Adriano Espaillat

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank Congressman McGovern for his hard work on this resolution. I strongly support this measure and urge all the Members to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8259) to prohibit Russian participation in the G7, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure, and I thank the author, my friend, Mr. Meeks from New York, a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for his leadership and hard work. Throughout this Congress, the committee has focused on measures to counter Russian aggression and hold President Putin accountable for the unlawful invasion and attempted annexation of Crimea. But President Trump has flagrantly ignored the pleas of our allies and attempted to invite Russia back into the G7 despite its continued aggression in Ukraine, Georgia, and other sovereign countries near its border. Putin and his cronies must be held accountable for their actions. And for Trump to put out the welcome mat for Russia would be a slap in the face to our allies and the Ukrainian citizens living in Crimea. This important bipartisan bill would prevent the U.S. Government from facilitating Russian participation in the G7, or a reconstituted G8, and requires a report about Russia's nefarious relationships with the Taliban in Afghanistan and any bounty program it instituted for the killing of American troops. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), the author of this important bill and an esteemed member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Congressman Meeks for his hard work on this measure. I am very pleased to support this important measure, and I urge all Members to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), the author of this important resolution and an esteemed member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank Congressman Sherman for his hard work on this measure. I am very pleased to support this measure, I urge all Members to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

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

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a great example of how America can lead in finding solutions to environmental challenges such as this one, a grave challenge to the world, and helps to create jobs and builds prosperity. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support it, and I am grateful that Mr. McCaul and all the bill's cosponsors have put this forward. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 8405.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me commend Mr. McCaul, our ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for authoring this bill. We know that people-to-people connections are a great way to build bridges of friendship and understanding between countries, and that international sports have long provided the best example for those connections. Yet, even as we put serious differences aside to see major sporting events go forward, we cannot ignore the fact that some governments simply don't respect basic human rights, and may seek to violate the privacy of our athletes by collecting information about them without their knowledge or consent. We think about China hosting the upcoming Winter Olympics. We will be sending our athletes to a country where the government conducts mass surveillance and abuses the human rights of its own citizens. Our athletes have the right to know about their security concerns, and about how best to keep themselves and their privacy secure. This legislation will require the State Department to develop a strategy to better support our athletes. We want to make sure that they understand the security and human rights situations in the countries where they compete and can take the best steps to protect themselves. It is a commonsense bill, and I am glad to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank Mr. McCaul for his bipartisan leadership on this matter. I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8438) to reauthorize the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, as amended.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to my friend from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for bringing forward this bill that shines a light on the egregious violations of human rights and religious freedom at the hands of Russian-led forces in Ukraine's sovereign territory. We have been saying it for years, but it always bears repeating: Crimea is Ukraine; the Donbas is Ukraine. Russia must be held accountable for the brutal violations of human rights and religious freedoms taking place under their attempted annexation of these areas. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 provides a range of consequences for governments that persecute people on religious grounds. From public condemnation to trade sanctions, the administration has tools to push back on this sort of abuse. This bill calls for Russia to be held accountable under the law for the violations of religious freedoms we are seeing in Ukraine. The bill represents a smart approach to address a specific problem emanating from Russia. We should move it forward along with other efforts to push back on Putin's aggression. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, November 11, 2020. Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Nadler: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 5408, Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act. I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation. I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the jurisdiction of the House Committee on the Judiciary under House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H.R. 5408 to expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of Committee on the Judiciary conferees during any House-Senate conference convened on this legislation. Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Eliot L. Engel, Chairman.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure and want to thank the authors, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Deutch, for their hard work and leadership. Since its establishment in 1984, the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program has awarded more than $150 million to those who help the United States Government bring terrorists and criminals to justice. Over the years, we have expanded the scope of this effort, offering rewards related to a wider range of crimes and ensnaring more people who mean Americans harm. This legislation would add more and more tools to the toolbox. This bill was inspired by a former Syrian diplomat and defector named Bassam Barabandi. As an employee of the Syrian Embassy here in Washington, D.C., he worked with antiregime activists to provide passports to critics of Bashar al-Assad, and for years after his defection, Barabandi supplied the United States Government with information on Syrian oligarchs close to the Assad regime. This includes information on Samer Foz, who was ultimately the target of American sanctions. We want to incentivize more people like Mr. Barabandi to come forward with information that will ultimately enhance compliance with the U.S. and international sanctions, increase confidence in the rule of law, and bring to justice criminals and rogue regimes seeking to circumvent U.S. law. This bill expands the Rewards for Justice Program by authorizing rewards for individuals who provide information on those who evade the United States' and the United Nations' sanctions. This is a smart bill that builds on a successful program. I am pleased to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, let me again thank Mr. Wilson and Mr. Deutch for bringing this bill forward. I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7954) to reauthorize the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act of 1998.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.