Barbara Lee

Ms. LEE of California

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

Ms. LEE of California

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

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, once again, I just have to say how despicable it is to target dedicated public servants and to threaten their livelihoods. The names are going to be dragged, as you know, through the political mud, and that is not fair. These people are public servants. This public servant has had 40 years in the public media. She facilitated getting staff out of Afghanistan and has overseen the expansion of USAGM's audience to 410 million people. Once again, if you have an issue with the policy, let's discuss that. Why in the world do you want to continue penalizing public servants who are representing the administrations that they serve and our country, of course, and their dedication to the United States and their careers? 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 will conclude by asking the question again with regard to who is willing to go into public service if their names can be dragged through the political mud, like the other side, the majority, is doing today. 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 opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would eliminate funding for the Art in Embassies program. This program, established by President Kennedy 60 years ago, recognizes that art is a powerful tool of diplomacy. It offers ambassadors the opportunity to engage other nations in a different type of dialogue and connection. Many of the artists featured in this program are homegrown American artists. The bill already includes restrictions and reporting on the Art in Embassies program to maintain oversight and accountability. This program is a public-private partnership, and eliminating its funding is just ridiculous. Let me just mention the shutdown because we are waiting. Democrats aren't causing this shutdown. To use waiting for a shutdown or about to have a shutdown as an excuse for eliminating funding for the Art in Embassies program is just downright disingenuous. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree), the distinguished ranking member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

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, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, climate change has resulted in lives upended in Texas and Florida and has led to extreme flooding in California, Vermont, and throughout the country. These amendments today really give me a lot of angst. It seems like we have so many climate deniers putting forth amendments which really don't believe there is a climate crisis. This crisis poses threats to the stability of countries, heightens social and political tensions. It adversely affects food prices and availability, and this is according to our own military. I will say it again, our own military has said this. The need for foreign assistance will only increase if we do not address this significant driver of crises around the world. No country can solve the climate crisis alone. This requires a multilateral effort. Secretary Kerry is lending his energy, talents, and experience as he collaborates with other countries to address these concerns. His relationships with foreign leaders are a benefit to the United States and our efforts. Again, we should be thanking people who are serving the American people, not demonizing them for it. Funding the Special Presidential Envoy and its office is a requirement if we are to protect national security, strengthen the economy, and leave behind a safer planet for our children and our grandchildren. Again, if I were a child today, I would be terrified about the future and what it holds for me in terms of whether we will actually have a planet for them to inherit. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, let me just say a couple things with respect to Secretary Kerry. He could be doing other things with his life, quite frankly, yet here he is trying to address this climate emergency, which is real, and he is trying to address this on behalf of our country and for future generations. I really feel very ashamed of what is taking place here on this floor, especially as it relates to our public servants who are really trying to lead, trying to lead not only our country, but lead on a global scale to make sure that we have a planet for our children. 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. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, once again, let me repeat this. It is really despicable to target dedicated public servants and threaten their livelihoods. In this particular case, the amendment is targeted at someone on leave from the Department. None of us have the information to judge the situation. As the State Department has said, it is a personnel matter, and it needs to take its course. It is not a matter for Congress. Again, if my colleagues have an issue with the policy being pursued, then let's discuss that. We should not penalize public servants who are representing the administration that they serve and who have dedicated their careers to the United States. Let me just remind you that the Iran nuclear deal did stop the enrichment of uranium in Iran, and the world, quite frankly, is less safe because of the previous President who pulled the United States out of the JCPOA. 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, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would prohibit funds to move the United States Embassy in Israel out of Jerusalem. The previous administration made the decision for the United States Embassy to be located in Jerusalem, and that decision is in effect. Let's not change our focus on keeping the government open on October 1 by taking time to debate matters that really are not issues. These matters are not open. 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, this is a total waste of time. We are trying to keep the government open so that people's lives won't be disrupted. I don't know why we are doing this, but I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and to focus on keeping this government open, and 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, President Biden's executive orders on climate change were issued to ensure the United States' focus on the climate crisis remains front and center. This is a climate emergency. It is clear from the science that the most existential crisis the world faces is from the growing climate crisis. Without intervention, our warming planet will continue to have negative impacts on our country and throughout the world. Climate-related foreign assistance can help developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, droughts, and floods, and build an energy grid that is constructed for the next century, not the last one. This is not something we can wait to worry about. This is an emergency, Mr. Chairman. Rising coastlines and hazardous temperatures mean that there are countries that might literally not exist in a generation because of the changes that are already happening. Once again, I was in Egypt at the COP27 conference. This is all we heard about. This is an emergency. Let me just say: The need for foreign assistance will only increase, and my colleagues know this, if we don't address the changes that we are seeing in the climate now. Yes, to my friend and colleague, every now and then there are glimmers of hope on bipartisanship. I enjoy working with you and hope that we can get the repeal of these AUMFs to the floor, but let me just say we have to find where we can find common ground, and we are working to do that here in this body. When it comes to shutting down the government, the President is not trying to shut down the government. I mean, every single hour there is a change in the goalpost from your side, not from our side. We just want to keep the government open so that people's lives won't be impacted. We are trying to figure it out, but we have to have a partner in trying to figure it out. Hopefully, we will be able to pass a continuing resolution until we can get this resolved, hopefully, in a bipartisan manner. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Chairman, finally, let me just say our young people are watching. Our young people are relying on us to address this emergency in a way that is going to make sure that they have a planet to live on when they grow up. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and 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. Chair, Ambassador Nuland has proudly represented the United States for 33 years and has been confirmed by the Senate several times. Mr. Chair, if I were about to make a decision about my career, what I am hearing today would be really upsetting. I definitely would not make a decision to go into the Foreign Service, because my whole life could be destroyed if I made that decision. It is really despicable that we are targeting public servants, threatening their livelihoods, and really making these amendments a disincentive for people of great talent to serve our country abroad. It is really a shame and disgrace. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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