Kathy Manning

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. We cannot overlook the Assad regime's atrocities against the Syrian people. Allowing the regime back into international organizations would do just that. I support the administration's work to hold the Assad regime accountable and believe this bill reinforces the administration's efforts by making it U.S. policy not to recognize an Assad-led Syrian Government, discourages other nations from doing so, and expands targeted sanctions on the regime. Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting H.R. 3202, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5856. I was proud to help introduce this bipartisan bill alongside my good friend and one of the colleagues with whom I have worked closest with in Congress, Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, as well as my dear friend Representative Susan Wild, to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Congress has reauthorized this important bill several times, in 2003, 2006, 2008, 2013, and most recently in 2019. This legislation serves as a reminder that Congress has long played and will continue to play a critical role in advancing U.S. interests and global efforts to combat and eliminate human trafficking. I thank Representative Smith for having authored the first modern U.S. anti-trafficking bill and its subsequent reauthorizations and for his tireless work fighting to do the right thing to protect those who have been dehumanized by forced labor and sexual exploitation. We are deeply grateful for his leadership and are also proud to partner with him not only in elevating this issue but also in saving lives and protecting vulnerable people around the world, which is what this legislation has done. Today, we build on the successes and the lessons learned over the last decades. This bill is a 5-year reauthorization of important counter-trafficking programs, and it also modernizes vital prevention, protection, and prosecution tools to eradicate this billion-dollar criminal enterprise and save countless lives from this egregious violation of human rights. This bill saves lives, and it is a bipartisan cause. It is not about politics. This is about doing the right thing. It is about our common humanity. It is about protecting those who have been subjected to unspeakable crimes. The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act builds on the decades of efforts to combat human trafficking, modernizing prevention, protection, and prosecution tools. This 5-year reauthorization of counter-trafficking programs will be critical for U.S. efforts around the globe to eliminate the human trafficking industry. I, again, thank my good friend, Representative Chris Smith, for his lifetime of work on this issue. It has made a real difference. This reauthorization will continue to make a difference for years to come by building on the lessons learned since he introduced the first modern anti-trafficking bill in 2000. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5856, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Dr. Henry Smith of Cone Health upon his retirement. For nearly 30 years, Dr. Smith has been saving lives in our community as an interventional cardiologist. His passion for cardiology and his desire to improve quality of care has shaped his legacy of being a committed, patient-focused physician. Those who have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Smith will tell you he treats his patients as if they were his own family. As the director of the Moses Cone Hospital cath lab, and with his role in Cone Health's early use of 3D/AI-driven imaging, Dr. Smith has been an innovator for 30 years. Dr. Smith has also served as chairman of Cone Health's board of trustees and is a member of the board where he was a steadfast advocate for expanding access to healthcare. Outside the hospital, Dr. Smith is known for his involvement in his church and as a founding member of the Black Investments in Greensboro--or BIG--Equity Fund, at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. Dr. Smith is an exceptional cardiologist, fierce leader, and a remarkable advocate for a more equitable healthcare system and community. I congratulate Dr. Henry Smith on 30 years of excellence and his well-deserved retirement.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, Representative Escobar, for yielding time to me and also for her tireless work on this incredibly important issue. Mr. Speaker, the last time Congress passed comprehensive immigration reform was in 1986. That was nearly 40 years ago--before laptop computers, before cell phones, and before the internet became available to all. In so many ways, our economy and our need for workers has changed and grown. In fact, we have a workforce shortage at all skill levels, from farm and factory workers to nurses and physicians to high-tech and other STEM workers. Even though we educate the best and the brightest of foreign students, we send them home to compete with us because there simply aren't enough visas to accommodate them. Our immigration system hasn't changed to accommodate our needs. It is hampering our economic growth. While other countries, like Canada, are encouraging immigration, we are allowing our partisan disputes to get in the way of creating a system that is in our own best interest. Even worse, we have failed to update our system to tackle the rapid growth of migrants fleeing persecution and hazardous conditions in their own countries and seeking to enter our country by claiming asylum at our southern border. As one of my hometown immigration attorneys recently wrote in our hometown newspaper, many of these people would come in other ways, seeking legal visas if we had visa categories that accommodated them. Despite record levels of people seeking refuge in our country, we have failed to pass legislation that would address this crisis. Our processes are inhumane, slow, and simply don't work. Dreamers and asylum seekers deserve better. Border towns deserve better. Americans deserve better. That is why I joined a bipartisan group of women in the House to work on serious immigration reform. Alongside my friends, Representatives Veronica Escobar and Maria Salazar, I was proud to help introduce the Dignity Act. This bill would finally address the country's workforce needs, strengthen the economy, provide pathways to citizenship for Dreamers and asylum seekers, and secure the border. The Dignity Act finds common ground between Democratic and Republican immigration priorities. It is not perfect. There are things that I love in the bill, and there are things I don't love. But if we don't find compromise and common ground, we will never solve this challenge. The Dignity Act strikes the right balance. It offers tough but creative solutions to our Nation's most pressing immigration challenges. Over the past few months, we have seen House Republicans spend an enormous amount of time on the House floor, in hearings, and, frankly, on TV talking about the border crisis and demanding action. We have heard the administration call on Congress to pass legislation to address the border crisis as well as other immigration challenges. For weeks, a bipartisan group of Senators had been working on legislation, on an immigration deal, but the extreme House Republicans recently described that deal as dead on arrival even before the text of the bill was released. They didn't reject the deal because it was bad policy. They didn't know what the policy was. They rejected it because former President Trump told them to. He doesn't want a solution. He wants a border crisis that he can run on. Extreme Republicans are falling in line with him. They don't want a solution. They want a problem that will rile up their voters. This is shameful. Our country deserves better. Our country deserves real solutions. That is why I am here with my fellow Democratic co-leads of the Dignity Act to say: Stop the whining and get to work. We all know the border issue needs to be addressed. We all know we have a workforce shortage. We all know we need an upgraded immigration system that works for all of us. We have a solution crafted right here in the House by Democrats and Republicans working together on a bipartisan basis. Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in supporting the Dignity Act. Let's work together to solve this problem and build a stronger future for all.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and all she has done in this time of such tragedy for the Jewish people. Mr. Speaker, on October 7, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel by land, air, and sea. They slaughtered over 1,200 innocent civilians, brutalized and raped women and girls, and took more than 240 hostages, including infants, children, the elderly, and even Holocaust survivors. After long negotiations, many of those hostages were released with devastating trauma, weight loss, and emotional and physical injuries. That is why I am so worried about the remaining hostages. It has been over 100 days of mourning, of pain, and uncertainty. For more than 100 days these people have been trapped in despicable underground tunnels with no fresh air, no sunlight, little water, little food, no comforts, and certainly no medical care. Knowing all this is simply unbearable for the hostage families. I have been meeting with the families of the hostages for months, and their stories have been heartbreaking. Their stories have haunted all of us. Today, I want to share the story of Carmel Gat and her family. Carmel Gat is a 39-year-old occupational therapist who lived in Tel Aviv. She was visiting her parents at Kibbutz Be'eri when Hamas attacked. First, they killed her mother, Kinneret. Then they grabbed Carmel and carted her away. Next, her brother, Alon; her sister-in-law, Yarden; and their 3-year-old daughter, Geffen, were all grabbed by Hamas and thrown into a vehicle. Just before the vehicle crossed into Gaza, Alon and Yarden, with Geffen in her arms, jumped out of the vehicle and decided to run to safety. Yarden realized that her husband could run faster than she. She said to her husband: You take Geffen, because you can escape. She sacrificed herself, and Yarden was taken hostage. Thankfully, during the first round of hostage releases, Yarden was released. I watched her reunion with her family with real joy. Yet, the joy was tempered because Carmel was not released. She was not released because she is not a mother. She has now been held captive for nearly 4 months. Before her capture, Carmel was planning on starting her master's degree studies in October. She is a lover of music and of traveling. She is someone who meets new people wherever she goes. Carmel is a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a friend to so many. My heart breaks for her family and her loved ones who do not know where she is, whether she is safe or whether she has been beaten or violated. As a beautiful young woman she is certainly at risk, and I am deeply concerned for Carmel's safety. I am deeply concerned for all the women who are being held hostage by Hamas because we have seen more and more reports of what Hamas did to women and girls on October 7. They brutalized women. They raped them, they beat them, and they mutilated them. We have heard from those who were released that we need to get those women released as soon as possible because Hamas uses sexual violence as a weapon of war. We must bring Carmel and every hostage home. I will keep using my voice in Congress to call for their safe return and to demand that the International Red Cross be allowed to visit the hostages in Gaza, administer aid to all of them, and report on their condition. We must hold Hamas accountable for their war crimes.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the late Sergeant Philip Dale Nix of the Greensboro Police Department. On December 30, Sergeant Nix, while off duty, was at a gas station, where he saw three young people stealing several cases of beer. When he approached the robbers' car, the 18-year-old thief shot Sergeant Nix five times, killing him for over less than $100 worth of beer. Dale Nix's loss is a tragedy that has been a terrible blow to Greensboro and the Triad. Our entire community is grieving, from his fellow officers and emergency responders, to those he helped at the Guilford County Family Justice Center, to people across the city who, like me, are shocked and saddened over the loss of this fine man. Sergeant Nix joined the Greensboro Police Department in 2001, where he served our community with distinction for 22 years. As mentioned at our recent community vigil by so many of his colleagues, Sergeant Nix was a standout leader. He went above and beyond in all his roles on the force and was dedicated to justice and helping others. In his 22 years on the force, Sergeant Nix served as a Criminal Investigation Division detective, a patrol corporal, patrol sergeant, team leader for the peer support team for 12 years, assistant team leader of the GPD Honor Guard, and his latest assignment was as detective sergeant of the Family Victims Unit, where he worked closely with the Family Justice Center, helping victims of crimes, particularly women and children, who were the victims of domestic violence. As Catherine Johnson, who runs the Family Justice Center, said at the vigil, Dale Nix had an extraordinary ability to connect with people, especially people in pain. He was able to work so well with the victims of crimes because he listened to them. He gained their trust. They knew he would fight for them because they knew he cared. The impact Sergeant Nix made on families in Greensboro is incalculable. The stories have poured in from people he impacted, stories that have been both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Here was a man who was devoted to others, a man who made a real difference, whose ability to help those in need was cut far too short. In addition to his valiant service to our community, Dale Nix was a beloved husband and father, a true family man. At this difficult time, my heart breaks for his wife, son, parents, and his entire family. I share my condolences with the Greensboro Police Department, the fire department, the 911 emergency center, those at the Family Justice Center, and all who served with him. Sergeant Nix was a man of integrity, family, and service. He protected the innocent, advocated for victims, and made a difference in countless lives. It is truly tragic that, while Sergeant Nix dedicated his career to preventing crimes and helping victims, he lost his life to violent criminals. As a Member of Congress and a member of the Greensboro community, I am outraged by the act of senseless violence that stole Sergeant Nix's life. I will continue to use my role in Congress and in my community to work towards solutions that will stop this painful cycle of violence that has claimed far too many innocent lives. I know that Sergeant Nix's legacy will live on. He will long be remembered as a father, a husband, a man of integrity and service, an advocate, a true hero, and a pillar of justice in Greensboro, North Carolina. May his memory be a blessing to all.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a proud cosponsor of the Social Security 2100 Act, a bill that will enhance Social Security benefits for the first time in 50 years and ensure this program's solvency for years to come. In my district, more than 157,000 retirees and families rely on Social Security as their primary source of income. Social Security doesn't just help retirees. Almost 10,000 children and more than 20,000 disabled workers in my district depend on Social Security to meet their basic expenses. Social Security was there when my mother-in-law, a stay-at-home mom, was suddenly widowed at 28 years old and left with four young children to raise on her own. Social Security was there to help her get through the tragic loss of her husband and to figure out how to support her young family. I stand in support of Social Security. I will stand up to any politician who wants to take away or reduce those earned benefits.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, at this crucial moment, the United States must support our democratic ally Ukraine. Stopping the Russian invasion is critically important, because right now democracy worldwide is under attack. Helping Ukraine defeat Putin will make clear that the United States, our allies, and democracies everywhere will not tolerate the invasion of sovereign nations by bad actors. We must also recognize the common thread between what is happening in Ukraine and what is happening in Israel. Iran is supporting dictators and terrorists who seek the destruction of democracy around the globe. Iran funds and trains Hamas terrorists and sends weapons to Russian forces as they inflict horrors upon civilians. Let's be clear: If we allow Russia to win this war, the attacks on democratic nations will not stop there. The United States will undoubtedly be pulled into future global conflicts. Now, more than ever, we must support our democratic allies in their fight against evil. Congress must recognize the urgency of this issue and send aid to our democratic allies immediately.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Virginia, Ranking Member Scott, for recognizing me. Mr. Speaker, as someone who has dedicated most of her career to combating anti-Semitism and as the co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, I know well that anti-Semitism has been on the rise in our country for years. It was a growing problem before the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, and sadly, immediately after that savage attack, anti-Semitism has skyrocketed, particularly on college campuses. What we have seen happening on college campuses is outrageous, and too many college and university leaders have totally failed in their moral responsibility to condemn anti-Semitism. They have failed to keep Jewish students and faculty members safe. That is shameful. I was appalled by the failure of the three college presidents to simply say yes. A call for the genocide of Jews is wrong, period, but I have no interest in meaningless resolutions that do nothing to address the underlying issue of anti-Semitism. That is why my colleagues should join us in crafting serious bipartisan legislation that will make a real difference. We don't need throwaway resolutions. We need effective solutions. If we are serious about fighting anti-Semitism, we need legislation to implement and codify the United States' National Strategy to Counter Anti-Semitism. We need to pass the President's request for $200 million in emergency supplemental funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. We need to fully fund the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, not cut that funding. We need to strengthen our Federal civil rights laws to punish all universities that fail to protect Jewish students. Until we do that, nonbinding politically motivated resolutions are not worth the paper they are written on. When anti-Semitism rears its ugly head, it harms us all and it eats at the foundations of our democracy. I have always called out anti-Semitism on the left and on the right, and I will continue to do so, but I don't want just words. I want this Congress to take action and pass implementing legislation.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be recorded on rollcall No. 707, rollcall No. 708, and rollcall No. 709. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 707, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 708, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 709.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, for putting this evening together and for meeting with me and so many other of our Members with hostage families for week after week. On October 7, we woke in horror to Hamas' brutal and despicable terrorist attacks, invading Israel, firing rockets at innocent civilians, going house to house, murdering babies, executing parents in front of their children, and massacring 250 young people at a music festival. As if killing 1,200 people was not enough, Hamas took an estimated 240 innocent civilians hostage in Gaza, including elderly women, babies, young children, and Holocaust survivors. Like many of my colleagues, I have spent the past 7 weeks meeting with the families of hostages, hostages including Keith Siegel from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and his wife Aviva, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. I met with Keith's sister, Lucy, and his niece, Emily, who spoke so lovingly of their family members. Keith and Aviva are the parents of four children and the proud grandparents of five grandchildren. Keith grew up in my home State of North Carolina. He moved to Israel as a young man, where he met Aviva, who was born in South Africa and had moved to Israel at the age of 8. Keith and Aviva have lived happily in Kibbutz Kfar Aza for 40 years. On the morning of October 7, Keith and Aviva were having a quiet day at home when they were brutally attacked and abducted by Hamas terrorists, who drove them into Gaza in their own car. After 51 days of grueling captivity, Aviva was finally released earlier this week as part of a temporary cease-fire. Keith is still being held hostage. I can't even imagine what Aviva has gone through or the agony the entire family is going through waiting for their beloved Keith to be freed from captivity. I have met with other hostage families and learned about their loved ones. I realized that just like the stories of Holocaust survivors, each story about a hostage is unique. Each story is heartbreaking because each of these hostages has loving family members whose lives have been torn apart, who are living the agony of not knowing what has become of their loved ones: Are they okay? Are they healthy? Are they injured? Are they alive? Will they ever see them again? I have heard stories that have brought me to tears, that haunt my dreams, and that should make all of us redouble our efforts to bring those hostages home. I have met with several of these families so often that I feel like they are my own extended family members. Over the past few days, we have seen some of the hostages released and brought home to their families, and I thank President Biden and this administration, along with Israelis and our regional partners who have worked to ensure that the agreed-upon hostage exchanges took place, but there is still much more work to do. There are still more than 130 people being held hostage, and we have only begun to learn about the terrible circumstances of their captivity. This has told us we have absolutely no time to waste. Earlier this week, I was proud to help lead the debate on the House floor on a bipartisan resolution that we passed unanimously demanding the release of the hostages, but passing a resolution is not enough. We must do more. Hamas has still not allowed the International Red Cross to visit the hostages. This is unacceptable. Our country and countries around the world must join together and demand the immediate release of all the remaining hostages: the children, the women, the men, the civilians, and the soldiers. We have no time to waste. I look forward to rejoicing with the Siegel family when Keith is finally released, and I look forward to bringing all the hostages home.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 793, calling on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during the October 7 gruesome and savage attack on Israel. I am grateful for my dear friend and colleague from Michigan, Representative Haley Stevens, for introducing the resolution together with my friend, Representative French Hill. Representative Stevens' extraordinary leadership on hostage and wrongful detention issues has given a voice to families of hostages and detainees and helped ensure that we never relent in our pursuit of bringing wrongfully detained Americans home. The Hamas terror attack on October 7 resulted in the abduction of more than 240 innocent civilians and the heinous murder of more than 1,200 people. In specifically targeting a civilian population, Hamas' abductions are among the greatest crimes against humanity. The sheer scale of the casualties and murder is the greatest attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hamas has compounded the unimaginable human suffering it has caused through the use of its own people and the hostages as human shields, something we should never forget. The hostages abducted by Hamas include civilians, soldiers, women, children, grandparents, and Holocaust survivors. Many are Israeli. Some are foreign or dual nationals, including American citizens. Dozens of hostages have finally been released, thanks to the painstaking, difficult, and necessary negotiations assisted by the United States, including President Biden, and Qatar. I hope that, after this latest round of releases, we will continue to work to bring home all the remaining hostages. This resolution calls attention to these abductions perpetrated by Hamas. Hamas specifically captured these innocent people so they could be used as bargaining chips and human shields while Hamas attempts to wipe Israel off the map. Yet, while the situation is dire, there is hope. There are experienced public servants across the United States Government who have already helped secure the release of some Americans and dozens of other hostages from Hamas' clutches. These dedicated officials in the White House, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and elsewhere across our government continue their tireless work to bring all the remaining American hostages and all the hostages home. This resolution is simple and straightforward. It condemns the horrific actions of Hamas, correctly notes that hostage taking is a violation of international humanitarian law, expresses solidarity with the victims, and demands Hamas release all hostages immediately. It is incredibly important that we give it our full support to send a clear message about the need to bring them home. We must stand with the hostages and their families in Israel and all over the world until they come home. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues and, in particular, Representative Stevens for her tireless efforts on behalf of these Americans and their families and all Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained overseas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from the great State of Michigan (Ms. Stevens).

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, I have spent the past 6 weeks meeting with families of innocent civilians who were taken hostage by Hamas. Just like the stories of Holocaust survivors, each story is unique. Each story is heartbreaking because each of these hostages has loving family members whose lives have been torn apart, who are living with the agony of not knowing what has become of their loved ones. Are they okay? Are they healthy? Are they injured? Are they alive? Will they ever see them again? I have heard stories that have brought me to tears, that haunt my dreams, that should make all of us redouble our efforts to bring those hostages home. Mr. Speaker, the past few days have seen significant breakthroughs in attempts to bring the hostages held by Hamas home to their families. Dozens of hostages, including a few Americans, have been released, especially over the past few days. I applaud the efforts of this administration, Israel, Qatar, and others who have worked to ensure that the temporary cease-fire holds and that the agreed-upon hostages are released, but there is much more work to be done. Even after these last rounds of releases, dozens of hostages still remain imprisoned by Hamas. This is unacceptable. We cannot afford to go back to the status quo. It is imperative that the United States, Israel, and our other allies and partners continue to press forward with efforts to secure the release of all the remaining hostages, including Keith Siegel from my State of North Carolina, including Yarden Roman who made the excruciating decision to hand her daughter, Geffen, to her husband, Alon, because he could run faster to escape the terrorists and save their daughter. Yarden herself is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor whose great-grandparents made the same excruciating decision to sacrifice themselves for their daughter. There are more than 150 more young people, mothers, fathers, civilians, soldiers, Americans, Israelis, Thai, and others. We must continue to work so that they can be brought home and reunited with their families. I strongly support this resolution. Again, I thank Representative Stevens for all her work on this issue and on this resolution, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 888 introduced by my friends, Representatives Mike Lawler and Jared Moskowitz. Mr. Speaker, on many occasions this House of Representatives has reaffirmed Israel's right to exist, and it is important that we do so again today. It is incomprehensible to me that after Hamas' horrific terrorist attack on October 7, the largest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, we are seeing a growing wave of anti-Semitism rear its ugly head at home and around the world. Since Israel's independence in 1948 and its admission into the United Nations the following year, international law has mandated Israel's right to exist. Yet, as of this year, 28 of the 193 United Nation member states still do not recognize Israeli sovereignty. The terrorist organization, Hamas, has declared that Israel has no right to exist and for decades has targeted Israel for destruction with suicide bombs, with missiles and rockets, and most recently, with gruesome and savage terror attacks targeting civilians. The destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews is Hamas' sole focus. They have murdered babies, raped women, executed parents in front of their children, and massacred 260 young people at a music festival. They have taken 250 innocent civilians, including American citizens, hostage. They are not working to help the Palestinian people who elected them. Indeed, the Palestinian people are shamelessly used and abused by Hamas as human shields. As a proud, lifelong supporter of a two-state solution, I know that with Hamas in control of 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, real progress on a two-state solution cannot being achieved. Hamas has always only ever played spoiler. The same is true of Iran's other regional proxies, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and others, who also exist only to destabilize and destroy Israel, not to strive for a two-state solution. There cannot be peace when a party to a conflict doesn't recognize the other parties' right to exist. With recognition comes peace and mutual prosperity, security, and innovation. That is why efforts to facilitate and expand the Abraham Accords are so historic and important. The Abraham Accords countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, all recognize this fact and are advancing their nations in the spirit of regional cooperation and peace. Here at home, whether it is on public streets, on college campuses, or online, we have seen a deeply disturbing and aggressive increase and despicable call for Israel to cease existing as a Jewish State. The phrase, ``from the river to the sea,'' a sickening call for the destruction of the State of Israel and the genocide of the Jewish people, has become a rallying cry for those hoping for Israel's destruction. Calling for total Palestinian control of all Israeli territory from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea is a call to eliminate the Jewish State of Israel. This resolution states that denying Israel's right to exist is a form of anti-Semitism. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. To be clear, it is not necessarily anti-Semitic to criticize the State of Israel or its leaders for particular policies. That is free speech, and no country is above criticism for its policies, including our own. It is absolutely anti-Semitic to treat Israel as a pariah based on the claim that Jews alone should be denied the right to define themselves as a people and to exercise any form of national self-determination. This is the crucial difference. It is anti-Semitism, and we must totally reject it. In 2015, former President Barack Obama stated the following in an interview: I think it would be a moral failing for me as President of the United States, a moral failing for America, and a moral failing for the world if we did not protect Israel and stand up for its right to exist, because that would negate not just the history of the 20th century, it would negate the history of the past millennium. Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with that statement. For thousands of years, Jews have suffered persecution and lack the safety and stability of a homeland. Today, the modern Jewish State of Israel thrives in the ancient Jewish Holy Land where it is a robust democracy and productive and treasured member of the international community of nations. Israel has signed peace treaties with two of its most important neighbors and has come to the table for many rounds of peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel is a country that wants peace, whereas Hamas and its Iranian patron do not. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people and will always remain a place of refuge where Jews can be truly safe and control their own destiny. Israel is certainly worthy of the support of this House and the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Moskowitz).

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida.

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo), the newest member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, the Jewish people have connections to the State of Israel that go back thousands of years. Indeed, the Jewish people are indigenous to that land. Yes, Israel has a right to exist. This multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious nation, a nation of laws, a nation with free speech and free press, a nation of innovation, and a vibrant, thriving democracy, an incredible country, has much to teach the world and will continue to do so. This country, our only democratic ally in the Middle East, is here to stay. This resolution puts the House of Representatives on record as affirming the State of Israel's right to exist. It recognizes that denying Israel's right to exist is a form of anti-Semitism. It rejects calls for Israel's destruction and the elimination of the only Jewish state and condemns the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack on the State of Israel and its people. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 683, introduced by my colleague, Representative Monica De La Cruz. I had the opportunity to support this resolution as it made its way through the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this month, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage here. Mr. Speaker, climate change has led to more prevalent and severe climate events across North America and has affected us all. Lack of rain, for example, has caused severe drought, impacting farming communities and businesses that provide critical crops and jobs. Rising temperatures have affected the volume and distribution of rainfall and snowfall over time. Without water, farmers have had to make difficult choices about whether to plant their crops, resulting in major losses all around. In these challenging times, I recognize the importance of engaging constructively with our neighbors to resolve issues that may seem local but have broad global implications and downstream effects. One instance where we must improve our international cooperation concerns the share of water between the United States and Mexico from the Colorado and the Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 683 recognizes that, as farmers in south Texas experience greater water shortages, we must work with the Government of Mexico to ensure its deliveries of water to the U.S. are made more consistent and timely and encourages new commitments to be made for that purpose. I am particularly impressed by the International Boundary and Water Commission's engagement this year to advance the goals of the 1944 treaty relating to the utilization of the waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and the Rio Grande. The Commission's work to ensure that commitments made to distribute water are upheld in a timely manner and in the right quantities have not gone unnoticed. No doubt these changes in regular access to water will have a positive impact on those who grow the food and livestock we depend on. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the dialogue and diplomacy necessary to confront this urgent issue. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes that, as farmers in south Texas are suffering from water shortages, dialogue and diplomacy will be critical to ensuring that water deliveries from the Government of Mexico, per the 1944 treaty, are made in a timely and consistent manner. H. Res. 683 supports the negotiations being undertaken to secure water deliveries on an annual basis that would allow farmers to have predictable quantities of water for their crops and their livestock. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution and urge all of my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MANNING

Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Representative Schneider, for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan House resolution that I helped introduce with the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Mike McCaul, and Representative Schneider and others to make clear that the United States will never tolerate Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran is the principle source of instability in the region. It is a major threat to our interests and remains the world's leading sponsor of terrorism, supporting terrorist groups like Hamas in their brutal quest to destroy our ally Israel. On October 7 we witnessed the gruesome results of Iran's support for Hamas. This is the kind of terror that Iran facilitates. An armed Iran with a nuclear weapon would represent an even greater, entirely unacceptable threat to Israel and the world. For the past few years, Iran has flagrantly violated the terms of the nuclear deal, blown past restrictions, continued to enrich uranium to dangerous levels, bringing it closer than ever to being able to produce nuclear weapons. That is why this resolution emphasizes that it is U.S. policy to prevent a nuclear armed Iran, as President Biden himself has made clear, and to support our partners and allies like Israel in the face of such an existential threat. Sending a clear message that Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon is about deterring Iran, not seeking confrontation or war with them. Colleagues on both sides of the aisle should agree that it is absolutely in our interest to restrain Iran's nuclear ambitions, and it is in the interest of a more stable, secure, and peaceful region. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote in support of the resolution.