Ed Royce

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 351) condemning the violence and persecution in Chechnya, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the ruler of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, rules a dictatorship of medieval brutality. Those who challenge or simply displease him often disappear in that country, or they are murdered outright. His latest campaign of persecution is aimed at gay men and women, and those perceived to be gay, who have been abducted, tortured, and even killed, with many others that are forced to flee the country. When the Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, reported these atrocities, his spokesmen dismissed the accusations, saying that such people ``don't even exist in the republic,'' and then threatened the journalists who brought the story to light. Caught unaware by the unexpected publicity, Chechen authorities have choked off independent sources of information. We do not know the exact status of this campaign or its many victims, but there is no doubt that the situation there for sexual minorities in general has long been, and remains, oppressive. Disturbing reports indicate that Kadyrov has now turned his focus from abducting and torturing gay men and women to pressuring their families to murder them through so-called honor killings of these men and women. This is despicable. Vladimir Putin deserves some of the blame here. Chechnya is a constituent republic of the Russian Federation, of which he is the President. As such, he has a sworn responsibility to ensure that the Russian Constitution is fully implemented, which, at least on paper, professes to guarantee basic rights for all citizens. Russia is also a signatory to many international agreements that formally commit it to protecting a broad array of human rights. Yet the Russian Government's response has been largely dismissive, if not two-faced. Kremlin spokesmen have called the reports phantom complaints, yet also recommended that victims report grievances to the Chechen authorities accused of carrying out the attacks. And, of course, there has been no criticism of Kadyrov in the Russian state- controlled media--barely even a mention of the issue. That is why this resolution is of such importance. By shining a light on these crimes in this dark corner, we seek to give hope to those who otherwise may have none at all. And we say unequivocally, to Kadyrov, and to Putin, that these atrocities are in plain view, and that their cowardly and evasive responses are not fooling anyone. I want to thank Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen, the author of this resolution, and Ranking Member Engel for their leadership on this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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 extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, as a coauthor of this resolution, I also want to thank the other coauthors, including Steve Cohen of Tennessee, who has been a leader on NATO issues. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say, for the advancement of our own security, the promotion of our values, and a strong statement of support for our friends and allies, I urge my colleagues to support passage of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

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

Mr. ROYCE of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.

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

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

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res 397) solemnly reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's principle of collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

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

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Speaker Ryan and Minority Leader Pelosi. I want to thank Leader McCarthy and Minority Whip Hoyer for their leadership on this important resolution and, of course, Ranking Member Engel, who has also been a strong supporter of the NATO alliance. Mr. Speaker, in 1949, 12 free, democratic nations bound themselves together in an unprecedented defense alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. These founding members acted in the aftermath of the Second World War to promote peace in Europe, to promote their freedom, and to face the threats they saw emerging on the horizon. Now, more than six decades later, this alliance has been the cornerstone of transatlantic security, and it has attracted other freedom-loving democratic nations to join its ranks. Of course, article 5's principle of collective defense has been key to the success of the alliance, and we will not forget how the United States has benefited from that principle as NATO members unanimously elected to come to our support after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyber attacks, nonconventional attacks by terrorist groups against our people, these are threats that NATO's founders could not have anticipated, yet they are the challenges that we must act now to address. We are stronger, no question, when we act together. Now, Moscow's strategic objective is to break apart the NATO alliance to boost Russian geopolitical influence in Western Europe. In light of this, it is even more important that NATO members meet the standard of investing 2 percent of their GDP on defense. We appreciate the few who already meet the minimum requirement: Estonia, Greece, Poland, and the U.K. At the administration's urging, others have stepped up their game, such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania, but others have further to go. This resolution calls on NATO members to meet these commitments while also reaffirming our commitment to NATO and to the article 5 provision for collective defense. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome President Moon of South Korea to the United States of America as he makes his inaugural visit here later this week. President Moon's trip comes at a critical time for America's strategic relationship with South Korea, and I look forward to welcoming him to Capitol Hill. The friendship between our two nations, which was forged during the Korean war, has withstood the test of time and so many challenges. The people of South Korea have persevered in the face of incredible adversity and succeeded in building a modern, prosperous nation. Today, we stand together in defense of democracy, freedom, and prosperity. And the strength of our friendship is now more important than ever as we face growing challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. As the President begins his visit, let's also recognize the contributions of Korean Americans to the relationship between our two countries. The close bond that many Korean Americans have for South Korea, the country of their heritage, creates a strong sense of community that extends across the Pacific Ocean. This is the keystone in the bridge of our alliance. Mr. Speaker, I welcome President Moon, and I look forward to our meeting.

Mr. ROYCE of California

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

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means and the author of this important bill.

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 on H.R. 2484.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2484) to ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation of women in mediation and negotiation processes seeking to prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Women, Peace, and Security Act, H.R. 2484. I want to recognize Representatives Kristi Noem and Jan Schakowsky. I want to recognize the two of them for their bipartisan effort in putting together this legislation, this important piece of legislation. I think it is going to have a great impact. I also want to thank Mr. Engel for his important leadership. Our consideration of this measure is really the culmination of many years of bipartisan work by Members of the House, including Representative Jan Schakowsky and Representative Kristi Noem, and by our prior administration officials, as well, who have worked on this, and many advocates--many advocates--who want to see better, more sustainable solutions to ending wars, to combating terrorism, and to improving human rights around the world. What we are seeing today is that women's participation is really essential to confronting these fundamental challenges. Last year, the Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing where we heard powerful testimony about the importance of including women in peace negotiations and in the security negotiations and security institutions that have been set up around the globe. Women, of course, have the fundamental human right to have their voices heard in discussions affecting their lives and their families' lives, and that is a case in and of itself that we must continue to make. But women's participation is also critical to realizing better outcomes with respect to these negotiations. Simply put, when women are at the negotiating table and it affects their community, peace is more likely. Compelling research shows that peace agreements are much more likely to be reached, and certainly more likely to last, when women's groups are genuinely involved. Women peacemakers often press warring parties to move beyond mere power-sharing agreements--which, of course, benefit only a small percentage of fighters--to more comprehensive and longer term accords which benefit the civilian population as a whole. We have seen this play out from Colombia to Rwanda, to Sri Lanka, where women's groups have pushed for practical solutions to deescalate and resolve the conflict, and certainly, in Northern Ireland, where, indisputably, the bravery and perseverance in the face of reprisal and pressure led women on both sides of that conflict to stay engaged until there was a lasting peace; at least, until today, there is a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, and that is because of their involvement. Efforts to keep the peace through policing and peacemaking missions also--this is an additional point--benefit from women's participation because it leads to better crime reporting and higher levels of trust within the communities they serve. Women are essential to confronting one of the greatest national security threats of our time, and that is the spread of violent extremism because, if we think about it, women, of course, are truly on the front lines of this fight. They possess unique insights into the community, into their families, and are capable of gathering information often that men cannot or do not see. Yet their input is frequently overlooked, and I would just give one example, of many. Activist Wazhma Frogh in Afghanistan recalls when women from a small Afghan village tried desperately to warn a government official that young men in their community were being recruited by Islamist militants at the local weddings, the minister laughed them off. He said: The militants that we are fighting are much too sophisticated to go and recruit at the weddings here in the community. Well, of course, a month later, unfortunately, some of those same young men that had been recruited attacked a bus, killing 32 civilians. My committee has heard similar stories from women around the world who want to reclaim their communities from the spread of radical ideologies. We must acknowledge women as partners in this fight, and that is why the legislation before us today recognizes that it is in our national interest to promote women's participation in resolving violence and conflict. This concept has been building support for some time. The Bush administration was right to press hard for women's participation in peace negotiations and political processes in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere, and the Obama administration expanded on these programs to require a governmentwide approach to women's inclusion in conflict resolution overseas. Today, this bipartisan legislation before us builds on these efforts. It will continue to require a governmentwide strategy to promote women's participation, along with specific goals and benchmarks and regular reporting to Congress in order to gauge progress. It also requires that appropriate State, USAID, and Defense Department personnel receive training in how to facilitate women's participation in conflict resolution, security initiatives, and efforts to protect civilians from violence and to protect them from exploitation. I urge all Members to support this measure's passage. I again thank Kristi Noem and Jan Schakowsky for their good work on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, June 12, 2017. Hon. Edward R. Royce, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 2484, the ``Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017.'' There are certain provisions in the bill which fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Armed Services. In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed expeditiously to floor consideration of this important legislation, I am willing to waive this committee's further consideration of H.R. 2484. I do so with the understanding that by waiving consideration of the bill, the Committee on Armed Services does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the legislation which fall within its Rule X jurisdiction. Please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this matter and others between our respective committees. Sincerely, William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry, Chairman.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, from Liberia to Northern Ireland, to, frankly, all over the planet, we have watched women play pivotal roles in pushing their governments, in pushing combatants and politicians to bring an end to conflict. In recent years, we have seen armed conflicts flare around the world, producing the largest number of refugees on record. Efforts to negotiate an end to these conflicts are more important than ever. We know that when women are included in these discussions, we are more likely to see an enduring peace. As a witness at our hearing on women's participation explained: ``Including women is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.'' The legislation before us today will strengthen U.S. efforts to promote the inclusion of women in peace negotiations in order to create more sustainable agreements and more stable partners for the United States and for the U.S. allies. So, again, I want to thank Representatives Noem and Schakowsky for their bipartisan work. I also want to particularly thank the staff on both sides of the aisle who have worked so hard over the past couple of years, including Jessica Kelch, Cassandra Varanka, Brittany Comins, Elizabeth Cunningham, and Janice Kaguyutan. We appreciate all of your good work. Mr. Speaker, with that, I ask for an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 304.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make the point: I am from the State of California, and that has long been the innovation capital for new ideas in America, for high-tech, and a place where a person with an idea and hard work and a little startup capital can grow a business. We have had a major problem with respect to our community banks and our credit unions, the smaller ones, and that is they are going out of business at a very fast, rapid clip. A large percentage of them are struggling under this Dodd-Frank legislation that was passed in 2010. Now, I think the legislation was well-intended, but to put all the regulatory burden and these costs on these smaller institutions has ended up with this one-size-fits-all regulation that makes it very, very difficult for them to give credit to entrepreneurs across our State. I think that many of the provisions have been injurious, then, not only to the community banks, the credit unions, the smaller ones, but to the small businesses, to the borrowers, and to the savers that rely on these institutions. We do need to make adjustment in this, and the Financial CHOICE Act will provide, I think, much-needed relief to the community financial institutions in a responsible and proactive way. I think that the premise is straightforward, which is a banking institution has to be strongly capitalized and well-managed to get the off-ramp from Dodd- Frank.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the author of this bill and also the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize Congressman Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats Subcommittee; and Congressman Paul Cook, the vice chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I recognize them for their work on this timely and important resolution. On May 22, as the world knows, in a cowardly act of terrorism, a suicide bomber attacked those exiting a concert at the Manchester Arena in England. These were principally teenagers and children who were attending that concert, in some cases, parents. What many had planned to be a night of joy, a festival, a chance for them to gather to celebrate turned with one horrifying blast into a nightmare of chaos and devastation, and 23 innocent people were killed, 166 were severely injured, and many of those victims were children. This past week, in another cowardly attack, terrorists struck unsuspecting and unarmed pedestrians on London Bridge, and then those terrorists went on an attack against innocent bystanders in London's Borough Market area, slashing and killing, and thus far, at least 7 victims have died and 48 have been seriously wounded. We grieve their loss and send our prayers and condolences to their families. We also commend the brave and selfless actions of British first responders who, in the wake of both attacks, moved to quickly secure the areas, aid the wounded, and prevent further loss of life. Our deranged enemies, it is clear, are intent on striking us wherever and whenever possible, often choosing to prey upon the most vulnerable, the most innocent in our society, preying, in this case, on children and teenagers. We must be even more determined in our resolve to stop them and we must continue to build upon our own capabilities, strengthening our cooperation with our friends and allies like the United Kingdom. Mr. Speaker, the United Kingdom has been a staunch friend and ally, unparalleled in its support for the United States, including as a partner in our counterterrorism efforts. At this sad time, we stand solidly beside our friends and allies as they mourn, heal, and most assuredly rise again following this tragedy. Passage of this resolution is just one way that we can demonstrate this support. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in unanimously supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.