Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, standing at the dawn of the new millennium, we have an incredible opportunity to create a more peaceful, more humane, and more orderly world. We are entering a new era in which previously ignored social issues must be addressed. In today's increasingly globalized world, we have seen remarkable advances in trade and technology. The time has come, however, when the new global economy must embrace social responsibility. Mr. Speaker, the Secretary General of the United Nations, my dear friend Kofi Annan, addressed a number of these issues in an important message last month. He discussed the fundamental partnership between business and human rights and the importance of having international values and principles to guide our global economy. The United Nations is an extremely important element of our nation's foreign policy and it plays a fundamental role in enhancing respect for the rights of women and men around the globe as well as enhancing the value of human life. The Secretary General addressed these issues in a message to the Workshop ``Today and Tomorrow: Outlook for Corporate Strategies'' which was organized by the Ambrosetti firm and was held this September in Cernobbio, Italy, under the leadership of my friend Alfredo Ambrosetti. Mr. Speaker, the message of the Secretary General to the conference is most appropriate to consider as we face the new millennium. I offer the message of Secretary General Kofi Annan to be placed in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to give it serious and thoughtful attention. [Message of Secretary General Kofi Annan to the Workshop] Today and Tomorrow: Outlook for Corporate Strategies It gives me great pleasure to convey my greetings to all who have gathered for the Villa d'Este workshop, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Congratulations on this milestone. You have gathered to examine a global predicament that is deeply ambivalent. Peace spreads in one region while violence rages in another. Unprecedented wealth coexists with terrible deprivation, as a quarter of the world's people remain mired in poverty. Through it all we can see the contours of a new global fabric taking shape. The globalization of markets, technology, finance and information is defining new realities, re-shaping our notions of sovereignty and challenging us to reconsider many of the assumptions that have guided policy-making until now. As you know globalization is under intense pressure. And the multilateral trading system is in the line of fire. The problem is not with trade or transnational companies or market per se; the trading system is one of the great success stories of the past half century. Rather the problem seems to be that while so much has been done to make the trading system the success it is, other urgent issues--such as safeguarding the environment, protecting human rights and ensuring labour standards--have failed to attract similar attention. The result is a serious imbalance on the international agenda. We have a global trading system with potentially strong governance and a strong institution--the World Trade Organization. Strong, if universal and if the most powerful countries comply with the rules. Strong, also, if we avoid saddling the trade regime with a load it cannot bear conditionalities--and instead build bridges between trade and environment, between trade and labour, between trade and human rights. We need to strengthen the pillars of global governance in these areas. After all, a bridge cannot rest on only one pillar. It was with this in mind that I proposed, earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a ``Globla Compact'' between the United Nations and the world business community. The Compact asks the international business community to advocate for a stronger Unite Nations. It asks individual businesses to protect human rights within their sphere of influence, support the abolition of child labour, adopt a precautionary approach to environmental challenges and take other such steps which, of course, also make good business sense. The Compact offers a practical way forward to reconciling one of the key questions in the debate on globalization: how to sustain open markets while meeting the soci-economic needs of societies. It envisages business doing what it does best--creating jobs and wealth--while rooting the global market in universal values and giving the global market more of a human face. It may not seem fair that business should be called upon to undertake such initiatives, but in today's globalizing world, economic power and social responsibility cannot be separated. This issue--and in particular the risk of protectionism and other unwelcome interventions--will not go away unless business is committed, and seen to be committed, to global corporate citizenship. Just as national markets reflect the values, laws and rules of a given society, so must the new global economy be guided by an international consensus on values and principles. I have been speaking of ``business'' as if it were some monolithic presence in the world economy. In the end we are talking to individual businessmen and businesswomen with the power to influence the world for the better. Let us remember that the global markets and the multilateral trading system we have today did not come about by accident. They are the result of enlightened policy choices. If we want to maintain them in the new century, all of us --governments, corporations, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations--have to make the right choices now. We have an opportunity to usher in an age of global prosperity comparable to that enjoyed by the industrialized countries in the decades after the Second World War. We will tip the scales to the positive only if we work together and, in particular, only if the leaders amongst us step forward and do their part. In that hopeful spirit, please accept my best wishes for a successful workshop.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1794 concerning the participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization (WHO). I want to pay tribute to our distinguished colleague from Ohio, Mr. Sherrod Brown, for introducing this important bill. I also want to express my thanks for their support of this legislation the Chairman of the Asia Subcommittee, Congressman Doug Bereuter of Nebraska, as well as the Chairman of the International Relations Committee, Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman of New York, and the Ranking Democratic Member of the Committee, Congressman Sam Gejdenson of Connecticut. The time is long overdue for Taiwan to participate in the World Health Organization, Mr. Speaker. Taiwan, with its population approaching 22 million people, is larger than three-quarters of the countries which are members of the World Health Organization. Taiwan has a large, highly-educated and well-trained medical community. Many of these, I should add, are individuals who have been trained in the finest medical institutions here in the United States. Furthermore, Taiwan is a country with extensive economic, social and cultural links with the rest of the world. It has the resources to make an important contribution to the activities of the World Health Organization. It is unfortunate and counterproductive to continue to exclude Taiwan from participation in the work of the World Health Organization. Mr. Speaker, some five years ago, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, the Department of State agreed more actively to support the participation of Taiwan in international organizations, and in particular its participation in the World Health Organization. Our legislation will help focus our government's efforts to encourage this laudable goal. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2401, legislation to extend the life of the U.S. Holocaust Assets Commission and to authorize additional funds necessary for the Commission. I want to commend our colleague from New York, Mr. Lazio, the author of this legislation, as well as Chairman of the Banking Committee, Congressman Jim Leach of Iowa, who introduced the original legislation establishing the U.S. Holocaust Assets Commission, which this body adopted in April of 1998. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is important and necessary. Because of delays that are normal in starting any new organization as well as the enormous amount of information that the Commission must review, the Commission requires another year to complete its tasks. This legislation provides an extension of time and authorizes the additional funding necessary for the Commission to complete its work. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues know well the horrors of the Holocaust-- six million news brutally and systematically murdered, hundreds of thousands of others slaughtered because they were deemed ``inferior'' by the Nazis. What is less well known is that the Nazis, as part of this horrendous effort, also stole and looted billions of dollars of assets from many of these same victims. Over half a century after these atrocities were brought to an end, we still do not have a full accounting of these plundered assets. Under the outstanding leadership of Deputy Secretary of Treasury, Stuart Eizenstat, the United States has been the leading nation in establishing which Holocaust-era assets may have been plundered and in establishing policies for dealing with such assets. I want to pay tribute to Ambassador Eizenstat for his careful and thoughtful attention to these issues. Mr. Speaker, resolving the issue of Holocaust-era assets is a moral issue. This is a final opportunity to bring a small measure of justice to Holocaust survivors, who lost families and their way of life over half a century ago. These victims are getting older, and their numbers are constantly diminishing. This is our last brief opportunity to help them. I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the outstanding civic contributions of Dorothy Davidson Gerson and Byron Gerson. The Gersons and their wonderful family have, for decades, supported a wide range of civic and philanthropic causes. I am honored to know them and welcome the opportunity to pay tribute to them for their unusual devotion to advancing Jewish community life. The most recent example of the Gersons' generosity will be inaugurated this weekend. On Sunday, October 3, in Jerusalem the Second Temple period Triple Gate Monumental Stairs and Observation Plaza will be dedicated. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, and other Israeli leaders and scholars will participate in this celebration. The Triple Gate restoration project, located in the Jerusalem Archeological Park and developed by the Israel Antiquities Authority, was realized thanks to the strong support of the Gersons. It will be dedicated in loving memory of Dorothy's parents, Sarah and Ralph Davidson, both highly respected for their own contributions to the Jewish community and to civic life. The historical significance of the Gersons' altruism will be appreciated for generations to come. The Triple Gate and the Double Gate, also known as the Huldah Gates, were one of the principal entrances to the Temple Mount for pilgrims during biblical times. This area of the southern wall was badly damaged following the destruction of the Second Temple. The western Huldah Gate, or Double Gate, now lies below the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The eastern Huldah Gate, or Triple Gate, consisted of three arched entryways at the time of the Second Temple. Now parts of the threshold and the doorjamb are all that remain of the Triple Gate. A monumental staircase was earlier located in front of the Triple Gate. Much of this staircase has now been reconstructed, affording visitors the opportunity to envision the southern entrances to the Temple Mount as it was during the Second Temple period. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the generosity of Byron and Dorothy Davidson Gerson, and in congratulating them on the forthcoming dedication of the Triple Gate Monumental Stairs and Observation Plaza. This project will serve not only as a historical treasure, but also as an appropriate monument to the Gersons' passionate devotion to ensuring that the lessons and legacy of our past are preserved for centuries to come.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, biotechnology is leading our world into a new century of improved health and happier and productive lives through revolutionary science. Today at a hearing of the Joint Economic Committee, my distinguished friend Arthur Levinson, the President and CEO of Genentech, testified about the life-saving results and remarkable growth of the biotechnology industry. That hearing was chaired by our colleague from the Senate and the Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, Senator Connie Mack of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am proud that Genentech has deep roots in my Congressional District. It was in South San Francisco that Genentech originally pioneered the research and therapies that generated the biotechnology industry. Genentech's President, my friend Dr. Levinson, has been a key force behind the firm's humanitarian mission to save lives. He earned his doctorate from Princeton University and was a post doctoral fellow in the department of microbiology at the University of California at San Francisco. He has served on the editorial boards of the journals Molecular Biology and Medicine, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Virology. An outstanding active leader of the biochemistry community, there is no one more qualified than Arthur Levinson to discuss the merits and the mission of biotechnology. Mr. Speaker, Arthur Levinson delivered an excellent statement to the Joint Economic Committee, highlighting the importance of continued federal involvement in the industry in order for biotechnology to continue its progress in saving and improving the quality of our lives. Mr. Speaker, I submit the full text of Dr. Arthur Levinson's testimony to the Joint Economic Committee to be placed in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to give his testimony thoughtful consideration. Putting a Human Face on Biotechnology Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today regarding the most important topic of biotechnology and its impact on people like you and me. It is truly an honor to testify before you today. Your leadership on issues related to innovation, and medical research and development has been critical to the on-going development of new life-saving drugs and breakthrough technologies. Without your commitment to such important policy initiatives as funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and permanent extension of the research & experimentation tax credit (commonly known as the research and development tax credit), many remarkable products would not be made available to those in need. The subject of today's hearing cuts to the core of what the biotech industry is all about. As Carolyn Boyer and Lance Armstrong's testimony demonstrates--the human face of biotechnology is very real. All the cutting-edge science and innovative technology of our industry is valuable only when it ultimately results in the alleviation of human suffering and the overall enhancement of human life. Our mission at Genentech is to be the leading biotechnology company, using information and human genetic engineering to develop, manufacture and market pharmaceuticals that address significant unmet medical needs. We are committed to working with patients, families, providers and payers to improve patient care. At Genentech we say that we are ``In business for life''. Our commitment to this is reflected in our history--a history that marks the genesis of the biotechnology industry. Genentech's founders, Herb Boyer and Bob Swanson, were the first to conceptualize the process of cloning human proteins for the purpose of manufacturing life-saving therapies. In 1976, Genentech was founded as the pioneering biotechnology firm with research and development, manufacturing and sales capabilities. By the early 1980s, Genentech had developed and licensed the first two products of biotechnology--recombinant insulin and alpha interferon. As a testament to our commitment to saving lives, Genentech is among the most research intensive companies in the world. In 1996, we invested $471 million, or 49% of our income, on research and development. We reduced that amount to $396 million in 1998, or 34% of income, partially because investors are hesitant to support one-half of income going to research. But research is our lifeblood. It gives life to the ideas we test to treat serious, unmet medical needs. Our strong portfolio of products is a direct reflection of the ideas our scientists have brought from the lab to the patient. And, as evidenced by our robust pipeline, I firmly believe the best of our science is yet to come. In an effort to further our commitment to our patients, Genentech devised a ``Single Point of Contact'' (SPOC) program to assist patients and their physicians in gaining reimbursement for their care. In addition Genentech instituted our own ``Uninsured Patient Program'' in 1986 when we marketed our first product, Protropin. The program provides free drugs to patients ensuring that a lack of financial resources will not prevent anyone from gaining access to our products. With this brief background in mind, there are a few issues on which I wish to focus today, particularly: federal support for research and development, permanent extension of the R&D tax credit, and the Medical Innovation Tax Credit (MITC). Federal Support for Biomedical Research and Innovation is Crucial. The scientific underpinnings of the industry itself--namely, the discovery of recombinant DNA technologies--was developed in the 1970s at Stanford University and the University of San Francisco with the help of federal funding. As the industry has matured and grown, the ability of the federal government to either constructively nurture or inadvertently harm the industry has increased commensurately. The Joint Economic Committee (JEC)--particularly in hosting the national high technology summit earlier this summer--has played an enormously important role in highlighting some of the critical ways the federal government can advance our country by creating a more supportive environment for high- technology. Permanent Extension of the R&D Tax Credit. Except for small increases in the past three years, direct federal support for overall research has, for the most part, been declining for over a decade. While a long-term commitment to increasing funds available to the federal government for basic research is important, maximizing private industry R&D through a permanent R&D tax credit is a necessity. Numerous studies have shown that a permanent R&D credit is a cost-effective means of ensuring that high levels of private-sector investment will continue to take place. A short-term extension of the credit is clearly preferable to allowing the credit to lapse, however the lack of permanence severely compromises the effectiveness of the credit for the biotechnology industry. With biotechnology R&D programs often planned five to ten years in the future, uncertainty regarding the credit can prove detrimental. The industry is required to work under the assumption that the credit may not be in effect for the entire life of the research project, which in turn means less revenue can be committed to R&D. And, this translates into fewer scientific discoveries--fewer therapies like Herceptin. Returning to our theme of ``Putting a Human Face on Biotechnology'', this uncertainty regarding the credit has profound implications for the patients since our industry spends much of its revenue on R&D. This uncertainty may necessitate a small firm furloughing scientists engaged in promising research. For a large firm it may mean making the hard choice to terminate or curtail a significant project. Either way, patients lose. I dare say that without the R&D tax credit, Herceptin simply would not be a reality. Mr. Chairman, you have long been the champion of this cause and I know that others on the Committee have been long time supporters of the credit. It is our desire to work with you to make the credit permanent. Medical Innovation Tax Credit (MITC). Over the years, the federal government has invested billions of dollars to create a biomedical establishment of medical schools and teaching hospitals deemed the finest in the world. The growth of managed care, coupled with cuts in Medicare payments, threatens the ability of these medical schools and teaching hospitals to carry out their vital social mission of research, training of health professionals, and the provision of indigent care. The Medical Innovation Tax Credit would establish an incremental 20 percent tax credit for clinical trials performed at medical schools, teaching hospitals that are under common ownership or affiliated with an institution of higher learning, or non-profit research hospitals that are designated as cancer centers by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This credit would partially offset the roughly 30 to 50 percent greater cost of doing clinical trials at these institutions. It would encourage biomedical firms to do clinical trials here in the United States while providing a revenue source for medical schools, teaching hospitals, and NCI-designated cancer centers. Clinical trials at these crown jewels of our health care system have dropped from 82% of clinical trials in 1985 to an estimate of 27% in 1996. This narrow credit is designed to complement the R&D tax credit and has been scored by the Joint Committee on Taxation as having negligible cost so long as the R&D credit is in effect. The legislation--H.R. 1039 in the House and S. 1010 in the Senate--has attracted strong bipartisan sponsorship and support. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your vital leadership on this important issue. I know others on the Committee are co-sponsors of this legislation, and we appreciate their support and efforts as well. The Future of Biotechnology. The first quarter century of biotechnology has been a period of astounding advance. The next quarter century promises revelation and quantum leaps forward. The industry is on the cusp of major breakthroughs, breakthroughs that would have been the stuff of science fiction--not science--a few short years ago. One example of where Genentech is headed in the future is our use of computers and the new technologies of bioinformatics to search large databases of information to advance our own research and medical science. Genentech's Secreted Protein Discovery Initiative (SPDI) builds on our world-class expertise in cloning and expressing genes from the human genome that encode proteins. SPDI focuses--through the brilliance of computer technology--on identifying the minority of proteins that are most likely to be of therapeutic interest. And because SPDI is just that--``speedy,'' it has dramatically enhanced our scientific capabilities and is leading to new candidates for research. For example, SPDI has already helped identify proteins that may be useful as cancer therapies through a process called ``apoptosis,'' which means the genetic programming of the death of cells or, in the case of cancer, tumor cells. This technology would not have been possible 5 years ago. Both the Human Genome Project and the increases in computational capability through smaller, more powerful computers make bioinformatics work. Both the Human Genome Project and the advances in computer capability rely on federal research as the platform for future breakthroughs. Our pipeline is very exciting and robust. In addition to apoptosis, we are making headway on an advanced form of our original product, tPA, which is effective in the treatment of heart attack and stroke victims. We are also moving forward with research on a product designed to block the cascade of health problems associated with asthma and other allergies, and are in the process of testing Herceptin on other forms of non-breast cancers as well as on earlier stages of breast cancer. As I hope I have illustrated for you today, the biotech industry holds tremendous promise for the future and lives of so many patients facing serious illnesses. Our resolve to better their lives is unwavering, even in the context of an unpredictable financial and regulatory environment. However, two things are predictable as we look toward the future of biotechnology. As in the industry's first 25 years, the next 25 years will require federal policies that are supportive of biomedical research and innovation. And finally, the industry as a whole will only succeed if we continue to keep the patient--the human face in biotechnology--first and foremost in all our decisions.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, in a few days, the Hillsdale United Methodist Church of San Mateo, California, will celebrate fifty years of ministry to the San Mateo community. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Hillsdale United Methodist Church for its outstanding record of service to the people of my congressional district for the past half century. The Hillsdale United Methodist Church's mission is to ``celebrate God's gifts as an accepting community, inviting all people to explore and live out new beginnings and dimensions in faith.'' The church's devotion to this credo of acceptance is clearly demonstrated by its welcoming attitude and its numerous and active community outreach programs. Some of these many programs include a Tutor Learning Center, the sponsorship of Boy Scout Troop and Cub Pack 27, YANSY (Young and Not So Young--an adult social group with monthly meetings and activities), and Samaritan House, which collects food and monthly donations for low-income residents in the area. The Hillsdale United Methodist Church has also sponsored two refugee families and, as a service to the immigrant community, holds a Tongan language service every Sunday afternoon. In fact, five years after Hillsdale United Methodist welcomed its first Tongan members in 1966, the Tongan Methodist Church began in the United States at the Hillsdale United Methodist building. In 1993 the Fale Hufanga United Methodist Church began in San Carlos. Hillsdale United Methodist Church's Tongan members are still active in this church and recently resumed a Tongan language service. I would like to invite my colleagues to join me in extending congratulations for the manifold achievements of the Hillsdale United Methodist Church over the last 50 years. The church's generosity and exemplary civic virtues have favorably impacted the lives of innumerable people in my congressional district--men and women, children and adults, American citizens as well as immigrants and refugees. I would like to express my personal gratitude for the outstanding work of the church, and I anticipate with great pleasure all that the church will accomplish in the new millennium.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in expressing heart-felt appreciation to Samaritan House of San Mateo County. As this outstanding nonprofit organization celebrates twenty- five years of service, I want to congratulate and commend Samaritan House and its leaders for distinguished service to San Mateo County. The Samaritan House has dedicated its energies and efforts to meeting the needs of low-income residents of central San Mateo County. The organization has provided help to over 15,000 individuals each year, and it has made a great contribution to the improvement of our community. The goal of this organization is to provide immediate assistance to those in urgent need, while helping them on the road back to self-sufficiency. This is a truly praiseworthy effort, which has required countless hours of service and dedication from individuals and groups within the community under the leadership of Samaritan House. Mr. Speaker, the efforts of Samaritan House to assist the disadvantaged began in 1974 and have steadily grown each year since. The organization now provides meals five days a week from two different sites. It also maintains a food pantry which distributes over 325 food boxes each month to area families. Medical attention and emergency shelters are also made available by the group. The Samaritan House offers free tutoring and legal services, as well as clothing and furniture. This type of service, which is urgently needed in our community, has been generously provided by the Samaritan House. Over 1,200 volunteers work with Samaritan House, and these generous people share their means and contribute their time and effort to assist those in need. They promote self-sufficiency and preserve the dignity and worth of those they help. It is my desire that my Colleagues in the Congress not only pay tribute to Samaritan House but that--in recognition of the quarter century of humanitarian achievement of Samaritan House--we renew our own personal commitment to assist those who are in need. Mr. Speaker, Samaritan House is an inspiring organization. It has helped people who are in need not only with immediate care and the necessities of life, but it has also helped to provide longer-term help so that people are able to stabilize their lives and move on to self- sufficiency. I am extremely grateful for the caring men, women, and children who have dedicated time and energy to this endeavor. I invite my colleagues to join me in expressing our sincere appreciation and congratulating Samaritan House on its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I think we had a lively and spirited and useful debate. I have no further requests for time. I call on all of my colleagues to support this carefully crafted, bipartisan legislation.

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

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, first I want to commend the distinguished gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) for introducing this resolution. I want to commend the gentleman from New York (Chairman Gilman) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), the ranking member, for their strong support of this resolution. I, of course, rise in strong support of H. Res. 292. First, Mr. Chairman, we are all pleased that the multilateral peacekeeping force has arrived in East Timor. It has begun the long process of restoring peace and stability. I think we all need to be appreciative of the Australians for being willing to take the lead on this most difficult mission. Despite the arrival of the peacekeeping mission, Mr. Speaker, there are tens of thousands of East Timorese living in the hills, surviving as best they can. Many are afraid to come down until they know that the anti- independence militias are no longer roaming the streets, pillaging and killing. I am convinced that everyone's hope is that the peacekeeping force will restore order to East Timor as soon as possible so that families may return and start the enormously difficult job of rebuilding and reconstruction. The resolution before us endorses the policy of our administration to provide logistical and technical support for the multilateral force. We are always at our best, Mr. Speaker, when we speak with a bipartisan voice, and we do so on this issue. Given the humanitarian crisis in East Timor and the need to pave the way for a stable and independent East Timor, we must use whatever resources we have in the region to ensure the success of the peacekeeping mission. I also strongly support the language in the resolution, Mr. Speaker, calling on the administration to suspend support for bilateral and multilateral assistance to Indonesia until the multilateral peacekeeping force is fully deployed, the refugees are able to return to their homes, order is restored, and human rights are respected. The Indonesian military, Mr. Speaker, has blood on its hands for its behavior over the past few months. We must keep the pressure on the Indonesian Government to finally do the right thing. Parenthetically, Mr. Speaker, let me indicate that I am working on companion legislation that will make the Indonesian Government fully responsible for all of the financial costs involved in this human tragedy. It is with the acquiescence and connivance of the Indonesian Government that East Timor has been destroyed, physically destroyed; and the cost of rebuilding this tiny entity should be borne entirely by the government of Indonesia. My legislation will oppose any bilateral or multilateral aid through any instrumentality--the World Bank, the IMF, or other organizations, until the government of Indonesia fully accepts its financial responsibility for this sickening outrage that has unfolded on the island of East Timor. I also wish to express my deep concern, Mr. Speaker, about the plight facing over a quarter million East Timorese refugees who are now in refugee camps in West Timor. There are reports that the militias are targeting East Timorese leaders in these camps. It is critical that international observers get full and complete access to these camps immediately. I would also like to add my regret and concern for the failure of the Japanese Government to participate in the peacekeeping effort. Time is long overdue for Japan to get over the Second World War psychological issues. We have German troops in Kosovo, as we should. Germany is a democratic country accepting its responsibility in the international arena. It is long past due for the Japanese Government to do the same. It simply makes no sense that, from the United Kingdom to the Philippines, countries are accepting their peacekeeping responsibilities in East Timor; but the most powerful democratic nation in Asia, Japan, meticulously stays out and stays away from all of these endeavors. I am developing a letter to the Prime Minister of Japan, and I am asking all of my colleagues to join me in signing this letter, calling on him as a friend to recognize Japan's responsibility to participate in missions of this kind, not just financially, but with manpower. The international community, Mr. Speaker, is now focused on the future, how to make the multilateral peacekeeping operation work effectively, but we must not forget the past. There must be an international inquiry into the atrocities which have been committed in East Timor, including those committed by both members of the militia and the Indonesian military. Those who committed atrocities will have to face up to the consequences, and they will have to face an international tribunal as have the perpetrators of atrocities in the former Yugoslavia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I want to commend my colleague from Texas for stating the case for isolationism and appeasement as eloquently as he has. It is appropriate when we are discussing a major international issue that the various positions be laid out clearly so we can make an intelligent decision. In this century we have had numerous instances when in this body the voices of isolationism presented their case. And whenever they prevailed--and they prevailed from time to time--the cost in blood and treasure later on was infinitely greater than it would have been had the perpetrators of violence and human rights abuse--whether they were called Hitler or Saddam Hussein or the Indonesian militia or the thugs of Milosevic--had they been stopped early on, the cost would have been infinitely less in both blood and treasure. Here now we have the case of East Timor. My friend from Texas, instead of placing the burden of blame on the thugs who have persecuted a small Catholic minority in a large Muslim nation, the largest Muslim nation on the face of this planet, blames the United States for contributing 200 individuals and providing logistical and technical assistance to an international peacekeeping armada. I could not disagree with him more strongly. One of the great victories that I am sure we all cherished was the collapse of the Soviet empire. The Soviet empire and the threat it represented to civilized democratic peace-loving nations across the globe was clearly one of the greatest threats of the 20th Century. And it was the determination of the United States and our allies, in facing up to the mighty Soviet Union, that resulted in the collapse of the Soviet empire and the fact that large numbers of countries, from Poland to the Czech Republic, are now democratic and free, and three of them are now members of NATO. Now, if we did not yield to the threats of the gigantic Soviet Union, a powerful nuclear nation with vast conventional forces, it would be intriguing to know why we should now yield to the militia thugs in East Timor who are denying the Catholic population of that little island their right to live under rules and authorities and leadership of their own choosing. I have difficulty following the logic. If the Soviet Union could be resisted by Democratic and peace-loving nations, it is hard to see why Milosevic should not be resisted in Kosovo and why the thugs of the militia in East Timor should not be resisted by democratic forces. Let me also point out to my friend, as he well knows, it is our ally, Australia, which is carrying the bulk of the load in East Timor. That is as it should be. Australia is the most powerful military force in the whole region, and our friends in Australia willingly and proudly accepted their international responsibility. For the United States to bail out on this effort would undermine our long-term policy, conducted by Democratic and Republican presidents, supported by Democratically controlled and Republican controlled Congresses, of speaking out for and taking a stand on the matter of collective security. I think it is important to realize that there is a common thread running through our opposition to the Japanese warlords in the Second World War, to Mussolini and Hitler, to the long regime of Joseph Stalin, and to other dictators ranging from Saddam Hussein through Milosevic to the militia, the thugs, in East Timor. To argue at the end of the 20th century that we should revert to isolationism is really a sorry spectacle. What it reveals is that nothing, nothing has been learned from the bloody experiences of this entire century, which so clearly demonstrate that neither appeasement nor isolationism are proper policies for the United States.

Mr. LANTOS. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. LANTOS. Reclaiming my time, if I may, Mr. Speaker. If I may remind my colleague of history, it was President Ford and under President Ford's tenure that we acquiesced in the occupation of East Timor by the Indonesian military.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I must say to my colleague from Texas that we have heard voices in the last few days on the part of one presidential candidate calling our participation in the Second World War against Hitler a mistake. Now, this is a free country, and people can choose to accept any position that they are inclined to do so. But let me state for myself that I think our participation in the Second World War was one of the most glorious aspects of the whole of American history. Our standing up to the regime of Stalin and other Communist dictators in the second half of this century is among the most glorious aspects of our history. The work of President Bush in pulling together a coalition in facing up to Saddam Hussein was an important and glorious chapter in our history. And what we are seeing unfolding in East Timor now represents just another chapter in the determination of the American people and the American government to stand up to the horrendous dictatorships that still are present in many parts of this globe. And I hope that as we enter the 21st century, this bipartisan policy of rejecting isolationism will continue.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time both sides have?

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I did not intend to speak this morning, but one of my colleagues on the other side aroused my interest and curiosity sufficiently to make me rise and speak to this issue. Mr. Reagan's new biography is already controversial because it is predicated on the insights of a fictional character. Well, we have just had a fictional representation of what happened to the American economy in recent years. It was in 1993--when without a single Republican vote in the House or in the Senate--we changed the course of this economy which is now resulting in huge budget surpluses. It is remarkable that a book that has not even been released already has such a major impact that my colleagues on the other side engage in a fictional representation of what happened to the American economy during the last 7 years. Our economic indices are at an all-time favorable position; low unemployment, low inflation, high productivity, and the Clinton-Gore administration was in charge.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me first commend my good friend, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), for introducing this resolution and commend, also, the gentleman from New York (Chairman Gilman) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson) and all of our other colleagues who have seen fit to join us in cosponsoring this legislation. I rise in strong support of the resolution. This resolution properly expresses the deepest sympathies of this body to the citizens of Taiwan for the tragic losses suffered as a result of the earthquake of September 21. The devastation caused by this earthquake on Taiwan is unspeakable. And as one, Mr. Speaker, who represents San Francisco in this body, I want to remind my colleagues that the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, which is remembered even a century after it occurred, resulted in a number of deaths directly attributable to the earthquake. That is about the same number that the people of Taiwan suffered during the course of the last week. There are about 8,000 Taiwanese who are injured and well over 2,000 who lost their lives. There are 100,000 Taiwanese citizens, 1 percent of the population of Taiwan, who are homeless, and thousands and thousands of buildings are in ruin. Throughout all this tragedy, Mr. Speaker, the people of Taiwan have shown tremendous strength and courage and determination. We were delighted, all of us, to see over the weekend that two young men were pulled alive from a collapsed building 5 days after the tragedy. Our resolution expresses support for the disaster assistance which is being provided by our government and specifically for the urban search and rescue teams from Virginia and Florida. Now, Taiwan is a model of what used to be a developing nation. Not many years ago, Mr. Speaker, Taiwan was economically destitute and a political dictatorship. Taiwan today is one of the most highly developed economies on the face of this planet and is a political democracy. This is truly our dream for all developing nations. And I think this incredible achievement, which was brought about by the hard work of the people of Taiwan, should make us profoundly sympathetic to their current crisis. They are not asking for financial assistance. Taiwan is a wealthy country. But I want to call on all of my fellow citizens on a voluntary basis to make a contribution to the needs of the tens of thousands of Taiwanese families who have lost everything in this disaster. It was my pleasure yesterday to welcome to my office the distinguished ambassador of Taiwan and to give him my check for $1,000 as my contribution to help alleviate the pain and suffering which permeates that small country. I found it remarkable, Mr. Speaker, that even in this moment of Taiwan's tragedy, the government in Beijing insisted that all assistance to Taiwan be directed through China and be approved by China in Beijing. That, of course, clearly is not what is happening. We have provided our aid and assistance, private and public, directly to the free people of Taiwan, and we intend to continue to do so in the coming weeks. This tragedy underscores our determination to see to it that Taiwan assumes its proper role in various international organizations, and the people of Taiwan should rest assured that the American people stand with them as they have built a viable democratic society and as they are now undergoing the impact of a major natural disaster.

Mr. LANTOS. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. LANTOS. I thank my friend for his contribution and underscore the absurdity of the unrealistic demands of the government of Beijing. The Red Cross, the International Red Cross, should be able to help the people of Taiwan without going through the phony process of applying to Beijing to provide aid to the suffering people of that island. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley). (Mr. CROWLEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz). (Mr. ORTIZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood), my good friend and distinguished colleague.

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