Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) who has been to Iraq four times to visit with our troops.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts), who has been to Iraq four times, to Afghanistan twice, and I had the honor of traveling to both places with him as well. (Mr. PLATTS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lewis). (Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany).

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut, I would like to give myself such time right now as I might consume. We have a strategy, and it is a strategy for success, Mr. Speaker. Every day in Iraq and in Afghanistan is proof positive that we are making progress and that we will prevail. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle say we need to have a debate on how to win. And I would point them to the Intelligence, to the Armed Services Committee, our own International Relations Committee, the countless hearings and meetings we have held to address the issues that have been raised here. And while I will let Armed Services discuss their oversight, I would like to read just briefly some of the sessions held by our International Relations Committee on Oversight. Full committee hearings in the 109th Congress, in the 108th Congress, full committee Members only meeting, subcommittee hearings in the 109th Congress, subcommittee hearings in the 108th Congress, classified briefings in the 108th and 109th Congresses, as well as a total of 9 resolutions of inquiry on Iraq referred to our committee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson).

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), a member of the International Relations Committee, who has traveled to Iraq, has met with our U.S. coalition, and Iraqi troops.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett), who has traveled to Iraq and has witnessed the progress firsthand.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to clarify for the record that this resolution honors all those Americans who have taken an active part in the global war on terror, whether as first responders, protecting the homeland, as servicemembers overseas, as diplomats and intelligence officers, and in other roles. And further, it honors the sacrifice of the United States Armed Forces and of partners in the coalition, and of the Iraqis and Afghans who fight alongside them, especially those who have fallen or have been wounded in the struggle, and honors as well the sacrifices of their families and of others who risk their lives to help defend freedom. This is a resolution to honor their sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris), a member of the House International Relations Committees.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), a member of the International Relations Committee.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation of our International Relations Committee.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Mr. Buyer for the purposes of a unanimous consent request. (Mr. BUYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), who chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation for our International Relations Committee.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, of our International Relations Committee.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. LEACH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation and HUD Appropriations.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize for 2 minutes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter), who has been to Iraq three times.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as Chair of the Middle East and Central Asia Subcommittee, I have traveled to Iraq, having led a delegation just this last January. And I met with officials again and received a wealth of congressional testimony here in DC. All confirmed that the U.S.-led liberation of the Iraqi people is having a positive reverberation throughout the broader Middle East. Iraq is a catalyst for hope, a vivid example that the future of the broader Middle East belongs to freedom and democracy. To fully comprehend just how far Iraq has come with the assistance of U.S. and coalition forces, we must consider the horror that was Iraq under Saddam Hussein: chemical attacks resulting in scores of innocent deaths; a gruesome campaign to exterminate Iraqi Kurds; the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees who fled Saddam's persecution; the deaths of 400,000 Iraqi children in his regime's final years killed by malnutrition and disease due to the failed policies of his regime; the use of rape and the beheading of women as tools of coercion and intimidation as part of their regime opposition. Mr. Speaker, now let us consider what has been accomplished thus far since we removed Saddam Hussein from power. The progress achieved serves to honor all of our men and women as this chart shows. They have fought, and some have fallen for the fulfillment of our noble, our just, and our necessary mission in Iraq. Some of the highlights of progress, Mr. Speaker: Iraqis participated in elections three times since 2005, with ever-increasing voter participation each time. The Iraqi press is free and it is growing. Iraqi women are playing an increasingly pivotal role in their society. A market-based economy is being established as Iraq emerges from three decades of Saddam's neglect. Over 260,000 Iraqi police and security forces have been trained and have been equipped. Iraq now has a democratically elected government for the first time in its history that includes all ethnic groups. We should therefore focus on what we need to do to help ensure a free and secure Iraq and not on how soon we can leave it, ignoring that it is in our national security interest to succeed there. The jihadists are determined and they have declared Iraq to be the central front of their campaign of terror. Are we to waver in front of these challenges? Absolutely not. Terrorist mastermind al Zarqawi, now dead, acknowledged in a February 2004 letter to al Qaeda the threat that success in Iraq posed to the extremist effort. He said, Our enemy is growing stronger by the day, by God, this is suffocation. One of Osama bin Laden's closest associates wrote about Iraq a couple of years ago. And he said, a far more dangerous threat is secularist democracy, because it drives Muslims to refuse to take part in jihad. Mr. Speaker, this clearly demonstrates that our efforts in Iraq are serving long-term efforts of spreading democracy as an antidote to Islamic terrorism and extremism. Mr. Speaker, it reminds me of President Ronald Reagan's words in his first inaugural address when he said, ``Above all we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenal of the world is so formidable as the will and the moral courage of free men and women.'' Every day the Iraqi people are proving how true that statement is. We too must demonstrate the will to press ahead. Leaders from the Arab world have confided their views on how important it is for their own efforts to have the U.S. in Iraq. However, the best evidence that we are on the right path comes from those closest to me, including my stepson, Dougie, and his fiance, Lindsay, both marine officers, both who have served as fighter pilots in Iraq. And I hear it from one of my subcommittee staffers, Matt Zweig, who is currently deployed in Iraq. Their unwavering belief that success in Iraq will make us safer at home confirms that our strategy is correct and that our goals are sound. They remind me that we must heed the advice issued by Winston Churchill when he said, ``One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half.'' Mr. Speaker, we must not, we will not flinch in Iraq. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the chairman of the subcommittee on State, Justice and Commerce appropriations. (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Moran amendment. Let us be clear: This amendment is not about agricultural sales to Cuba. This amendment seeks to prevent the implementation of safeguards that have been put in place to ensure that American farmers do indeed get paid. Under current U.S. law, the sale of agricultural products to Cuba is authorized. There are no sanctions in place for such sales. The law only stipulates that these sales meet four simple conditions: payment of cash in advance, of payment prior to transfer of title, shipping and a licensing provision. Again, these requirements were put in place to protect American producers, to protect American taxpayers, so that they will in fact get paid by the Cuban regime, and that these sales are in keeping with the U.S. foreign policy and commercial interests. Given the Castro regime history, and you can see right there in Mr. Diaz-Balart's currency debt, and its history of insolvency, its poor credit rating, its debt levels, it is incumbent upon us in Congress to undertake necessary steps to protect Americans from getting cheated, from getting swindled, like so many others have by the Castro dictatorship. Mr. Chairman, we have ample reasons to be concerned about the worthiness of the Castro regime. At $14 billion, Cuba's foreign debt reached an all-time high last year. Cuba simply refuses to pay its debts. Now, we all know that the Cuban tyrant can afford it. Forbes Magazine recently listed him as among the top ten wealthiest rulers in the world. The U.S. must not allow its citizens to shoulder the burden of a corrupt foreign government, a deadbeat dictator. Simply put, this amendment promotes lawlessness and the protection of Americans against the Cuban regime's antics. I join Mr. Diaz-Balart and so many others in hoping that we vote ``no'' on the Moran amendment.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong opposition to my good friend, Ms. Lee's, amendment. The proponents of this amendment say that it would allow American students to travel to Cuba. The reality is that under current law educational trips to Cuba by American students are permitted. The restrictions do exist, however, and they are in place in order to ensure that American students studying in Cuba are indeed engaging in legitimate educational activities with substantive academic and cultural components. This is in contrast to the time before the regulations were put in place in July of 2004. What was happening then? Students were participating in activities with little or no educational merit. These trips were organized under the guise of educational activity but they were in fact spring break getaways and island shopping excursions. We have to understand and remember that when this amendment was offered last year the elected leaders of the opposition in Cuba wrote a letter to every Member of Congress saying please defeat this amendment; this does not help our cause for freedom.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I thank my good friend from New York (Mr. Rangel). I know that he called this the For-America amendment, but I think it is the Blame America First amendment, because it says that if there is misery in Cuba, and there surely is, that it is the fault of the American people because of our foreign policy tools that we have been using of sanctioning the government of the regime of Fidel Castro. I agree with the gentleman that the embargo should be lifted. It is the embargo that Fidel Castro has on the Cuban people, an embargo on freedom and an embargo on expression and an embargo on freedom to worship. That is the embargo that we would like to see lifted. But here we go again. How interesting that we have this debate on today, of all days. This is Che Guevara's birthday, and Che Guevara, like Castro, was a bloody assassin, even though we have young people wearing his T-shirts. They have no idea what that man stood for. Like Che Guevara, Fidel Castro continues this bloody, tyrannical rule. Here we have an annual campaign to award an oppressive totalitarian state, a human rights violator, right here in our own hemisphere. If history has taught us nothing about the consequences of appeasing and awarding a brutal power hungry tyrant, we are again being asked to consider an amendment that in practice would lift all sanctions on the Cuban dictatorship as a reward for his good behavior. In matter of fact, as the Cuban regime intensifies its crackdown on peaceful demonstration, people who are just for democracy, as it systematically harasses and seeks to intimidate our own U.S. Ambassador personnel in the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, as the regime increases its support to pariah states such as Iran and Syria, and the global jihadist organization, we should not, we cannot, we must not resolve that this is going to go unnoticed, that we will not be punishing Fidel Castro, that we will, in fact, be rewarding him for continuing to oppress his own people. The misery that the Cuban people feel is Castro's own making. It is not the Blame America First crowd that wants you to believe that, but that is so. There are three major conditions that must be in place before any sanctions are lifted on the Cuban regime. They are very simple. The liberation of political prisoners, the legalization of all political parties, and the holding of free, fair, multiparty, internationally recognized democratic elections. This amendment suggests that demanding freedom, demanding democracy, demanding respect for human rights first is all too much to ask. I say it is not. The human rights condition in Cuba continues to deteriorate. Cuba's tyrannical rule punishes even harder those who seek to exercise their fundamental freedoms of expression, of assembly, of free association. As the steadily increasing number of Cuban political prisoners demonstrates, conditions are deplorable and the Cuban people are oppressed by this ruthless dictator. So I ask you, are we to reward the imprisonment of peaceful demonstrators and independent journalists? No, I don't think we should. I don't think that we will. Labor leaders, local civil rights activists, are being tortured today as we speak. They are being jailed by this tyrannical regime. In addition, sex trafficking is on the rise. According to our own State Department report on sexual trafficking, it says in Cuba women and children are trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced child labor. The Cuban regime does not meet even minimum standards for this so- called thriving sex trade, but rather participates, participates in the commercial, sexual exploitation of these women and children. Are we to reward these violent harassers, this intimidation, these human traffickers? No, we must not. In a post-September 11 world, Mr. Chairman, Congress should not, we must not, help subsidize trade with a regime that is committed to the destruction of the U.S. Cuba provides safe haven for globally wanted fugitives and pursues even closer ties with Syria and Iran. Let us not forget then in May of 2001 Fidel Castro said, together, Cuba and Iran will bring America to its knees. The imperialist king will finally fall. Then, Cuba also voted no on an International Atomic Energy Agency that would have condemned Iran's nonproliferation obligations. I ask my colleagues to stand on the side of political prisoners and reject the Rangel amendment.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, because Islamist terrorism anywhere is a threat to free people everywhere, I ask my colleagues to render their strong support of H. Con. Res. 338. This resolution which I drafted with the distinguished Ranking Member of the House International Relations Committee, and which enjoys the support of both Chairman Burton and Ranking Member Engel of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, calls for a preventive approach to rising threats in our hemisphere. Islamist terrorist activity in our Hemisphere has been increasing and becoming more prominent for at least 15 years. Reports document that Hezbollah is active in the triborder area of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, raising money to support its murderous acts and recruiting people to carry them out. Hamas and the Egyptian Islamic Group also reportedly maintain a presence in Latin America, and al-Qaeda is active there, too. Although such activity is dominated by financing and money laundering, these Islamist extremists have not hesitated in launching direct attacks as well. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Argentina was bombed, killing 29 people and wounding almost 250. In 1994, terrorists linked to Hezbollah and the Iranian regime, bombed the MIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 and wounding over 300. Islamist jihadists often use countries in the Western Hemisphere as staging areas for entry into the United States. Before Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was eliminated as a threat last week, it has been reported that he instructed members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq to go to Brazil, with the goal of entering the U.S. through Mexico and carrying out acts of terror. Just 10 days ago, on June 2nd, 14 suspects in an Islamist terror cell in Canada were arrested. The cell possessed 3 tons of ammonium nitrate, 3 times the amount used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. They planned to blow-up buildings and take politicians hostage. Such terrorists, with such explosives, were only two hours away from the U.S. border. This cell was captured. Others, however, remain free and growing-- both to our north and to our south. Islamist terrorists are ready, willing, and able to strike in this hemisphere. What should our nation and our allies do about this threat? After September 11th, our Nation has vigorously combated terrorists and their state sponsors. We removed the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, and have captured and eliminated numerous members of al-Qaeda. We have refused to wait for terrorists to again strike at our homeland by taking the battle to them and denying them sanctuaries throughout the world. We must proactively identify and address emerging problems before they can threaten our homeland, our allies, and our interests-- particularly, in the Western Hemisphere; our neighborhood. This resolution acknowledges the threat that Islamist terrorist groups and their sympathizers, operating in this hemisphere, pose to America and her allies. Many governments in the hemisphere have cooperated with us on counterterrorism and have committed to denying the use of their territory for such fundraising, recruitment and operations. Despite these efforts, the Islamist terrorist presence in our hemisphere is growing. We must do more. This resolution encourages the President to direct the U.S. Representative to the OAS to seek support from OAS member countries to create a special task force of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism. This task force would assist governments, and coordinate efforts between nations, in investigating and combating the proliferation of Islamist terrorist activities in this hemisphere. The measure further calls for the U.S. Representative to the OAS to work with OAS member nations to designate groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and al-Qaeda as terrorist groups, if they have not already done so. Madam Speaker, if we are to one day realize a more secure and peaceful world, we must address all threats, starting with those closest to our shores. We see the growth of Islamist terrorist groups in the Western Hemisphere. The resolution before us provides us with a roadmap on efforts we should undertake to begin to eradicate the threat before it festers and strengthens. I ask for a ``yes'' vote on this resolution.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Ms. Eugenia Maria Bulnes, the Principal of the Sister Carolyn Learning Center. Principal Bulnes is retiring on June 9, 2006 after 8 years as principal and over 40 years as an educator and mentor to the youth of South Florida. Eugenia, arrived in our great country in 1961 after fleeing the Castro regime. Since then, she found her life's calling working with children. In fact, Eugenia has spent the majority of her life, mentoring and guiding youth. Throughout her career she has established herself as a selfless leader, and her dedication to her field is unquestionable. It is the perseverance and compassion of people like Eugenia that enables our country to continue to prosper and grow. I am grateful for the tremendous diligence and dedication Eugenia exhibited on behalf of the student body at Carolyn Learning Center. Eugenia's dedication to enriching the lives of others is truly admirable. The passion she exerted towards her profession is not only commendable, but inspirational as well. Once again, I commend Eugenia for her distinguished career as an educator and I applaud her for all the tremendous successes you have accomplished throughout the years.