Brian Mast

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Mackenzie), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1503) to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs, and for other purposes.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we gather today to confront one of the most unconscionable human rights atrocities of our time. It is amazing that we have to speak about this. It is the State-sponsored, forced harvesting of human organs. Innocent people, often prisoners of conscience, are being killed so that their vital organs can be removed and sold. This is a billion- dollar black market built on murder. It is a direct assault on every principle of human dignity and decency. H.R. 1503, the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025, is a bipartisan moral imperative. It holds perpetrators accountable and targets the heart of this depraved industry. This bill sends a clear message: The United States will not be complicit. If you take part in forced organ harvesting, we are coming after you. It imposes strong sanctions, strengthens reporting requirements, and authorizes the denial or revocation of passports for convicted traffickers who cross borders to commit these crimes. I would say that is the least we could be doing. The legislation rightly identifies those responsible, including members of the Chinese Communist Party, who have been credibly accused by human rights organizations and U.N. experts of orchestrating systematic, state-run organ harvesting, primarily targeting prisoners of conscience from religious and ethnic minority groups. This is not speculation. The evidence is overwhelming. International investigations, eyewitness testimony, and growing data confirm that these abuses are occurring on a massive scale. They are crimes against humanity. The bill is a necessary tool to fight that evil. It aligns our foreign policy with our core values: human rights, rule of law, and the sanctity of life. As chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am proud to support it. I thank my colleagues, Mr. Smith of New Jersey and Mr. Keating of Massachusetts, for leading this bipartisan effort. The bill passed the Foreign Affairs Committee with broad, bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues to join in advancing it on the floor today. We must make it unmistakably clear: Forced organ harvesting will not be tolerated. It will not be tolerated in this world, and those who carry it out, support it, or profit from it will face serious consequences. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, May 1, 2025. Hon. Brian Mast, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Mast: I write regarding H.R. 1503, the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025. Provisions of this bill fall within the Judiciary Committee's Rule X jurisdiction, and I appreciate that you consulted with us on those provisions. The Judiciary Committee agrees that it shall be discharged from further consideration of the bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor. The Committee takes this action with the understanding that forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees in the event of a conference with the Senate involving this measure or similar legislation. I ask that you please insert this letter in the Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 1503 on the House floor. I appreciate the cooperative manner in which our committees have worked on this matter, and I look forward to working collaboratively in the future on matters of shared jurisdiction. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Jim Jordan, Chairman.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is the sponsor of this legislation and the chairman of the Africa Subcommittee.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the United States has to lead with moral clarity. We have to send an unmistakable message that the human body is not a currency, it is not a commodity, and it is never for sale. Forced organ harvesting is pure evil, and if we don't act, then we will be considered complicit. Mr. Speaker, I urge every one of my colleagues to stand firm for human dignity and support H.R. 1503, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1512) to amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines, as amended.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my colleague, Mrs. Wagner, and in support of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act. This bill reaffirms and strengthens the United States' commitment to Taiwan, one of our most important democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific. Taiwan is under growing pressure from an increasingly aggressive Chinese Communist Party. Xi Jinping has made no secret of his intentions. Folding Taiwan into the People's Republic of China is central to his vision of national rejuvenation. He has made it clear he is willing to use force to make that happen. The warning signs are in plain view. China is ramping up aerial incursions, conducting illegal exercises that simulate a blockade around Taiwan, threatening sanctions against Taiwanese industries, and relentlessly targeting Taipei with economic and political intimidation. If we are serious about countering the CCP's ambition to displace the United States as a global leader, then we have to act with clarity and conviction. That starts with standing firm alongside Taiwan. We need to deepen our economic security and diplomatic cooperation with Taiwan and do so transparently and without apology. Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, the State Department too often handcuffed U.S.-Taiwan engagement by clinging to outdated, self-imposed restrictions and bureaucratic red tape, weakening a vital partnership at a time when unity and strength are urgently needed. That is unacceptable. The Taiwan Assurance Act passed with bipartisan support in 2020, but the stakes are even higher today. That is why this bill updates and strengthens the original law, ensuring that U.S. policy toward Taiwan reflects today's strategic reality, not yesterday's hesitations. By removing self-imposed limitations on how we engage with Taiwan, we send a clear message to Beijing: The United States stands with free nations, and we will not be bullied into silence. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. MAST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, Taiwan is not just a partner. It is a front line for democracy, and how we treat our friends in times of pressure defines our credibility around the globe. If we are serious about countering the CCP, we have to pass this piece of legislation. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to vote for H.R. 1512, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 36) to counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, the Iranian Regime, and the Russian Federation in the nation of Georgia.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, the statement of the gentleman from the other side is as untrue now as it was when he gave the same speech a few months ago on this very floor. I would say the message is clear to everybody: Don't get in America's way as we are trying to work with our allies to get our Americans home and our allies home. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Jackson).

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, what the gentleman did say very clearly was that this legislation is not a priority, and this legislation is meant to get in the way of those who are getting in our way from getting our Americans home. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

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

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are the people's House. Let me translate what was just said: It is not a priority for the people's House to do everything possible to get our people home, to include getting in the way of those who are getting in our way. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy), the genesis of and the lead sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, a bill that I am proud to have worked on with my colleague and friend, Chip Roy, a bill that sanctions International Criminal Court officials and their families and anybody who is assisting them. Why? It is because they are targeting America's allies, who are right now the front line of fighting to bring American hostages home from Gaza. America is passing this law because, on November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court's Pre-Trial Chamber issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. Let me explain that in a more detailed way. America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the Prime Minister of our great ally, Israel, who is not only responding to an enemy which conducted a genocide, killing as many men, women, and children as possible, even beheading some of them, on October 7, 2023, but an enemy who still holds 100 hostages, scores of bodies of those that they murdered, including 7 of my fellow Americans. Let me say that again. Israel is the tip of the spear in bringing the fight to an enemy who currently holds and has killed our fellow Americans. Israel has conducted this war with as much restraint as war can allow. In the face of horror, they have shown humanity. We know that for Israel, any civilian dying is a tragedy, and we know that for Hamas and the Palestinians who support them, civilians dying is quite literally their strategy for victory. Hamas' strategy uses hospitals and schools as bases for combat operations. It is not that some fighter accidentally walked into a hospital for 5 minutes carrying their machine gun. No, they build hospitals and schools into fortified launching points for attack. In clear violation of the laws of armed conflict, Hamas deliberately targets civilians. What the ICC is doing with their arrest warrants is legitimizing the false accusations of Israeli war crimes in order to do something to stop the overwhelming success of Israeli military operations. Mr. Speaker, I don't care if a person is a terrorist in a cave or if they are a lawyer in The Hague. If they are getting in the way of bringing home our Americans or bringing home our allies who are, as we speak in this very moment, bound, blindfolded, tortured, raped, enslaved, starved, facing execution, if you are getting in the way of bringing them home, then we will give you no quarter. We will certainly not allow you to be welcomed to American soil. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call up the bill (H.R. 23) to impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining. THE SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida has 18 minutes remaining. The gentleman from Massachusetts has 19 minutes remaining.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I would remind everybody that every time my colleagues across the way rise, they rise to oppose legislation that would get in the way of those getting in our way of bringing Americans home. That is what they are standing against. That is what they are rising against. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).