indian community. This year, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is associated with two other major events for India, the Kumbh Mela and India's 70th Republic Day. By including Dr. Mistry among the delegates for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the celebration is further enriched because of her tremendous contributions to the Tarrytown community. Congratulations to Dr. Mistry on receiving this wonderful and well- deserved recognition.

Mr. ENGEL

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

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), who is the Democratic lead on this bill.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch), one of my fellow co-chairs of a bipartisan task force to combat anti-Semitism.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, let me say that I strongly support this bipartisan bill. As all of my colleagues have said, we can never become complacent when we see anti-Semitism rear its ugly head. We need to reject it. We need to fight it. We need to shine a light in all the dark corners so it has no place to hide and fester. What does that look like when it comes to foreign policy? It starts by appointing a senior diplomat, someone we can point to with confidence and say, ``You are leading America's effort to grapple with this problem around the world.'' This bill would make sure that that seat will not remain vacant the way it has for the last 2 years. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation. I am proud that we have such bipartisan support for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings). (Mr. HASTINGS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 221, currently under consideration.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 221. I am a proud original cosponsor of this bill, and I am pleased we are considering it today. We passed it with bipartisan, unanimous support in the last Congress, and I am looking forward to seeing us show that broad support again. In this Congress, we must continue to stand against anti-Semitism. I thank my colleagues for their hard work on this effort: Congressman Chris Smith, the author of this legislation, and my fellow co-chairs of the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism. I am proud to stand with a group of legislators committed to fighting intolerance and hatred. Mr. Speaker, we have seen a sickening increase in anti-Semitism over the past few years. Just a few months ago, a gunman stormed a synagogue in Pittsburgh, attacking peaceful congregants and killing 11 people. We have seen people who embrace hatred and bigotry given a new, loud megaphone to spread their poison. Across the United States, we have seen an uptick in anti-Semitic language and an increase in threats of violence against Jewish communities. In my home State of New York, NYPD officials have reported an alarming surge of anti-Semitic hate crimes. Every day, more and more alarming anti-Semitic incidents are happening across the world: Holocaust survivors recently assaulted, rallies and parades glorifying Nazi leaders, and swastikas graffitied to incite fear and terror. The list goes on and on. This is appalling, and it demands immediate action. As a country, we need to come together to say enough is enough. We need to confront evil, call it by its name, and say there is no place for it anywhere in the United States or around the world. We need to do it as citizens. We need to do so in our laws and in our policies. We need to make sure that we fill the positions that are supposed to be dealing with this issue. The Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism position at the State Department is still vacant, and that is simply unacceptable. We must have a senior official push back against intolerance and hatred of anti-Semitism. American leadership is desperately needed in the fight against this ancient form of hatred. I am sick and tired of foot-dragging on filling this critical position. That is why I am glad we are moving this bill forward. This legislation would elevate the Special Envoy position and require the President to put forward a nominee no more than 120 days after a vacancy. This is essential for making sure that a prolonged vacancy like we have right now never happens again. We must have a senior State Department official dedicated to coordinating U.S. Government efforts to combat anti-Semitism abroad. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this measure. I ask my colleagues to join me in doing so, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 221) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to monitor and combat anti-Semitism globally, and for other purposes.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 133) to promote economic partnership and cooperation between the United States and Mexico.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 133, currently under consideration.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise in support of this measure. I thank Representative Cuellar for introducing this measure, and I will discuss its merits in a moment. But I can't stand in good conscience on the House floor to talk about our economic partnership with Mexico and not speak for a moment on what is happening right now on our southern border. The government is currently shut down, with thousands of workers furloughed and prevented from doing their jobs. This is something that should be ameliorated quickly. Government should open. The measure before us today deals with the incredibly important relationship with our neighbor to the south, Mexico. Mexico is our close friend and ally and a country with which we have extraordinarily close cultural and person-to-person ties. This bill builds on the Obama administration's 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative by requiring the Secretary of State to expand the exchange programs and allow our students and business leaders to share and learn from each other. It is also crucial that we send a strong message to the Mexican people that the United States Congress will not walk away from them despite the damage done to the relationship. As I have said many times in the House Foreign Affairs Committee and on the House floor, the United States should be in the business of building bridges, not walls, to our friends in Mexico. By passing this measure today, the House of Representatives is recommitting itself to our bilateral relationship. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I want to close by again emphasizing the importance of the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Twenty years ago, it would have been hard to imagine coming to the House floor in support of a bipartisan bill on educational exchanges with Mexico. Now, a bill like this will glide through the House with little, if any, opposition, just as it did last year. But we cannot take cooperation for granted. We have to keep on working with Mexico to improve our relationship. I thank my colleagues for supporting me and joining me in supporting this legislation to double down on the successes in the U.S.-Mexico partnership, and I urge its immediate passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 192) to establish an interagency program to assist countries in North and West Africa to improve immediate and long-term capabilities to counter terrorist threats, and for other purposes.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 192, currently under consideration.