Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H. Res. 233, calling for the release of Americans held or missing in Iran. First of all, I want to associate my feelings with the remarks of our chairman, Congressman Royce. I think he hit the nail right on the head several times with his statement. I agree with every word he uttered. It is just ludicrous that at a time where we are weeks away from ostensibly completing an agreement with Iran, that our hostages--I can't think of any other word for them--are being treated so shabbily by the Iranian regime. As far as I am concerned, it casts a pall on any potential agreement that we have with Iran on June 30. If this is the way they are treating Americans, how can we rely on them or count on them to fulfill their obligations under any agreement we sign with them? It is just ludicrous that here we are at the eleventh hour. You would think the Iranian regime would want to start acting favorably so that we in Congress might favorably look upon any deal that could be reached. Instead, they are continuing their old ways and doing just the opposite. It just doesn't make any sense. It doesn't help us to trust them, it doesn't help us to believe them, and it only furthers all the things that we have seen and heard and questioned about this rogue regime in Tehran. I want to thank Representative Kildee for authoring this resolution. He has been a champion for these four Americans and their families. As I said at our hearing, he has been unrelenting in terms of fighting for his constituent and for the others who are held in Iranian prisons. Representative Deutch, the ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, who also has a constituent who is a hostage, has also been very vociferous. And Representative Huffman is always talking to us about these issues and always looking to free all these Americans in prison. Also Representative Labrador, and Representative Kildee has assured that these Americans are not forgotten in Congress. As was mentioned, 2 weeks ago, our committee heard from the Hekmati, Rezaian, Levinson, and Abedini families. Their stories were heartbreaking, their pleas heartfelt, and as they made clear in their testimony, their cause is our cause. It is America's cause. We are a few weeks away, as I said before, from an important deadline in the Iranian nuclear talks. It is ridiculous that our citizens languish in Iranian jails while we negotiate. At the same time, as the families of the Americans point out, these negotiations have given us the only opportunity to directly raise the cases of the four Americans with the Iranian Government, and we are assured by the administration that at every instance they raise these cases with the Iranian Government. I am happy they raise the cases. I am grateful that they raise these cases. But, of course, if we don't get these people home, it is all for naught. I cannot imagine having an agreement with Iran that doesn't take into account these people, that doesn't release these people. It would just be a dereliction of our duties and responsibility to have an agreement with Iran while not bargaining or getting the freedom of these people. We don't want these people used as a bargaining chip, but on the other hand, we don't want these people to remain in jail after there is some kind of an agreement with Iran. I wish we knew more about the conditions of these four Americans, but in these cases, Iran isn't playing by the rules once again. Typically, if an American were detained in Iran, Switzerland, the U.S. ``protecting power'' in Iran, would have access to them for consular services. It is not the case here. In the cases of these three Iranian Americans, Iran doesn't even acknowledge their dual citizenship--only their Iranian citizenship. This position runs roughshod over long-established international law. Without consular access, we cannot judge the health and welfare of our own American citizens. This is unacceptable. The United States respects this access for Iranian citizens held here. Reciprocal privileges are the least they could provide. Sadly, Mr. Deutch's constituent--Robert Levinson's whereabouts are unknown. I simply don't believe the Iranians have been forthcoming at all about his status. If he is, indeed, still a hostage, he is now the longest held hostage in American history. We shouldn't stand for this. We shouldn't sit still while this continues. I will weigh the nuclear deal carefully when it comes to us, but Iran's leaders could send the American people a gesture of goodwill by providing more information about Robert Levinson and by freeing Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezaian. By the way, Mr. Rezaian is the bureau chief, the Tehran bureau chief of The Washington Post, unbelievable that he would be arrested for espionage, ludicrous, ridiculous. This is a concern all of us share. It doesn't matter where you come from in this country or what your political affiliation is. These are Americans, and we all want to see these four Americans come home safely to their families. I applaud this resolution, urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who has been the staunchest supporter of getting these people free, who has raised this issue so many times, and who is the author of this resolution.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Chair, on May 24, 2011, President Obama issued a memorandum on Federal fleet performance that required all new light- duty vehicles in the Federal fleet to be alternative fuel vehicles, such as hybrid, electric, natural gas, or biofuel, by December 31, 2015. My amendment echoes the President's memorandum by prohibiting funds in this act from being used to lease or purchase new light-duty vehicles unless that purchase is made in accord with the President's memorandum. I have submitted identical amendments to 17 different appropriations bills over the past few years, and every time they have been accepted by both the majority and the minority. I hope my amendment will receive similar support today. Global oil prices are down. We no longer pay $147 per barrel. But despite increased production here in the United States, the global price of oil is still largely determined by OPEC. Spikes in oil prices have profound repercussions for our economy. The primary reason is that our cars and trucks run only on petroleum. We can change that with alternative technologies that exist today. The Federal Government operates the largest fleet of light-duty vehicles in America, over 635,000 vehicles. More than 6,000 of these vehicles are within the jurisdiction of this bill, being used by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. When I was in Brazil a few years ago, I saw how they diversified their fuel by greatly expanding their use of ethanol. People there can drive to a gas station and choose whether to fill their vehicle with gasoline or with ethanol and also possible blends as well. They make their choice based on cost or whatever criteria they deem important. So I want the same choice for America's consumers. That is why I am proposing a bill in Congress, as I have done many times in the past, which will provide for cars built in America to be able to run on a fuel instead of, or in addition to, gasoline. If they can do it in Brazil, we can do it here, and it would cost less than $100 per car to do. So, in conclusion, expanding the role these alternative technologies play in our transportation economy will help break the leverage that foreign-government-controlled oil companies hold over Americans. It will increase our Nation's domestic security and protect consumers. I urge that my colleagues support the Engel amendment. In conclusion, I would just say that energy policy is something that is really important, and we can take a very small step tonight to move closer to energy independence and protecting the American consumer. I would urge all my colleagues on both sides, as they have in the past, to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I must rise and oppose this amendment. Earlier this year, ATF recognized the threat posed by armor-piercing handguns and tried to limit the sale of the green tip 556 round, which is the military-made armor-piercing round that fits into pistols. This would have made sense. When ATF tried to make that change, the industry decried executive overreach and hidden administrative agendas and shouted down this commonsense proposal. I supported the ATF's proposal then, and I still believe that this and other commonsense regulations on armor-piercing handguns are sorely needed. I introduced the APB Act to enact the ATF's proposed change into law because we have a responsibility to protect our police and our communities from these unreasonably dangerous weapons. A hunter does not need a Sig Sauer P556 or an Extar EXP or any of the other pistols that can fire these armor-piercing rounds. These concealed weapons serve only one purpose: to kill human beings wearing body armor. ATF needs the authority to monitor and regulate firearms and ammunition. When technology advances, like it did with the green tip, ATF needs to be able to act to protect our neighborhoods and our law enforcement. This amendment, I believe, would needlessly strip ATF's authority to regulate dangerous armor-piercing bullets and put cops, kids, and our communities at risk. I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, on May 24, 2011, President Obama issued a memorandum on Federal fleet performance that required all new light- duty vehicles in the Federal fleet to be alternative fuel vehicles, such as hybrid, electric, natural gas, or biofuel, by December 31, 2015. My amendment echoes the President's memorandum by prohibiting funds in this act from being used to lease or purchase new light-duty vehicles unless that purchase is made in accord with the President's memorandum. I have submitted identical amendments to 16 different appropriations bills over the past few years, and every time they have been accepted by both the majority and the minority, so I hope my amendment will receive similar support today. Global oil prices are down. We no longer pay $147 per barrel. But despite increased production here in the United States, the global price of oil is still largely determined by OPEC. Spikes in oil prices have profound repercussions for our economy. The primary reason is that our cars and trucks run only on petroleum. We can change that with alternative technologies that exist today. The Federal Government operates the largest fleet of light-duty vehicles in America, over 633,000 vehicles. Nearly 50,000 of these vehicles are within the jurisdiction of this bill, being used by the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and the National Science Foundation. When I was in Brazil a few years ago, I saw how they diversified their fuel by greatly expanding their use of ethanol. People there can drive to a gas station and choose whether to fill their vehicle with gasoline or with ethanol or some other mix. They make their choice based on cost or whatever criteria they deem important. I want this same choice for American consumers. That is why I am proposing a bill this Congress, as I have in the past, which will provide for cars built in America to be able to run on a fuel instead of, or in addition to, gasoline. It doesn't cost much at all; and if they can do it in Brazil, we can do it here. In conclusion, expanding the role these alternative technologies play in our transportation economy will help break the leverage that foreign government-controlled oil companies hold over Americans. It will increase our Nation's domestic security and protect consumers. I ask that my colleagues support the Engel amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I conclude and say I thank my colleagues and look forward to continuing to work together with them in a bipartisan fashion for the good of the American people. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, religious institutions and the men and women who lead them have the power to shape and bind communities in many incredible ways. For over forty years in New Rochelle, Rabbi Melvin Sirner and his wife, Lenore, have led Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle with incredible grace, and as a result have left an indelible mark on the entire community. A native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Michigan, Rabbi Sirner came to New Rochelle in August 1972 following his ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Scheduled only to stay at Beth El for two years, Rabbi Sirner extended his stay several years and, upon the retirement of Rabbi Golovensky, was elected Senior Rabbi of the Center. Lenore Richman Sirner was born and raised in Boro Park, Brooklyn, and received a wonderful early Jewish education at Shulamith School for Girls, and later at Yeshiva of Flatbush High School. A graduate of George Washington University, Lenore earned her Master's degree in social work from New York University, before serving for many years as Director of Social Work Case management at the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, and later as Administrator of Clinical Services. As Lenore volunteered at Beth El, she met Rabbi Sirner, and the rest as they say is history. Together, Rabbi Sirner and Lenore have led Beth El by emphasizing high quality and meaningful Jewish experiences. Under their stewardship, Beth El went from a community that did not permit participation of women in religious ritual, to a fully egalitarian synagogue. The establishment of the Keruv Committee, which works to ensure that all feel fully embraced and welcomed by the Beth El community, has helped shaped the synagogue under Rabbi Sirner's watch, and the Sylvia and Robert Scher Chesed Committee, which works to help shape the larger New Rochelle community as a whole, has become a great beacon of light for the entire neighborhood due to its fine work. But Rabbi and Lenore Sirner's greatest joy and accomplishment is their family. They are the proud parents of Gabrielle, her husband Morris, Abby, and Ari. They are also adoring grandparents to Lev, who I'm told is currently on the verge of mastering the sippy cup. This year, the Beth El Synagogue Center is honoring Rabbi Sirner and Lenore for their decades of dedicated service to the Beth El, as well as the entire New Rochelle, communities. It is my pleasure to offer congratulations to Rabbi Sirner and Lenore on this wonderful occasion, and thank them for all they have done to better our community.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, it is now my great pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), one of the coauthors of this bill and someone who has worked endlessly to make sure this bill passes.

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of S. 802, the Girls Count Act of 2015. I want to thank Representatives Chabot and McCollum for introducing the House companion to this bill. Madam Speaker, around the world, over a third of children under the age of 5 have no registration of their births. Most of these children are girls. I remember my grandmother--my mother's mother--who came to this country before World War I from Eastern Europe. She didn't have a certificate and didn't really know for sure what year she was born or what time she was born. She knew it was December--she thought it was December--but she didn't have it, I remember. Here we are now, many, many years later, and we have the same problem in many areas around the world. Not existing on paper can shatter a person's life. With official documentation comes certain protections, and without those protections a person becomes an easy target for child labor, human trafficking, and child marriage. Down the line, many of these children will be unable to inherit land or money, to start a business, or even to open a bank account. This sort of marginalization often hits women the hardest. Unregistered women are more likely to be confined to their homes and to be invisible to the outside world. They enjoy only limited choices and opportunities, and their marginalization drags down the prosperity of their communities. Birth registration has most recently become an acute problem in Syria. The ongoing civil war has caused countless internally displaced and refugee children to go unregistered. As a result, these children face a high risk of entering into early or illegal marriages, of being sex trafficked, of being forced into child labor, or of being recruited by terrorist groups. S. 802 will ramp up efforts to get more children registered around the world. It authorizes the State Department and USAID to work with local governments to ensure equal access to registration programs. It uses existing funding to more effectively address this increasingly serious problem. This bill would complement the work of organizations around the world engaged in the important work of protecting vulnerable children, and it would put pressure on other governments to act. While improving birth registration systems helps the most vulnerable populations, it has positive ripple effects across a society. Governments with better records can provide better services, tailor more effective policies, and bring more people into full participation in their economies. This basic practice can help make entire countries stronger. Getting children registered at birth helps get them off to a good start, and this bill will help make that happen. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Once again, let me say that getting children registered at birth helps get them off to a good start. This bill encourages governments to enact laws and policies that give all children, including girls, a chance at being full participants in society. I strongly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do so as well. I want to again compliment Ms. McCollum and Mr. Chabot for their hard work on this very important piece of legislation. This should be a unanimous ``yes.'' I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, all across America, hundreds of American Legion programs are actively engaging in their respective communities, making the neighborhoods in which they operate better places to live. In New York's 16th Congressional District, which I represent, American Legion Post 1871 in Co-op City is celebrating its 45th year of actively engaging and strengthening the bonds between the residents in the Co-op City community. Legion Post 1871 was chartered October 27, 1970 as a veteran organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. The organization has gained a reputation as being one of the nation's most active groups of veterans. The programs run by the members, or Legionnaires, include everything from youth mentorship to wholesome family events. American Legion Baseball, which Post 1871 participates in, is one of America's most successful youth programs, educating young people about the importance of sportsmanship, citizenship and fitness. And every time one of those remarkable events takes place, Post 1871 is advocating patriotism, honor, and the promotion of strong national security. Legion Post 1871 is also very active with issue advocacy, and often takes a stand on issues most important to the nation's veterans community through the passage resolutions passed by the volunteer leadership. Legion Post 1871 has also benefitted over the years by having strong Commanders at the helm, no surprise considering the array of decorated service members in the Legionnaires' ranks. Sol Cohen served as the very first Commander, and was later followed by Harley J. Mosley Sr., who became the post's longest serving leader. Past Commander Robert Feliciano became the first member from Post 1871 to serve as Bronx County Commander, and in 2012 Jerome L. Rice became the first Commander from the post to have been both selected and graduated from the National American Legion College. Legion Post 1871 has been a pillar of patriotism and strength in the community for 45 years, and I am honored to recognize their leaders and members for all of their incredible efforts. The work this fine organization has performed in and around Co-op City has unquestionably left an indelible mark on the community for the better, and I am certain they will continue to do so for many more years to come. Congratulations to the Legionnaires on this wonderful anniversary.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of my legislation, H.R. 1493, as amended, and yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, we have worked very, very hard on this bill. This is a very, very important bill. So let me first thank Chairman Ed Royce for his efforts to move this bill forward. He is a good partner on the committee, and we couldn't have gone this far without him. I also want to thank the lead cosponsors, Representative Chris Smith and Representative Bill Keating, who have been champions on this issue. I want to thank Mr. Chabot for his support and his eloquence in speaking for the bill. One of the things that we do on the Committee on Foreign Affairs is, wherever possible, we work in a bipartisan fashion, and this is a perfect example of working together in a bipartisan fashion for something that is really just so important. Madam Speaker, by now we have all seen footage of ISIS extremists taking sledgehammers, as Mr. Chabot mentioned, to ancient, irreplaceable artifacts across the territory they control. Now, these are not random acts of vandalism. We are witnessing a deliberate campaign to attempt to rewrite world history. From the tomb of Jonah in Mosul to Yazidi shrines in Sinjar, ISIS is leveling sites that preserve a record of the region's rich and diverse past. I think Mr. Chabot put it very well when he said the same thing. We have seen this tactic before. In Afghanistan, the Taliban wiped out the Bamiyan Buddhas in March of 2000. Who can forget that? During the Holocaust, the Nazis systematically targeted Jewish property as part of their effort to wipe out an entire race. Now, some people will say why are we talking about the destruction of ancient ruins while so many people are suffering and dying at the hands of ISIS? That is not important. Of course, we need to stay focused on stopping the violence and alleviating the dire humanitarian situation festering across the region, but the reality is that we cannot separate these issues so easily. After all, before ISIS reduces these sites to rubble, the group loots everything they can carry, traffics the artifacts on the black market, and uses those resources to fund their violent rampage. So it is directly connected to the murder and killing of so many civilians and their brutality. They use these artifacts to get money so that they can keep their war machine going, so that they can keep their killings going, so that they can keep their brutality going. So the two are connected. ISIS has ransacked thousands of artifacts from dozens of World Heritage Sites, places like cities of Mari and Dura Europos, which were virtually untouched before this crisis. These places are now lost to history, and their destruction has funneled, as I said before, millions of dollars into ISIS' coffers. We need to cut off the source of funding and at the same time work to preserve this imperiled cultural history. There is already a good effort underway, a global effort underway. In February, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on governments to prohibit trade of cultural property looted from Syria and Iraq. The Security Council found that this step would reduce ISIS' operational capability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks. Our Western allies have cracked down on traffickers trying to sell looted artifacts from Iraq and Syria. Now is the time for the United States to do more, and that is precisely what this bill does. First of all, this bill takes steps to ensure the antiquities trafficking that is lining ISIS' pockets is not taking place within our borders. This legislation would impose tough, new import restrictions on cultural artifacts removed from Syria similar to restrictions we passed in 2004 with respect to Iraq. So we are doing the same thing that we did in Iraq in 2004 with Syria, trying to prevent these looted artifacts from funding the terrorist machine. Nothing in this legislation would interfere with the legal sale or exhibition of antiquities that were not smuggled out of Syria during the current crisis, and there are exceptions to allow artifacts to come here for protection and restoration. These new rules would remain in effect until the crisis in Syria is resolved and America is able to work with a new Syrian Government to protect cultural property from trafficking under a bilateral agreement in accordance with America's national interests. Secondly, this bill enhances collaboration among government agencies already working on this problem. This bill would bring together programs, from the Smithsonian, to the Pentagon, to Homeland Security, through a new interagency body with a single coordinator. It would improve congressional oversight to make sure we are efficient in the way we are addressing this challenge. These steps will not replace the authorities of existing bodies but will help ensure their programs work together effectively. This bill represents the newest chapter in a long tradition. Since World War II, America has led the world in protecting historical property from those bent on its destruction. That leadership is needed today. We must act swiftly to confront this threat, to cut off a critical source of ISIS funding, to stand up to this barbaric brand of psychological warfare, and to stop those determined to rewrite history. I urge all colleagues to support this legislation. I thank Mr. Chabot again. Madam Speaker, let me close by noting that with each passing day, ISIS is selling looted artifacts to the highest bidder, further financing death and destruction. Whatever is left behind, they reduce to rubble, leveling religious sites, digging up ancient cities, and erasing the last traces of long lost civilizations whose histories have remained in soil and sand for thousands of years, and these people destroy that. We must stand up to these acts. We must do more to cut off ISIS' funding and save cultural property. That is why it is so important. To help achieve this effort, we need to pass H.R. 1493. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, May is Asthma Awareness Month. As co-chair of the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus and a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Health Subcommittee, I want to take this opportunity to bring attention to asthma's prevalence in the United States, as well as what must be done to control its growth. Asthma is one of the most serious chronic diseases in the U.S., affecting almost 26 million Americans and nearly 7 million children. It can cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and even death. In my home state of New York, asthma takes a particularly heavy toll--especially in my hometown of the Bronx. About 390,000 children and 1.4 million adults in New York have asthma. The total cost of asthma-related hospitalizations in New York in 2007 was a staggering $535 million. The Bronx, where I was born and raised and am proud to represent part of, has one of the highest rates of asthma-related emergency room visits in all of New York. These statistics are even more alarming when looking specifically at minority and low-income populations. Children from poor households are twice as likely as their more affluent peers to be diagnosed with asthma. In addition, asthma rates among African American children increased by 50 percent between 2001 and 2009. Asthma's prevalence costs children and adults dearly with regard to quality of life. However, it carries an economic cost as well. The direct medical costs of asthma treatment, coupled with absences from work and school, result in losses of more than $56 billion annually Children additionally suffer academically, as asthma causes about 14 million student absences each year. While asthma can be treated and managed, it is too often not managed properly. Asthma sufferers require regular check-ups, asthma management plans, and access to both maintenance and fast acting inhalers. People with persistent asthma must be tested for allergies so they can learn what triggers might cause an asthma attack. Furthermore, environmental triggers in homes and schools, such as mold, dust, animal dander, pests, toxic chemicals, and excessive moisture must be eliminated. Congress must also work to reduce asthma rates. A little over five years ago, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act, which prohibited insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, like asthma. While this was a terrific stride, more efforts are needed here in Washington. I have been a strong supporter of the Centers for Disease Control's National Asthma Control Program, which helps states implement systems to monitor and treat asthma. This Program's work has resulted in a $23.1 billion decline in asthma health care costs since 2001. In addition, deaths related to asthma have dropped by 24 percent since the Program's inception in 1999. Earlier this year, I wrote a letter asking appropriators to fund the National Asthma Control Program at $30.6 million in Fiscal Year 2016. While financial support for this Program is vital, we cannot rely on funding alone to solve the problems that asthma causes. We must continue to increase awareness of preventative measures to help people manage their disease. In addition, we must work collaboratively across sectors to address the burden that asthma creates. I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that adults and children across the United States can live healthier and more successful lives.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, May is Asthma Awareness Month. As co-chair of the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus and a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Health Subcommittee, I want to take this opportunity to bring attention to the prevalence of asthma in the United States, as well as what must be done to control its growth. Asthma is one of the most serious chronic diseases in the country. It affects almost 26 million Americans and nearly 7 million children. It can cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and even death. In my home State of New York, asthma takes a particularly heavy toll, especially in my home county of the Bronx. About 390,000 children and 1.4 million adults in New York have asthma. The total cost of asthma- related hospitalizations in New York in 2007 was a staggering $535 million. I have been a strong supporter of the Centers for Disease Control's National Asthma Control Program, which helps States implement systems to monitor and treat asthma. This program's work has resulted in $23.1 billion in asthma healthcare costs since 2001. We must continue to increase awareness and preventative measures to help people manage their disease. We must work collaboratively across sectors to address the burden that asthma creates. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that adults and children across the United States can live healthier and more successful lives and that we can conquer the scourge of asthma.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng), a valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. ENGEL. I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch), who is also the ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee.

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2297, the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by, once again, thanking Chairman Royce for his thoughtfulness, his intellect, his bipartisanship. I agree with everything he said in his opening statement. I want to also thank Representative Deutch, Representative Meadows, and Representative Meng for their hard work on this important legislation to sanction Hezbollah, Iran's terrorist proxy. Over a decade ago, I introduced and Congress passed into law the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, which was designed to end Syrian support for terrorism, including Hezbollah. I was proud to have that bill pass both Houses of Congress and signed into law by then-President Bush. Now, Hezbollah is a more sophisticated terrorist organization, but their goals remain the same. They continue to support Iran's dangerous agenda throughout the region. They have tipped the Syrian civil war in favor of Assad. Assad would most likely be losing or out of power by now if not for the fact that Hezbollah has come in from Lebanon into Syria to aid Assad in his murderous treachery against his own people, where hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have perished. He would not be in power today if it wasn't for Iran and if it wasn't for Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, fighting that civil war. He would be losing that civil war. It is Hezbollah that has propped him up and caused him to be ahead in that war. When we debated the Corker-Cardin bill just before, I mentioned my concerns about a potential nuclear deal with Iran. At the top of their list is how sanctions relief will be handled and what Iran will do with a new influx of resources. Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force sow instability throughout the region. Perhaps the most destructive has been Iran's support for Hezbollah. Hezbollah, again, has prevented the people of Lebanon from building a better future. Hezbollah's support has allowed the Assad regime to cling to power, and Hezbollah has stockpiled tens of thousands of rockets on Israel's front doorstep. What concerns me most is that Iran has been able to funnel resources to Hezbollah, despite the burden of the most crippling sanctions regime in history. What is going to happen if that pressure is lifted? Well, we shouldn't wait to find out. Congress must act now to impose stronger sanctions on Hezbollah. We should choke them off from their Iranian patrons. This bill would give the administration every tool it needs to confront this dangerous group. It would sanction foreign banks for knowingly doing business with Hezbollah. We need to send a clear message to companies getting tangled with this terrorist group: Walk away. Walk away, or face the consequences. The bill would also shine a bright light on Al-Manar, Hezbollah's television station, itself a Specially Designated Terrorist Group. Hezbollah uses Al-Manar for logistical, propaganda, and fundraising purposes. It defies reason that this station is still carried by the satellite providers all over the world. We need to expose this puppet organization and this dangerous organization for what it is. We passed this bill in the last Congress by a vote of 404-0. Today, let's take another stand against the violence, murder, and terrorism that Hezbollah has sown in the region. It is time for an independent and free Lebanon. It is time for an end to terror and for a transition in Syria, and it is time for the threats against Israel to end. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the Democratic whip.

Mr. ENGEL. I am.

Mr. ENGEL. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch), the ranking member on the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee and a very valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of three measures I offered that are part of this and a later en bloc amendment. First is an amendment I coauthored with the Committee on Foreign Affairs chairman, Ed Royce. For more than 4 years, the Assad regime has rained down terror on its own citizens in the form of barrel bombs in Syria. Thousands upon thousands of Syrians have abandoned their homes and spilled across the border into Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. They are begging the world for help. While it wouldn't nearly solve this problem, a no-fly zone or a safe zone would provide a glimmer of hope for these people. Our amendment would require the Pentagon leaders to take a hard look at the feasibility of establishing a no-fly zone. My second amendment would require the Pentagon to report to Congress on the way reductions in U.S. military readiness in Europe would affect NATO's core mission of collective defense. This report would be required before any reduction in Europe takes place. I view Vladimir Putin's aggression as the greatest threat to European security since World War II. Today, NATO's article 5 must remain a credible deterrent. My amendment takes a step in that direction. Finally, I offered legislation to make sure U.S. training programs for Afghan National Security Forces include training on the protection of human rights. Since the defeat of the Taliban in 2001, not enough has been done to make human rights protections a priority for law enforcement agencies in Afghanistan. This issue should be a major part of our training efforts. I urge my colleagues to support these provisions.