Ed Royce

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me again thank Congressman DeSantis, Mr. Engel, and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for their work on this resolution. I think it is a heartbreaking situation what is going on in Venezuela today. It is rather astounding that Venezuela sits on the world's largest proven oil reserves, yet here we have a situation where its citizens lack medicine and food at this time. I think the recent report that 20 percent of the country's medical professionals have fled Venezuela amid the Maduro regime's self- inflicted political, economic, and humanitarian crisis is indicative of the problem. Inflation right now is reaching 720 percent. Support of this resolution will send a strong unified message that Congress stands with the Venezuelan people, that we call on regional leaders and the entire international community to hold Maduro accountable for this crisis and to release political prisoners and, importantly, to hold elections immediately. Mr. Speaker, I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me thank my friend and colleague, Eliot Engel, for his eloquence in explaining the enormity of the tragedy here and the meaning of this terrorism. I think Mr. Engel has been such a diligent partner in not only helping us move this bill through, but helping us run the committee in a bipartisan way. I want to thank him at this moment as we pass this act for all of his work on this issue through the legislation and through the hearings. I think it has had an impact in the understanding of the Members here. I also want to recognize and thank our former colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham. I have talked with him about this issue. He originated this bill in the Senate. I know also how passionately he feels about this, as do Eliot and myself. I look forward to working with our Senate colleagues to ensure that the bill that we pass here in the House or the Senate bill, either one, the bottom line is that the Taylor Force Act must become law quickly. That is our objective. The purpose of our aid, as we understand it, is to advance U.S. interests around the world. That is why we give aid. I think all of us can agree that that does not include paying people to commit crimes of terrorism. The Palestinian Authority is flatout undermining U.S. interests by compensating and incentivizing violence, as articulated by my friend, Mr. Engel. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill, which ensures that there are consequences for this disgraceful policy and ensures that the U.S. plays no part, even indirectly, in participating in this behavior. The PA giving compensation for violence is beyond the pale. It is long past time that we treat it that way. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn). He is the author of this important legislation.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today we consider the Taylor Force Act. This is bipartisan legislation that honors a courageous and patriotic young American, Taylor Force. Taylor was an Eagle Scout. He was a West Point graduate who served his country with distinction in Afghanistan and Iraq before he enrolled in Vanderbilt's MBA program. He was a young man with big dreams and loads of potential. Then Taylor's life was tragically cut short at the age of 28 when he was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist while on a business school trip to Israel. I had the honor of meeting again with Taylor's parents, Stuart and Robbi, who were on Capitol Hill today. They have worked so hard to make this bill a legacy for their son, to ensure that no other family has to experience what they have experienced. They have been so generous with their time, their spirit, their story. We are grateful for all of their efforts, and we wish them comfort as they continue to mourn the heartbreaking loss of their son. We need to be clear about responsibility for this vicious attack. The Palestinian Authority gives salaries to Palestinians who attack innocent people like Taylor. If the attacker dies, then the attacker's family is compensated under their law. I know it is hard for us to adjust to this, but it is Palestinian law to reward Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails with a monthly paycheck. The Palestinian leadership also pays the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. It goes without saying that these policies clearly incentivize terrorism. In fact, this perverse pay-to-slay system uses a sliding scale: the longer the jail sentence, in other words, the greater the mayhem created there, the greater the reward. The highest payment goes to those serving life sentences, to those who prove, obviously, most brutal. This system is a disgrace. It is also the result of an abiding climate of hatred that Palestinian leaders continue to foster toward Jews, toward Israelis. As one witness told our committee: `` `Incitement' is the term we usually use, but hatred is what we mean . . . teaching generations of Palestinians to hate Jews by demonizing and dehumanizing them.'' That is what democratic Israel faces, and it is not getting any better. Yet, for a generation, we have given economic aid to the Palestinians, in large part, to try to stabilize their society to promote peaceful coexistence between the Palestinians and Israelis. This goal is undermined every day that the PA makes payments for acts of terrorism. This must stop. This bipartisan bill cuts off assistance that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority unless the PA takes credible steps to end acts of violence, stops payments for acts of terrorism, revokes the laws requiring these payments, or takes actions comparable to revoking the laws, and publicly condemns these acts of violence. Our bill also requires consistent reporting to Congress that clearly explains how the administration makes its determinations. If our assistance is being withheld, the administration must report which of the PA's dangerous actions are continuing so that Congress can determine how to apply pressure going forward. Too many grieving families go to sleep every night knowing that money is changing hands as a reward for violence that killed one of their loved ones. With this bill, we are using the weight of U.S. law to help see that no more families--American, Israeli, or anyone--join their tragic ranks. We do this in the name of one brave American, Taylor Force, to honor the memories of all victims and, importantly, help prevent future victims. We also do it in the hopes of peace. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1164) to condition assistance to the West Bank and Gaza on steps by the Palestinian Authority to end violence and terrorism against Israeli citizens, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. She is also our chairman emeritus.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is the coauthor of this measure.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill represents broad bipartisan concern here in the House for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. It calls on the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator to develop a humanitarian assistance strategy to help the people of Venezuela. As the authoritarian Venezuelan Government digs in its heels and consolidates its power, the people of that once wealthy nation, last year, experienced a 65 percent increase in maternal mortality, a 30 percent increase in infant mortality, and a 76 percent increase in malaria cases. Severe shortages of basic medicine persists. They have right now about 5 percent of the basic medicines that they used to have. A 2016 report shows that three out of every four Venezuelans had lost an average of 19 pounds due to lack of proper nutrition and due to lack of food. Despite all of this, President Maduro continues to deny the existence of a full-fledged humanitarian crisis while blaming any hardships on his opposition or the international community that seeks only to support the people of Venezuela in their pursuit of democracy and basic human rights. I applaud the administration for sanctioning those in the Maduro regime complicit--complicit--in the rampant corruption and anti- democratic measures that have stifled the will of the people there. But we must address the specter of the complete collapse of the Venezuelan economy and the resulting humanitarian crisis. I encourage my colleagues to support this measure by Mr. DeSantis, which will require a strategy to address the crisis while signaling bipartisan support for the democratic and human rights aspirations of the people of Venezuela. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, December 5, 2017. Hon. Edward R. Royce, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Royce: I write with respect to H.R. 2658, the ``Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Democratic Governance.'' As a result of your having consulted with us on provisions within H.R. 2658 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary, I forego any further consideration of this bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for consideration. The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 2658 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject matter contained in this or similar legislation and that our committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation and asks that you support any such request. I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 2658 and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. Sincerely, Bob Goodlatte, Chairman.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues--Mr. Engel, the author, and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, the cosponsor of this measure--for their leadership and for bringing the bill here to the floor. The world has watched with great sadness as President Maduro continues to run his country into the ground, denying his citizens access to basic food and denying them access to medicine. His obsession with consolidating power has resulted in Venezuela's economic collapse, and it is a collapse created by his wrongheaded populist and socialist mismanagement that has left his country in dire economic straits. Even more disturbing to me is that Maduro's lieutenants continue lining their pockets while Venezuelan citizens go without food and medicine. This bill reiterates this body's support for the people of Venezuela by instructing relevant U.S. agencies to develop a strategy to address their immediate humanitarian needs, while supporting democracy and human rights. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Sires is not alone. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cook), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and a cosponsor of this bill.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2658) to provide humanitarian assistance for the Venezuelan people, to defend democratic governance and combat widespread public corruption in Venezuela, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Eliot Engel for authoring this bill along with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. I also thank Albio Sires and Ron DeSantis, the cosponsors of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who is the chairman emeritus of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the primary Republican cosponsor of this bill.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Florida an additional 1 minute.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just wanted to, again, thank Joe Crowley, our colleague, and Mr. Steve Chabot for their work on this measure, and Mr. Eliot Engel as well, our ranking member of the committee. They have all along been leaders on this issue, and I thank them for authoring the measure. I think all of us know that even before this latest resurgence, this massive displacement, this ethnic cleansing, many considered the Rohingya to be one of the most persecuted minorities, one of the most persecuted populations on the planet. I think this particular resolution rightly shines a light on the abuses committed against them, calling for an end to all violence. I urge all Members here, but also I urge the Government of Burma, to consider that we are at a point of crisis. If the government there does not reverse course immediately, it will do irreparable damage to its standing in the world and earn it a place among the most egregious human rights abusers in modern history. So what we ask is a reversal of these policies. I urge all colleagues to vote in favor, send a clear signal that the U.S. will not turn a blind eye toward these atrocities. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), the chairman of the Committee on Small Business and a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, for decades, the Burmese Government and its military has systematically oppressed the people known as the Rohingya, a Muslim minority living in the Rakhine State of Burma. A 1982 citizenship law denies the Rohingya citizenship, even though most of them have lived in the country for generations. They have been denied freedom of movement, access to healthcare, and education. The Rohingya have been marginalized at every level of the Burmese Government, from the top to the bottom. Making matters worse, Burma's military is engaged in a new brutal crackdown on the Rohingya that the U.S. has rightly deemed ``ethnic cleansing.'' More than 600,000 Rohingya people have been driven from their homes in recent months, forced to cross the border into Bangladesh. Hundreds have been killed, though with journalists denied access to large areas of Rakhine State, that number is clearly very much higher than those reported. At least 200 villages have been burned to the ground. Land mines have been placed inside Burma's border with Bangladesh, maiming refugees seeking safe haven. There are reports of rapes and all types of violence committed against the Rohingya by the Burmese security forces. Importantly, this resolution not only condemns the attack against civilians by Burma's security services led by General Min Aung Hlaing, it also reaffirms the crimes committed against the Rohingya as ethnic cleansing. Recently, Secretary of State Tillerson made this strong but warranted determination, a decision that deserves our praise here. Bangladesh also deserves credit for opening its borders in order to handle the human refugees that are streaming out of Burma, but its government has to honor its promise to build shelter for new arrivals and provide medical services. In response to this crisis, Secretary Tillerson recently announced an additional $47 million in humanitarian assistance for Burma and Bangladesh, bringing the total U.S. assistance to more than $150 million this year. It is very much needed. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the de facto leader of Burma, must make it a top priority to provide for the safety of those in Burma, including the Rohingya. The safe and voluntary return of the victims displaced in Bangladesh must also be a top priority. But to get to the point where the Rohingya will feel safe enough to return to their homes, the Burmese Government and military must honor their responsibility to ensure the protection of all of the people of Burma, regardless of their ethnic background, regardless of their religious beliefs. The violence against the Rohingya must stop, and those responsible for those atrocities must face justice. The protection of human rights has long been our Nation's top priority in Burma, including freeing Aung San Suu Kyi. Today, that must include the Rohingya. This is a moral issue and a national security issue. No one is secure when extremism and instability is growing in this part of the world. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.