Barbara Lee

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, let me just say, these amendments really are disgusting. They are a mockery of our serious foreign policy debates. They are harassing in many ways our public servants, and they become about vengeance. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, these are not rogue bureaucrats. These are public servants who are implementing the foreign policies of the United States of America. If, in fact, one does not agree with our foreign policies, then it is up to Members of Congress to change those foreign policies, not denigrate and demean our public servants. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, this amendment would reduce the salary of a career public servant to $1. Why? Because this individual is the acting chief of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The mission of the office is to build and support a workforce at the State Department that reflects the people of our Nation. The State Department is an essential component of our national security. The gentlewoman said that no clear set of problems exist. Do you know what? The clear set of problems is systemic racism, discrimination, the lack of equal opportunity within our Foreign Service. That is all. Conducting diplomacy that serves the interests and honors the values of the American people requires a Department of State that reflects the rich diversity of our Nation. Otherwise, if it doesn't, then that is a very unfortunate and backward perspective, given the fact that discrimination is still alive in America. It is alive and well. Our diversity, once again, is our national strength. It is a comparative advantage that we have for our engagement and leadership in a diverse world. This individual has over 30 years of State Department experience. She should not be personally demonized and targeted for her work on behalf of our Nation. What she is doing is trying to ensure that we honor our pledge to live up to liberty and justice for all. It is going to take some intentional work of the State Department to correct hundreds of years of racism. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Once again, the target of this amendment has been a career member of the Foreign Service for 26 years and served all around the world. Now, the majority already passed an amendment to defund the Palestinian Affairs Unit at the United States Embassy. It is very clear to me that what the majority is attempting to do is to decimate our Foreign Service and its public servants, and I hope the country understands what this means in terms of the lack of a presence throughout the world in our efforts to achieve global peace and security. Once again, it is a shame and disgrace, but the pattern is here. We understand the motives, and the motives are to decimate the State Department. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, just let me make a couple of points. First of all, 2023 marked the 76th anniversary of our partnership with Pakistan, the fifth largest country in the world by population. Strengthening Pakistan's economy, education system, delivering humanitarian assistance, such as the support we provided for the devastating floods that they faced in 2023--I remember the gentlewoman from Texas, we were in Africa, and she left Africa and went over to Pakistan to help with the response to the devastating humanitarian tragedy that occurred in Pakistan. I wasn't able to go with her. I thank her for her leadership in representing the United States. We must maintain the stability of the country and the region and help prevent the spread of extremism that we see surfacing. It is up to us to provide U.S. aid and assistance to Pakistan for programs that promote peace and security. This is important, just based on our humanitarian concern for people who have been impacted and have to live through such devastation. Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration supports humane migration around the world. It is the first intergovernmental agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration at a time when we are facing a migration crisis, as my colleagues like to remind us. The Global Compact's guiding principles and objectives encompass a range of humanitarian, development, and other migration management activities, most of which the United States Government supported long before the Global Compact on Migration existed. These activities include the provision of lifesaving humanitarian assistance, countering trafficking in persons, border management, access to consular services, and also dignified return and reintegration. In 2022, we saw a 21 percent increase in displaced people around the world. The largest ever single-year increase, and the largest number of people forcibly displaced in written history. It is only common sense to work with others on this challenge. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, the Department of State through the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration funds the transportation of refugees admitted into the United States Refugee Admissions Program for resettlement to the United States through IOM. Refugees admitted into the program and ready for travel to the United States receive interest-free loans from IOM to pay for their transportation from their overseas location to their domestic resettlement site. Upon accepting the travel loan, refugees sign a promissory note to repay the loan over time. The transportation is provided in the form of a loan, not a grant because the core belief of the program is that refugees' financial participation in making repayments against their debt will strengthen their determination to make a success of their migration. In a melting pot like the United States, which some have probably forgotten, I shouldn't have to remind anyone of the valuable contributions of refugees to our Nation. Maybe I do need to remind the other side of this. Refugees from Afghanistan, Burma, or Yemen are seeking a new, more stable home, and they deserve our support. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, once again, I guess I need to either clarify or tell the truth about the loan repayment percentage. My colleague indicated that less than 1 percent of these loans are paid back, but I have to tell you, approximately 81 percent of all IOM travel loan amounts are repaid within 10 years. As of the end of fiscal year 2022, 84 percent of IOM travel amounts were repaid within 15 years. That is the truth. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, first of all, let me just state a fact. President Biden and Vice President Harris saved many, many, many lives. Secondly, this amendment would prohibit the use of funds to enforce or implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for individuals traveling outside of the United States. Guess what? Let me just point out that there is not and has not been a COVID vaccine requirement for travelers outside of the United States. I don't know why we would mandate people leaving the United States be vaccinated. The gentlewoman knows that. Those are requirements usually, and most of the time for countries that have those requirements, they are set by those countries for people entering their borders. Once again, this is disingenuous, and I am determined to tell the truth about what the majority is trying to do and what message they are trying to send. Setting health requirements for travelers coming into the United States may be an important health response, but that would not be a decision by the State Department. I am not sure what this amendment really is trying to achieve. As the COVID pandemic continues to remind us--and, yes, COVID is still alive and well--infectious diseases do not abide by national boundaries. While some would like to act like COVID is over, it is not. In the United States, more than 500 people die from COVID each week. That is a fact. That is a fact. It is clear to those families that COVID is not over. New variants are an expected part of the evolution of viruses and can be more aggressive, transmittable, or cause more severe disease than the original strain. That is a fact. Our Nation's public health officials need to have options available to them to protect our communities as we continue to live with COVID, as well as other infectious diseases. That is a fact. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I guess I am totally confused, then, because I don't know why we would want to cut off the funds for children through UNICEF, UNDP, and other agencies when, in fact, the gentlewoman should take this to the Foreign Affairs Committee. That is where her initiative belongs. In terms of the authorizing process, that belongs in the Foreign Affairs Committee. It doesn't belong here on an appropriations bill to defund programs that are providing badly needed malnutrition services for children. We can't just cut this off. These are appropriated funds the authorizing committee authorizes, and that is where this belongs. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.