Henry Hyde

Mr. HYDE

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under consideration.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2998) to authorize the establishment of Radio Free Afghanistan.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This bill authorizes the establishment of a new radio service for Afghanistan. The new service will be called Radio Free Afghanistan and will broadcast in the Dari and Pashtu languages. The legislation provides the Broadcasting Board of Governors with the authority to make a grant to Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty to carry out this new broadcast service. As a result of the hard work of the bill's original sponsor, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the subcommittee chairman, the House passed H.R. 2998 by a vote of 405 to 2 on November 7, 2001. The bill, as amended by the Senate, provides $17 million for fiscal year 2002 for this purpose. I believe the House should concur with the Senate amendment, which makes the following changes to the original House bill: One, the Senate amendment authorizes funds for fiscal 2002. The House bill was a 2-year authorization. Two, the Senate bill authorizes a total of $17 million for Radio Free Afghanistan. The House bill authorized $27.5 million over 2 years. Three, the Senate bill includes an adjustment to the statutory funding cap on Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty to accommodate the additional funds required for Radio Free Afghanistan. All of these changes are acceptable to the committee, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Such broadcasting will support the transition in Afghanistan. Concurring in the Senate amendment to the bill will allow it to be sent to the White House for the President's signature. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HYDE

Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts), who is the author of this excellent resolution.

Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the learned gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith).

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HYDE

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, last year marked the 225th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, arguably one of the most important documents ever written. The National Lawyers Association Foundation has honored this anniversary by producing educational materials for elementary school students, a project that I believe is worthy of recognition. I therefore submit the following for your review: Educating the Public on the Legal and Historical Significance of the Declaration of Independence In 2001, our nation celebrated its 225th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. By signing this document the Founding Fathers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to the causes set forth in the Declaration of Independence. In order to help American children appreciate and understand the significance of the Declaration of Independence, the National Lawyers Association Foundation, a not-for-profit group has developed an educational program for third, fourth, and fifth graders. This program consists of an entertaining 6-minute video that helps them understand the clear, ringing language in the Declaration. The video introduces students to the concept of the self-evident truths, that all persons ``. . . are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness--that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from consent of the governed.'' The video helps teachers explain why the Declaration of Independence was written to explain why we sought our freedom from England, that unalienable rights are rights that cannot be taken away from us; and that self-evident truths are principles that will always be true; for example, that all people are created equal. A lesson plan accompanies that video and encourages the students to think about a situation that they feel is unfair and write their own Declaration of Independence to understand concepts regarding what rights they feel entitled to, why they feel they deserve these rights, and compare them to what the feelings of our Forefathers must have been whey they wrote the Declaration of Independence. Students are also encouraged to display knowledge of when the Declaration of Independence was signed. The National Lawyers Association Foundation is making the video, lesson plan, as well as replicas of copies of the Declaration of Independence requested by elementary school teachers in school classes, public and private, available at no charge, as long as funds are available. The video and lesson plan is also available to any interested individuals or organizations such as home schoolers, lawyers, bar associations and public service groups who desire to use the video and lesson plan for a nominal fee. Replicas of the Declaration of Independence are also available to the public for a nominal fee as long as funds are available. The National Lawyers Association Foundation also plans to continue the project to make videos and books regarding the Declaration of Independence available to students in the upper grades, as well as making available to all citizens, copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The National Lawyers Association Foundation has been told over 65,000 students across America have benefited from the materials provided by their volunteer efforts. The National Lawyers Association Foundation serves a need of the American public and the world to appreciate how the Founding Fathers of this nation created and established that there are no classes of people in America and all people are endowed with the same unalienable rights by their Creator. The language in the Declaration of Independence has been quoted and spoken about by may of our American presidents and also needs to be in the hearts and in the vocabulary of our American citizens. The National Lawyers Association Foundation is working to make the words of the Declaration of Independence valued by all Americans and help serve the need for the principles of the Declaration of Independence to be spoken and honored, not only to America, but to the world at large.

Mr. HYDE

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I was just going to suggest that my dear friend from Washington is in vain against a resolution that does not exist. We have taken the word ``aggression'' out. We took it out a long time ago. I do not know how it crept into the gentleman's copy, but I hope his other notes are more accurate.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), to the author of this very contentious resolution,

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, we did have hearings, I would say to the gentleman from Michigan, on December 4. We had two of the inspectors who were over and were shut out by Saddam Hussein, and a lady expert on arms control from the Clinton administration. So we had hearings.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I have heard the same arguments made, or I have read about them in the twenties and the thirties, that our borders are all we need to worry about, and do not worry what happens in Europe. During the twenties and thirties, that is what we did, we pulled a blanket over our heads, and a man named Hitler rearmed, and over across the Pacific Tojo rearmed, and the result of our indifference to what was going on was that millions of people died, millions of people died. The gentleman from Texas says that the only business we have is to secure our borders. I suggest our borders do not end with California or New Jersey or New York, but what happens in Europe, what happens in Asia. In today's world, never mind when we walked away from the League of Nations, in today's world our borders are everywhere. Why do we have to do it? Because we are the strongest country in the world, and if it does not get done by the United States, it will not be done. Now, the gentleman disparages our concern for oil. Imagine, and it does not take a leap of imagination, if Saddam Hussein controlled the Persian Gulf, what that would do to the economies of the world. Talk about lines at gas stations; it is very important. No. Now, about these inspections. The International Atomic Energy Commission conducts these inspections, and they are a joke. They are an embarrassing joke, because they only look at the premises that are declared by Saddam Hussein. The U.N. was kicked out because they conducted real inspections. They were intrusive, and they found things over there that embarrassed the International Atomic Energy Commission. I just suggest to the Members that this is very important; that it is a challenge and a threat to civilization to have a monster like Saddam Hussein who used chemical warfare on his own people to have access to the facilities to create nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. We are not calling for war, we are calling for enforcement of the U.N. resolutions that were agreed to by Saddam.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I have one more speaker. Who gets to close?

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 75) regarding the monitoring of weapons development in Iraq, as required by United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 (April 3, 1991), as amended.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman). (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to call up House Joint Resolution 75, expressing our strong concern about Saddam Hussein's failure to comply with the weapons inspection requirements established by the United Nations at the end of the Persian Gulf War. This resolution was introduced December 4 by our former colleague on the Committee on International Relations, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Graham); and I was proud to join him as an original cosponsor of the measure. I also want to express my appreciation for the strong support given to this resolution by our distinguished ranking Democratic member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and also by the chairman and ranking Democratic member of our Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman). The resolution draws attention to the growing threat to international peace and security posed by Saddam Hussein's refusal to comply with the terms of the cease-fire agreement ending the Persian Gulf War. Those terms were incorporated by the U.N. Security Council into Resolution 687 of 1991, and into subsequent resolutions addressing the situation in Iraq. Those terms required him to afford U.N. weapons inspectors unfettered access to sites in Iraq where weapons of mass destruction might be under development, as well as to other relevant locations and information in Iraq. From 1991 until 1998, Saddam Hussein went through the motions of complying with these inspection requirements, while doing everything he could to prevent the weapons inspectors from discovering the truth about the history of his weapons programs. Since 1998, Saddam has stopped complying altogether. In other words, since 1998, Saddam's ability to reconstitute his nuclear weapons program, his biological weapons program, his chemical weapons program, and his long-range missile program has not been constrained by international inspectors. There is every reason to believe he has taken advantage of the absence of inspectors to revive these weapons programs. The events of September 11 demonstrate the severity of this threat, and indeed to all civilized countries as well as the United States. The terrorists who attacked our country September 11 wanted to kill as many Americans as possible. They sought to use aircraft as weapons of mass destruction. There can be no doubt if they had had access to real weapons of mass destruction, they would have used them to kill as many of our fellow citizens as possible. Saddam Hussein has a track record of developing such weapons and of using them not only against his enemies but against his own people. So he certainly would have no qualms about using them against us. Just 2 weeks ago, our committee received testimony from two of our Nation's leading experts on biological weapons. These experts, Dr. Richard Spertzel and Dr. Ken Alibek, agreed that there was most likely state involvement in the anthrax attacks that our Nation has experienced, and that the most likely state to have been involved was Iraq. So we are confronting a very serious threat, something that is literally a matter of life and death. This resolution expresses our very strong desire to see something done about it. This resolution does not seek to give the President legal authority to use force against Iraq. There is a debate about whether he already has such authority, and I happen to believe he does; but this resolution does not speak to that question. All it says is that Iraq is violating its obligations under international law and that this violation presents a mounting threat to our Nation, to our allies, and to international peace and security. These statements are demonstrably true, and the truly dangerous course would be to remain silent in the face of these facts. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to divide my 20 minutes with the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).

Mr. HYDE

Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. HYDE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, once again the United States has an opportunity, and the responsibility, to lead the world in confronting one of the most compelling humanitarian and moral challenges facing us today. I speak of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a crisis unparalleled in modern times and one that threatens the entire world, embracing developed and developing countries alike. The statistics are chilling: over 22 million people have already died of AIDS throughout the world. More than 3 million died last year alone. That is over 8,000 deaths each day, or nearly one death every 6 minutes. What is most alarming is that the number of infections and deaths is growing and the pandemic is quickly spreading from sub- Saharan Africa to India, China and Russia. An incredible 36 million people are already infected with HIV; and 15,000 new infections occur every day. To illustrate the magnitude of the crisis, it is estimated that by the year 2010, over 80 million people may have died from AIDS. By comparison, that is more than all the military and civilian deaths resulting from World War II. If the disease is left unchecked, we have no idea what the statistics will be in 2015 or 2020, less than 20 years from today. The most dramatic increase in infection rates is in the developing world, where education, awareness and access to health care is most seriously lacking. As is too often the case, it is the children who suffer most. Millions are born HIV-infected even though mother-to- child transmission is easily avoided if adequate training and health care is provided. To this is added a widespread mortality among parents: by the end of the decade, 40 million children are likely to be orphaned as a consequence of AIDS. The impact on developing societies, socially, politically and economically, is incalculable and threatens the stability of many countries and societies around the globe. Contrary to popular conceptions, the pandemic is not limited to Africa, where AIDS continues to sweep forward virtually unchecked. The disease has jumped to every continent. In Europe, last year Russia had the highest rate of increase of new cases of any country on the planet. That impoverished country's medical system is clearly unable to adequately cope with the challenge, ensuring that it will continue to spread. According to the National Intelligence Council, India is on the verge of a catastrophic AIDS epidemic. Closer to home, the Caribbean region has the second highest rate of HIV infections in the world. The most appropriate comparison of this ever-widening threat is with the 14th century, when the plague repeatedly swept through Europe, killing a quarter of that continent's population, leaving no country untouched, and decimating entire regions. This time, however, it is the entire world that is at risk. If the world is to have a chance of prevailing against this disease, the United States must take a leading role in the efforts to combat it. To do so, we must advance along many fronts, both bilateral and multilateral. The bill we consider today, H.R. 2069, addresses both the bilateral and multilateral pillars of our response to the AIDS crisis. H.R. 2069 builds upon existing efforts by authorizing the Agency for International Development to carry out a comprehensive program of HIV/ AIDS prevention, education and treatment at a level of $485 million during fiscal year 2002. Moreover, Madam Speaker, H.R. 2069 authorizes an additional $50 million pilot program to provide treatment for those infected with HIV/AIDS by helping the public and private sectors of developing countries procure HIV/AIDS pharmaceuticals and antiviral therapies. The novel bilateral treatment program that my bill authorizes is vitally important, for it gives hope to those already suffering from AIDS. By authorizing a pilot treatment program, we can work to extend the productive lives of those infected by the virus. This is not only the right thing to do, it has beneficial impact on treatment as well. Without some expectation of care, the poor have little reason to be tested for AIDS or to seek help. I am fully cognizant of the challenge posed by treatment programs in developing countries. However, it is my hope that successful treatment programs such as those carried out by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation will be replicated in developing countries. Madam Speaker, there simply is no option other than treatment if we are ever to stem the tide of this pandemic. Through our bilateral efforts, the United States will demonstrate its commitment to address all facets of the HIV/AIDS challenge and thereby challenge the entire developed world to emulate the example of the United States. It is also my hope that faith-based organizations such as Catholic Relief Services will play a very significant and meaningful role in advising USAID on the most effective approaches to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In addition to our bilateral efforts, the President has already signaled our Nation's intention to lead the multilateral campaign by committing at least $200 million to combat HIV/AIDS through a global AIDS war chest that will be designed and implemented in the months to come. The Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education, and Treatment Act of 2001 also authorizes the President to contribute to multilateral efforts to combat HIV/AIDS at a level that the administration deems appropriate and at such time as a fund is established and criteria developed to ensure its sound management. America will contribute its fair share as we work to leverage additional funds for this effort from other developed countries. By providing the President with this flexibility, we can ensure that the contributions made by the United States will be adequate and also yield the commitments from other countries to make this effort a truly global war on AIDS. As with any problem, however, financial resources cannot serve as the sole answer, and the generosity of the American people must be well managed. We must provide resources at a pace at which these can be absorbed and used wisely. We must continue to encourage and support those faith-based organizations and churches that are on the front lines in the effort to educate the poor about HIV and AIDS and treatment and prevention. We must also insist that any program designed to combat the AIDS pandemic include abstinence as a core component. In closing, I wish to thank the many Members and staff who have contributed to the passage of this landmark legislation. I am especially grateful to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) the committee's ranking member, and to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) for their leadership in crafting this legislation. I am also appreciative of the invaluable support of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the committee's chairman emeritus; the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter); and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach). I am also very grateful for the generous support offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe). I also wish to thank Nisha Desai, David Abramowitz, Pearl Alice Marsh, and Michael Riggs of the Democratic staff for their many contributions and dedication to make this bill come to fruition. My greatest appreciation, however, goes to Adolfo Franco, a member of my own staff, whose tireless work made this bill a reality. He is leaving the staff to go to a very important job with the administration, and he will be sorely missed. Madam Speaker, I wish to reiterate what I think is a consensus in Congress. Simply stated, the AIDS virus is one of the great moral challenges of our era. It is a scourge of unparalleled proportions in modern times. Every citizen has a stake in preventing what otherwise might well become the bubonic plague of the 21st century. We must do all that lies in our power to do if we are to meet this threat, first of all, by reaching out now to those most in need. It is not only the most sensible thing to do, it is the right thing to do for our children, our country and for the world. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2069. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.