Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I commend my good friend from Florida for offering this important amendment to increase the flow of objective information about the United States and world events into Venezuela. Recently, Reuters reported that Chavez had launched a new television station, Telesur, to counter what he considers to be pro-globalization bias in European and American news networks, like CNN. Chavez has also reportedly entered into a $200 million deal with China's National Space Administration to launch a satellite into orbit from which he could beam his anticipated hateful media content into homes across Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. As Chavez ramps up his information campaign, we should be prepared to present balanced news to the people of Venezuela so that they can be better able to make informed decisions about the activities of their government. I encourage all of my colleagues to support the amendment of my friend from Florida. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I do not oppose this amendment, and I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I comment substantively on the gentleman's amendment, let me pay tribute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) for his leadership in this House in our joined fight against trafficking. Mr. Chairman, there is no disagreement among Members of this body as to whether overseas recipients of U.S. HIV/AIDS funds should be promoting prostitution or trafficking. They obviously should not. To this end, in the original HIV/AIDS legislation Congress required that any grantee or subgrantee legally certify that they have a written policy against prostitution and trafficking. This amendment, if approved, will place an onerous burden on the thinly staffed administrators of the global HIV/AIDS program to prepare within 90 days a report listing hundreds of grants and subgrants and retrieving policy statements from each one to satisfy the amendment. If Congress wants to set forth specific and reasonable guidelines for NGOs to follow, that is a different matter and should be addressed appropriately. Mr. Chairman, because I support the intent of this amendment, I will not oppose it, but I believe that there are less burdensome ways to achieve this end, particularly by allowing for a greater period of time to prepare this information. I hope we will have a chance to work out appropriate language in conference. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am not opposed to the amendment; I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to commend my friend from Iowa for offering this amendment. As the amendment soberly points out, 52 American citizens have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists since the PLO forswore the use of violence in the 1993 Oslo Accords. This amendment acts, in effect, as a memorial, recording the name of each victim and offering condolences to their families. It also demands that the Palestinian Authority work with Israel to protect all innocent individuals, of whatever citizenship, from terrorist atrocities. This is an important message at any time, but particularly now as Israel prepares to undertake a historic disengagement from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority must do its best, and it certainly has not done so lately, to ensure that this disengagement takes place in an orderly fashion and not under a hail of grenades and Kassam rockets that would only cast doubt on the viability of a Palestinian controlled Gaza as a neighbor for Israel. Mr. Chairman, I hope the Palestinian Authority takes the antiterrorist message of this resolution to heart. Let me also say, Mr. Chairman, that as our distinguished Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleeza Rice, leaves for the region she could not be going at a more appropriate and urgent time, and she fully understands that her prime responsibility is to make it clear to the Palestinian Authority that it must guarantee order and peace by using its military forces in Gaza to break the back of militant terrorist groups. I urge all of my colleagues to join in supporting this resolution. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, passport security is a critical issue, and we need to be sure that the administration is doing everything it can to ensure that only U.S. citizens receive U.S. passports. However, while we are prepared to accept this amendment, we hope we can make some modifications as the legislative process moves forward. Birth certificates are used by the State Department to help establish the nationality of an applicant, not their identity, and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 establishes a Federal process to standardize U.S. birth certificates. The State Department is a full participant in that process, along with other Federal agencies, the States and the association that represents the registrars of vital statistics. That process should be allowed to run its course, and it would be counterproductive for the Department of State to establish its own criteria for evaluating birth certificates. In addition, it is unclear whether the training mandated by this provision should be the responsibility of the State Department or the U.S. Postal Service, which employs most of the passport acceptance agents. We hope to address these issues as this amendment moves forward. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, how much time remains?

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, I would like to commend the outstanding Republican and Democratic staffs that have done such an incredibly good job on a very difficult and complicated piece of legislation. I want to commend all of my colleagues who have spoken. This debate has been civilized, passionate, articulate and enlightening. And I particularly want to thank my dear friend, the distinguished chairman of the Committee on International Relations, for guiding the work of the committee and for guiding this debate with his statesmanship and wisdom. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for yielding me this time, and I strongly support this most important amendment by the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson). I encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same. Mr. Chairman, there is no doubt in my mind that our friend and ally, the country of Nigeria, should transfer Charles Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone without any delay. Taylor has been charged personally with 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These charges include mutilations, rape, sexual slavery, forced recruitment of child soldiers, child abduction, and multiple killings. Many Members of this Congress witnessed the testimony of some of Charles Taylor's child victims, all of whom had amputated arms and legs, their bodies disfigured, and their lives transformed forever. Mr. Chairman, there will be no justice for the people of Sierra Leone until Charles Taylor stands in the dock. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to my good friend the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie). (Mr. ABERCROMBIE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), my good friend and distinguished colleague.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), the ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I wish to briefly respond to the comments by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) on efforts to promote abstinence in Africa. America's efforts to stop the transmission of HIV/AIDS overseas are firmly based on the ABC model: Abstinence, Being faithful, and Condoms. As we have seen in Uganda, the successful reduction in HIV/AIDS infection rates is dependent upon using all three elements of the ABC approach, not simply one. Our committee has conducted extensive investigations into U.S. HIV/ AIDS efforts abroad, and we have seen no evidence whatsoever that abstinence efforts are being denigrated by NGOs receiving U.S. funds. Groups across Africa receiving HIV/AIDS funds from our country are effectively implementing abstinence programs as part of the ABC model, exactly as Congress intended. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott). (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to offer my sincere thanks to the chairman of the International Relations Committee (Mr. Hyde), my dear friend, for working closely with me in a joint effort to tackle the critical problem of declining rates of foreign students seeking to study in the United States. I also want to thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), who has worked with us on this problem for years. Mr. Chairman, opening doors to well-intentioned foreign students is as critical to the security of the United States as is the task of identifying those who are engaged in terrorism and other hostile acts against us. Foreign students who come to the United States to study and disseminate the core values of the American people as they relate their positive firsthand experience when they return to their countries of origin. The education of foreign students is a critical part of the United States economy as well, and it is a key American export. Not many people know, Mr. Chairman, the United States earns $13 billion a year in tuition and expenses paid to us by foreign students. Since 9/11, U.S. colleges and universities have faced great challenges in retaining their competitive position in the market for foreign students. These challenges have begun to erode our dominance as the world's leading and most desired destination for foreign students. During the 2003-2004 academic year, according to the Institute for International Education, the number of international students studying in the United States declined by almost 2\1/2\ percent. This was the first overall year-to-year decline in the number of international students since the 1971-1972 school year. It appears, Mr. Chairman, that much of the problem stems from negative misperceptions by potential foreign students about new U.S. visa processes and fears that the United States has become a less friendly place for them to study. Mr. Chairman, my amendment seeks to address this problem by encouraging the Department of State to work with the U.S. educational and academic community and with other Federal agencies to develop effective practices aimed at reversing these negative perceptions so that we may once again re-establish our competitive position as the choice destination for the world's best and brightest international students. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), distinguished member of the International Relations Committee.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am not opposed to the amendment. I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.