Rich McCormick

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4132) to provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to forced organ harvesting within the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. McCORMICK. 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. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, for decades the House of Representatives has been raising alarms about the ghoulish organ harvesting perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. The People's Republic of China executes thousands of people a year, several times more than the rest of the world combined, but they hide those killings from outsiders, claiming that execution information is a state secret. Behind that veil of secrecy lies a terrifying reality. For years, testimony and investigative reports have asserted that organs are forcibly harvested as part of an extremely lucrative trade in human organs for transplant into those in the good graces of the party, and for those, including foreigners, willing to pay top dollar. As summarized in 2021 by United Nations human rights officials, ``forced organ harvesting in China appears to be targeting specific ethnic, linguistic, or religious minorities held in detention, often without being explained the reasons for arrest or given arrest warrants.'' Falun Gong adherents and Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang are among those reportedly targeted. Certain religious and ethnic minority detainees are reportedly subjected to nonconsensual tests not required of other prisoners, such as blood tests, organ exams, and ultrasound scans, with the results being entered into a database of living organ sources. These depraved CCP abuses must stop. The bill before us today requires the identification and sanctioning of those involved in China's involuntary organ harvesting. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and his bipartisan cosponsors for introducing this legislation. I also commend Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks for marking it up and getting it to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry), who is the author of the bill.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, in closing, the idea that a member of a religious minority could be targeted and killed so that their organs could be harvested is worthy of a horror movie. It violates the basic tenets of our God-given rights, but that is allegedly what the Chinese Communist Party has been doing for years. This bill before us today will impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against those responsible for such atrocities. It deserves our unanimous support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the sorrowful legacy of the Korean war is with us even today, more than 70 years after the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The Korean Peninsula remains divided between a nation of free people and a totalitarian state that subjects its people and its population to utter tyranny and refuses to allow them to connect with the outside world from fear of losing control. The sinister Kim regime continues to threaten the peace and security of the region and the world. We watched with alarm last week when Vladimir Putin visited North Korea, and the two rogue regimes signed a new strategic partnership agreement. Meanwhile, families remain broken, from those still fighting to bring the remains of their loved ones home to those with extended family members still in North Korea. Our vibrant Korean-American community feels this legacy strongly. More than 100,000 have relatives in North Korea, family members and descendants of those trapped on the north side of the 1953 armistice line. The Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act requires the Secretary of State to establish a voluntary data repository for Korean Americans interested in participating in future reunions with their relatives in North Korea. This bill also helps to ensure that any future dialogue between the United States and North Korea includes progress toward reunions for Korean-American families. I thank the authors of this bipartisan bill, Congresswoman Wexton and Congresswoman Steel, for their work to help bring peace to Korean- American families. At the February 6 markup of the Foreign Affairs Committee, H.R. 7152 was unanimously adopted by a vote of 49-0. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. As a member of the AI task force, that was pretty cool to watch that actually go down just now for Ms. Wexton. For far too long, the totalitarian regime in P'yongyang has denied Korean-American families the opportunity to reconnect with their family members in North Korea. The Divided Families National Registry Act helps to lay the groundwork for those eventual reunions for which we continue to hope and work for. May that day arrive soon. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. 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. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2789) to direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy on efforts to strengthen subnational cooperation between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, fentanyl trafficked over our southern border from Mexico is killing huge numbers of Americans and ravaging our communities. Synthetic opioids kill about 75,000 Americans annually. That is the equivalent of 25 9/11 attacks every year. Just one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill one-half million people. In the last 4 years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized more than 66,000 pounds of fentanyl. That is enough to kill the entire population of the United States 45 times over. However, there is obviously much more that is not seized and is infiltrating our communities. We need all levels of government in Mexico to assist in fighting this urgent crisis. This bill, H.R. 2789, will require a strategy to strengthen subnational cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico by enhancing law enforcement cooperation, as well as cooperation with local, State, and Federal security forces. Enhancing these partnerships is critical to curbing fentanyl trafficking entering the United States. This bill also requires a review of access to financing for member states of the Caribbean Community, which is CARICOM, as well as sanctions enforcement laws and compliance standards, narcotics trafficking and finance, and the U.S. diplomatic footprint in the region. The Caribbean is a key gateway to the United States, and the Chinese Community Party is working to increase its influence in the neighborhood. We must ensure that we are doing what we can to counter their malign influence in our hemisphere. This bipartisan bill was approved at a markup of the Foreign Affairs Committee, along with a Republican amendment to ensure robust congressional oversight of its implementation. Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers and reserve the right to close. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6586) to require a strategy to oppose financial or material support by foreign countries to the Taliban, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6586. I thank my colleague from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) for introducing this important legislation to prevent U.S. taxpayer dollars from ending up in the Taliban's hands. Since the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal nearly 3 years ago, the Taliban has established a reign of terror in Afghanistan. The Taliban has banned girls from receiving an education and essentially banned women from participating in public life in any meaningful way. They have supported the public flogging and stoning of women and have prevented women from working for NGOs, significantly restricting the delivery of humanitarian aid. These abhorrent policies reveal the barbaric heart of Taliban control over Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to flood Afghanistan with money. Since 2021, the U.S. has appropriated nearly $3 billion for assistance to Afghanistan, yet we have little to no oversight over much of this assistance, which is administered by third parties. This administration must be held accountable to ensure that U.S.-provided assistance to Afghanistan does not end up in the Taliban's hands. Recent reports show that at least 10.9 million U.S. taxpayer dollars have been paid to the Taliban in the form of taxes and fees. Due to lax oversight by this administration, the real number is probably much higher. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that U.S. tax dollars are not hand-delivered to Taliban terrorists. While the U.S. maintains a policy of nonrecognition toward the Taliban, countries in the region show increasing signs of engagement. Most recently, the leader of the United Arab Emirates received a number of Taliban officials, including the head of the Haqqani Network terrorist group, which is on the FBI's Most Wanted list. This administration has no written strategy to discourage foreign nations from providing financial or material support to the Taliban. It is essential that we hold nations that receive U.S. assistance accountable and ensure that they do not empower the Taliban. This bill requires the administration to report on what exactly they are doing to conduct oversight of U.S. money going to Afghanistan and requires them to identify which foreign nations are funding the Taliban. This basic oversight is essential to ensuring that the American people and our partners around the world are not paying for the Taliban's reign of terror. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), the author of this bill.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, the world cannot turn a blind eye while the Taliban continues to wreak havoc on the lives of the Afghan people. The Biden administration and our partners and allies have a responsibility to ensure that funding flowing to Afghanistan solely benefits the Afghan people and not their Taliban overlords. We must not be complicit in funding Taliban atrocities in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 901) expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan, as amended.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan resolution expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan. Since 2001, the United States and Pakistan have maintained a close relationship, working together on counterterrorism and efforts to maintain regional stability. Pakistan is grappling with massive economic instability due to overwhelming foreign debt, record inflation, and major security threats from Pakistani Taliban and other terrorist groups. As the nation faces the simultaneous economic and security crises, the people of Pakistan must have their rights respected and their voices heard. The new government in Pakistan faces many challenges as they work toward reforms to secure economic stability and security for their country. However, progress toward a strong democracy must remain a top priority. The people of Pakistan have the right to strong democratic institutions, free and fair elections, and respect for their individual freedoms and human rights. Governing institutions must be free from corruption or interference. We need more progress toward all these goals. I have been pleased to see that allegations of interference in Pakistan's recent elections are being taken seriously. It is essential that this new government commits to rooting out corruption and promoting strong democratic values. I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for joining me today in introducing this resolution, which has more than 100 bipartisan cosponsors. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to show solidarity with the people of Pakistan and support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the people of Pakistan deserve the respect of their government. The rule of law, free and fair elections, and civilian command and control of the military are fundamental tenets of democracy. It is essential that the Pakistani Government uphold these ideals. I encourage the Pakistani Government to continue working to develop strong democratic institutions and protect the rights and freedoms of the Pakistani people. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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