Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I would like to once again thank Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and Chairman Royce for helping to move this resolution forward in a timely manner. The Senate passed a similar resolution last week, and I am pleased that we will soon follow suit. We must do all we can to hold Boko Haram accountable for the mass abduction of schoolgirls and the many other terrorist attacks it has committed. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of the abducted girls, and we will not rest until they are returned to their loved ones. We will do everything in our power to get them home safely and soundly. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. I yield an additional 10 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time both sides have remaining.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison).

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison).

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

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

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wilson), the author of this resolution.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), our Democratic leader.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of H. Res. 573. I would like to begin by thanking our former committee colleague and our colleague, Ms. Frederica Wilson of Florida, for offering this important resolution. I would also like to thank our chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Royce, for working with us on this piece of legislation in a bipartisan manner. This resolution strongly condemns the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram and supports U.S. and international efforts to assist in their recovery. On April 14, these schoolgirls were doing what young women and girls all over the world do every day, studying for tests, playing with friends, and building a future for themselves. That day, Boko Haram--which roughly translates to ``Western education is forbidden''--abducted these girls, tore them away from their families and their communities. Today, more than a month later, we still don't know where they are. Our thoughts are with their families, and we pray that they are safely reunited with their children as soon as possible. This mass abduction is only the latest atrocity committed by Boko Haram. Since 2010, they have launched hundreds of attacks and murdered over 5,000 people. The group has burned schools and killed students, attacked churches and mosques, murdered Christian and Muslim religious leaders, and set off bombs in the capital city of Abuja. The United States and other international partners have offered assistance to bring the schoolgirls home, and we all hope these efforts will prove successful, but we must also recognize that Nigeria's approach to countering Boko Haram has not been effective. With its heavy-handed approach, the Nigerian military has often alienated the very population that could be providing valuable information about Boko Haram's activities. Instead of fostering relationships with the community, the military has built a record of indiscriminate destruction, theft of personal property, arbitrary arrests, indefinite detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of civilians--all this with impunity. This serves only to help Boko Haram recruit and radicalize new members. I hope the Nigerian Government will see this kidnapping and the reaction of Nigerian citizens as a wake-up call to reevaluate their counterterrorism strategy and that we can work with them to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat Boko Haram, one that included civil society, development, and better civil-military relations. Meanwhile, we in the United States must do all we can to ensure that these girls are returned home to their families safely and soundly. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, in closing, I want to once again thank Chairman Royce, Representative Smith of New Jersey, and the Judiciary Committee for their hard work on this legislation. Again, I want to single out Representative Smith for being relentless in this bill. I appreciate the willingness of all interested parties to make the compromises necessary to ensure that this is a truly bipartisan product. The result is an important tool in the fight against child sex tourism and trafficking. I want to thank Chairman Royce as well. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4573, known as International Megan's Law, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I begin, I would first like to commend our colleague, Mr. Chris Smith of New Jersey, for his leadership on human rights, on antitrafficking issues, and for his and his staff's hard work on H.R. 4573. I can't begin to tell our colleagues how relentless Mr. Smith has been and his staff has been. This has really been almost a personal crusade for him. I know, if it weren't for the gentleman from New Jersey, we would not be this far on this legislation, so I really think our colleagues should know of his dedication and hard work on this matter. I also want to thank the Judiciary Committee for its bipartisan input on this bill. I know all of the parties worked hard to make sure that the bill is a practical and effective mechanism which will help make a difference in the lives of those victimized by sexual predators. We worked very closely with the Judiciary Committee on this bill as well. This is a really good product with many bipartisan inputs from several committees, primarily from Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary. International Megan's Law aims to prevent child sex offenders and traffickers from exploiting vulnerable children when they cross an international border. In many countries, extreme poverty and gaps in law enforcement create zones of impunity in which sex offenders exploit vulnerable children. Sometimes, local officials have no idea that this is going on. Sometimes, they turn a blind eye; and sometimes, unfortunately, officials are even complicit in this crime. H.R. 4573 establishes an Angel Watch Center within Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would provide advance notice to foreign countries when a convicted child sex offender travels to that country. The bill also calls on the President to negotiate agreements with foreign governments that would encourage information sharing on known child sex offenders. Around the world, as many as 27 million people are victims of human trafficking, many of them children exploited in prostitution. These repugnant practices amount to modern slavery. They violate our deepest moral values, and they demand a timely and effective response. Madam Speaker, we need to do all we can to encourage governments around the world to live up to their responsibilities and confront this crime. Protecting trafficked children requires timely victim identification, placing them in safe environments, and providing them with comprehensive support services--physical and mental health care, educational opportunities, legal assistance, and the reintegration with family and community. No single government or single law will put an end to child sex tourism or to child sex trafficking, but every step we take strengthens our ability to prevent these crimes, to protect its victims, and to punish those responsible. So, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4573. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the state of Israel and its people on the 66th anniversary of Israel's founding. Israel is the only stable democracy in the Middle East and the United States' closest ally and friend. Our relationship, built on trust, shared values and a common experience, serves to advance the cause of democracy and freedom worldwide. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people. It has been the spiritual center for Jews for thousands of years. In recent years, Israel has become a hub of technology and innovation. In 66 short years, the Jewish people have built a thriving economy in the shadow of their ancient ruins. Last month, I stood at the Babi Yar memorial in Ukraine. Alone at the site of a massacre with only a yahrtzeit candle flickering, where Einzatzgruppen killed tens of thousands of Jews, I reflected on my heritage. My four grandparents were from Ukraine, and I've often thought that if it weren't for their foresight in leaving Ukraine when they did, I would never have been born. I reflected on the thousands who have been killed because of their faith. While Israel was not founded because of the Holocaust, the Holocaust is a powerful reminder of what the world could look like without a safe haven for the Jewish people. Israel is its own protector and the United States must stand with Israel as Israel seeks to defend itself against existential threats. As we celebrate Israel's Independence Day, we also remember those who have fallen in service to their country. I am proud to stand here in celebration of the freedoms that Israel stands for.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to introduce the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act of 2014, a bill that will create an independent commission to evaluate U.S. policies aimed at reducing drug production and trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. A similar bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously on December 8, 2009 with a bipartisan group of 30 cosponsors. I thank my good friend and colleague Congressman Matt Salmon, the Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, for being the lead Republican sponsor of this legislation. I also thank Representatives Sires, Ros-Lehtinen and O'Rourke for being original co-sponsors of the bill. With $15.7 billion spent on counternarcotics programs in Latin America and the Caribbean between 1980 and 2012, it is important to take stock of what has worked, what has not worked and what future U.S. drug policy should look like. This independent commission will be required to submit recommendations on future U.S. drug policy to Congress, the Secretary of State and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy 12 months after its first meeting. The time to examine U.S. drug policy is long overdue. While billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars have been spent over the years to fight the drug trade, illegal drug use in the United States remains high. In 2012, there were an estimated 23,900,000 illicit drug users in the United States. In particular, I am concerned by the dramatic increase in heroin use in our country. Attorney General Eric Holder recently noted that heroin overdose deaths in the United States increased by an alarming 45 percent between 2006 and 2010. On the supply side, nearly all cocaine consumed in the United States originates in South America while most of the heroin consumed here is from Colombia and Mexico. In addition, Central America and the Caribbean are key transit regions for drugs entering the United States. To tackle our nation's horrific drug problem once and for all, we must have a better sense of what works and what does not work. Our partners in the Americas, who have worked closely with us in fighting drug trafficking for years, and the citizens of our great country, who deal every day with illegal drugs on their streets, deserve no less. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Let's do what they sent us here to do. Let's protect our diplomats and development experts. Let's work to create jobs and shore up our crumbling infrastructure. Let's fix our immigration system and promote energy security. Let's vote ``no'' on this resolution and get back to governing.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New York for yielding me this time. I rise in strong opposition to both the rule and the bill. It is really a political charade and a pointless attempt to find a scandal that simply doesn't exist. What happened in Benghazi in September 2012 was a tragedy. The loss of those four Americans broke our hearts, and it reminded us that diplomacy can be dangerous work and that we need to do all we can to protect those who represent our country around the world. What have we seen from certain members of the majority since that day? Partisan games. And this select committee would be nothing more than the next chapter in this political farce, just in time for the midterm elections and with 2016 peeking over the horizon. What is it exactly that my colleagues are after? After the attack in Benghazi, we all wanted answers: What happened that night that led to the death of Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty? Where did we fall short in protecting our people, and who was responsible? What could we do to make sure something like this wouldn't happen again? Well, an Accountability Review Board led by Ambassador Thomas Pickering and Admiral Michael Mullen, two men with seriousness of purpose and no partisan agenda, helped answer those questions. They found serious management and leadership failures at the State Department. Bipartisan reports from the Senate Homeland and Intelligence Committees supported those findings. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sat before committees in both Houses and took full responsibility. She and her successor, John Kerry, have said over and over again that the State Department is implementing all of the recommendations of the Review Board. That didn't satisfy some of my friends on the other side. They started moving the goalpost, and so began this long, costly exercise. They tried to tie Secretary Clinton directly to the security failures that led to this tragedy, but that didn't turn up anything. Then they floated the idea that our military was told to stand down in the moment of greatest need in Benghazi. Even the Republican chairman of the Committee on Armed Services said that claim had no merit. Since there is no wrongdoing to be found with respect to the actual attack, now we are focused on the talking points and the so-called coverup. I ask again: What is it my colleagues are after? What is allegedly being covered up? At the time the attacks took place, American Embassies from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, to North Africa, to England were surrounded by protestors angered over an anti-Islamic video. In Egypt, our Embassy was stormed. So as the fires in Benghazi were still burning and the air was thick with smoke, the CIA's assessment was that the attack was the result of a spontaneous protest. They were wrong. In the days that followed, they corrected that mistake, confirming that the attack was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists. In the days after the attack, these protests in the region were still raging. Some of them were violent. In Yemen, additional marines were deployed to protect our personnel. The latest conspiracy theory centers on an email sent at the time. In context, it is clear that Ben Rhodes, the Deputy National Security Adviser, was concerned about protecting Americans amid a volatile climate around our diplomatic facilities all over the world. Those who want to create a scandal where none exists call this a smoking gun. That is not much to go on. Nevertheless, after more than a year of turning up nothing new, my colleagues want to create a new committee with sweeping powers, a broad mandate, and no fixed timeline for producing any sort of report. When I heard of the terrible idea to create this special committee, I could not help but think of Iraq where, not four, but 4,000 Americans died. My Republican colleagues conducted virtually no investigations into that tragedy based on a lie. They set up no committees to uncover the truth behind the phony intelligence, the torture, the secret prisons, or the spin about how Iraqis would greet us with flowers. Nothing. So I have to ask a final time: What is it my colleagues on the other side are after? I think the answer is pretty clear. They are after a political win. They want to tear down leaders in the Democratic Party and raise money for their campaign committees, and they are willing to politicize the deaths of four Americans to do it. Our constituents aren't interested in this. They want us to do our jobs, not waste millions of taxpayer dollars on a fabricated scandal.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I would like to once again point out that this is a bipartisan bill. The four original cosponsors are Chairman Royce and Chairman Smith on the Republican side, myself as the ranking member, and Ms. Bass as the ranking member on the Africa Subcommittee on the Democratic side. So this is truly a bipartisan collaboration that is very important, well thought out, and I agree with everything the chairman said. This bill will reform OPIC and will reform how this kind of aid is done. I would like to again thank Chairman Royce for being an outstanding partner in drafting this legislation and for his leadership in passing the bill out of our committee unanimously. That is another thing that I think is so important to what we do on the committee. We try to pass things in consensus and try to let everybody put his or her thoughts into the bill. This passed unanimously out of the committee, and that doesn't happen lightly or easily. It is done because lots of concerns were taken into consideration, things were ameliorated, things were changed, and what we have is a very, very good product. As has been said, this legislation has the potential to impact millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa. A doctor in Kenya will be able to treat a patient without worrying about her equipment shutting off, a child in Congo can continue studying long after the sun sets. The bottom line is that reliable access to electricity will help build African economies and reduce their reliance on foreign aid, saving the United States money. I hope the Senate will also take action on this bill, again, which has broad bipartisan support in the Senate. I urge my colleagues to support this positive piece of legislation for Africa. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, when this bill was submitted it had, and continues to have, strong bipartisan support. I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), one of the original cosponsors on the bill, our ranking member on the Africa Subcommittee.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2548, the Electrify Africa Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to begin by thanking our chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Royce, for working with us in a bipartisan manner on this important legislation and for his longstanding commitment to improving U.S.-Africa relations and lifting Africans out of poverty. Mr. Royce has long, for many years on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, worked with and been very concerned about Africa. This bill is, in part, a culmination of his hard work and his longstanding dedication. In the United States, we take reliable electricity for granted. When we flip the switch, we expect the lights to come on. This winter many of us were frustrated when storms knocked out our power. Life was harder as we impatiently waited for the electricity to be restored. Imagine if the power never came back and that was your life every day, year in and year out. That is the stark reality facing many families in Africa. Indeed sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most energy-deficient regions of the world, with nearly 70 percent of the population, more than half a billion people, lacking access to electricity. In some countries the figure is even higher: in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 85 percent of the population has no power; in Kenya, 82 percent of the population has no power; and in Uganda, 92 percent. These are truly staggering statistics. The lack of reliable electricity has a major impact on day-to-day life and many negative consequences. In desperation, people burn anything they can find for heat and cooking: wood, plastic, trash, and other toxic materials. These dirtier fuels cause greater harm to people's health and also to the environment. Many businesses have had a hard time succeeding because they are forced to pour expensive diesel fuel into generators day and night or deal with constant power outages from unreliable electrical grids. Hospitals cannot provide adequate services because they are unable to provide consistent cold storage, light, or power for lifesaving devices. The list goes on and on. This legislation directs the executive branch to develop a strategy to increase electrification in Africa and to employ U.S. assistance programs to help accomplish that goal. This long-term strategy will focus not only on providing incentives for the private sector to build more power plants, but also on increasing African government accountability and transparency, improving regulatory environments, and increasing access to electricity in rural and poor communities through small, renewable energy projects. Only by addressing all of these challenges in a comprehensive way will millions of people in Africa finally have access to electricity that will allow them to grow their economies and ultimately reduce their reliance on foreign aid. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment. It is a very important piece of legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I would like to thank Congressman McGovern, the gentleman from Massachusetts, for drafting this important legislation. Once again, I thank Chairman Royce for his continued bipartisan leadership. As has been said, this resolution calls upon the Burmese government to end the persecution of the Rohingya people and to respect the human rights of all ethnic and religious minority groups. Until now, the treatment of the Rohingya has been largely ignored by the international community. That is the purpose of this resolution--so they cannot be ignored any longer. It is time for the United States to send a clear and strong message to the government of Burma that we will not tolerate the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, and that it must abide by human rights principles of equality and dignity if it is to rejoin the international community. So I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 418, a resolution urging the Government of Burma to end its persecution of the Rohingya people. I would like to thank my good friend and cochairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), for authoring this important resolution. H. Res. 418 calls on the Government of Burma to end its persecution of the Rohingya people and to respect the human rights of all ethnic and religious minority groups. The plight of the Rohingya gets very little public attention, and I am pleased that this House is addressing the abuses they and other minorities have suffered. The State Department's 2013 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices acknowledges ``credible reports of extrajudicial killings, rape and sexual violence, arbitrary detentions and torture and mistreatment in detention, deaths in custody, and systematic denial of due process and fair trial rights overwhelmingly perpetrated against the Rohingya.'' Last month, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma stated that the recent developments in Burma reflect a ``long history of discrimination and persecution against the Rohingya Muslim community, which could amount to crimes against humanity.'' The U.N. has also described the Rohingya community as virtually friendless because they are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions on marriage, employment, health care, education, and daily movement. In February, the Burmese Government expelled Doctors Without Borders; and since then, deaths due to preventable complications during pregnancy have occurred on an almost daily basis in Rohingya camps, where pregnant women make up a quarter of the group's emergency referrals. Mr. Speaker, as the Government of Burma transitions from decades-long military rule to a civilian government, it is important to hold it accountable for persistent human rights abuses. The killings, arbitrary detentions, and the destruction of homes have caused 140,000 people to be internally displaced; and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee to neighboring countries, including to Thailand, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. If Burma truly seeks to rejoin the international community, the manner in which it treats its own people will be a key marker of the government's sincerity. Burma must abide by human rights principles of equality and human dignity, and this resolution calls upon the Burmese Government to do just that. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 418, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the author of the resolution.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Agshin Mehdiyev, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations since November 30, 2006, who also served with distinction on the United Nations Security Council from 2012 to 2013. While at the United Nations, he also was Azerbaijan's non-resident Ambassador to Cuba (since February 2007), Nicaragua (since June 2008), Jamaica (since September 2008), and Venezuela (since October 2008). Ambassador Mehdiyev will shortly conclude his term at the United Nations and return to Azerbaijan. His dedication to his diplomatic craft and his contributions to the United Nations and to U.S.- Azerbaijan relations richly deserve to be recognized. In particular, he brought leadership and wisdom to his position in the United Nations and to the United Nations Security Council during a period of considerable turmoil and significant challenges. Furthermore, Ambassador Mehdiyev has a long and distinguished record of serving his country. He first worked overseas at the USSR Embassies in Egypt (from 1971 to 1975) and in Yemen (from 1977 to 1982), and also in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijan SSR in several capacities, including as chief of the Ministry's Information and Media Office (from 1975 to 1977). He returned to Yemen from 1987 until 1991, and from 1991 to 1992 was Azerbaijan's official Representative to the Republic of Yemen. Between 1993 and 2001, he was the Director of Europe, USA and Canada Department of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And prior to his current position at the United Nations, he was Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe from 2001 to 2006. Ambassador Mehdiyev graduated from Azerbaijan State University in 1971 (from the faculty on oriental studies). Between 1969 and 1970, he studied at the Cairo University, and from 1985 to 1987, he studied at the Diplomatic Academy of the Foreign Ministry of the former USSR. Ambassador Medhiyev holds a PhD degree in the history of international relations (1987) and is Honorary Professor of the Baku Eurasian University Academic Council since 2007. He also is the author of the book, ``Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe,'' published in 2011, as well as of many articles and other publications focusing on international affairs and political studies. For his distinguished career and contributions to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Mehdiyev was awarded a medal on the occasion of the ``90th anniversary of Azerbaijan's diplomatic service,'' at which time he also received the Foreign Ministry's ``Honor Award'' and an order for ``Service to the Fatherland.'' Ambassador Mehdiyev was born in 1949. He and his wife Sevda have three children. Mr. Speaker, on March 23, 2014, I attended a farewell reception and dinner in New York in honor of Ambassador Mehdiyev and Sevda. The event was hosted by my friends Ranju Batra, Chair of the Diwali Stamp Project and former president of the Association of Indians in America NY, and Ravi Batra, an accomplished attorney who is the Chairman and CEO of Greenstar Global Energy Corporation and Chair of the National Advisory Council on South Asian Affairs. Their son Neal Batra also was there. The gathering also was attended by numerous UN Ambassadors with spouses, including by U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative Rosemary DiCarlo and the Permanent Representatives from Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Honduras, South Korea, Finland, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, and inter alia, Somalia. Also attending were senior members of the UN Secretariat, including Won-soo Kim and Ion Botnaru, and members of the judiciary, local elected officials, Rabbi Yitzchok Waldman, who is the Director of the Laniado Hospital in Israel, Martin and Grace Riskin, and my dear friend and colleague Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, in whose district the event was held. Numerous other officials and prominent individuals sent their greetings and good wishes. I mention this not only to thank the Batras for their incredible warmth and hospitality, but also to demonstrate the great respect and affection with which Ambassador Mehdiyev is held by his colleagues and acquaintances. Diplomacy at its most basic level is about building connections between people, and the attendance of so many prominent individuals, from all walks of life, is a testament to Ambassador Mehdiyev's character and skills. He is a true professional in every sense of the word and I am pleased to pay tribute to him today.