Ed Royce

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), chairman of the Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding), chairman of the British- American Parliamentary Group and co-chairman of the Congressional United Kingdom Caucus, and he also has strong family ties in Britain.

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 on this measure.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 355) condemning in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in Manchester, United Kingdom, on May 22, 2017, expressing heartfelt condolences, and reaffirming unwavering support for the special relationship between our peoples and nations in the wake of these attacks, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, following the killing in London this past weekend, British Prime Minister May compared the attacks in Manchester and those in the capital, and she said: `` . . . while the recent attacks are not connected by common networks, they are connected in one important sense. They are bound together by the single evil ideology of Islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows division, and promotes sectarianism.'' ``Defeating this ideology is one of the great challenges of our time. . . .'' Those were the Prime Minister's words. We are committed to standing with our British friends and allies in this important fight. This resolution signals our resolve to deepen our collaboration with our friends and allies in the United Kingdom to counter terrorism and to counter radicalization. Mr. Speaker, I, therefore, urge my colleagues to join me in unanimous support of this resolution, and 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. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Just in speaking about the conditions of the Christian community, outside of Erbil, like Chairman Smith, I had the opportunity last year to speak to Archbishop Warda and to many of those Christian families that have survived, and to see many of the children that are struggling there. I did want to commend the Knights of Columbus, the archbishop, and Catholic Charities for their sustained effort, which goes not only to this Christian community, but also the neighboring Yazidi community. These communities have no other means of support. I think that as we reflect upon this, beyond the genocidal actions of ISIS, we have also seen the depravity of the Assad regime, which has engaged in a massive effort to destroy anyone, regardless of sect or religion or ethnicity, if they suspect them of being unwilling to bow to Syria's murderous dictator. None are safe. I say ``suspect'' because so many of those who were tortured to death to give up other names are simply caught up in a web of intelligence services who go out and try to find those who they believe may not be loyal. And they haul them in for torture. And under the knife, many of these people will give up names of other families, whoever they can remember, whoever they know who may or may not in any way be involved in politics, but then find themselves in those same torture chambers. The result of this kind of a society year after year breeds a sense of absolute hopelessness, of blowback, of problems throughout Syria from which, I must say, I suspect this long climb back is going to be a very difficult one. At the end of the day, though, it is still absolutely imperative that those responsible for those hideous crimes be held accountable. A key aspect of any lasting peace is going to be accountability, because a renewal of trust and the prospect of justice is going to be based on some measure on whether we are going to hold to account those who committed those kinds of crimes, those who led to this kind of horror. Whether it is Assad's regime or whether it is ISIS, there is so much devastation left in the wake. I urge Members to support this resolution so that the possibility of peace can be sustained by the hope that justice will prevail. I again thank Mr. Smith for authoring this measure. I also thank Ranking Member Engel for his passionate leadership on the crisis in Syria for so many years. Mr. Speaker, I yield back 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 begin by recognizing the efforts of our colleague, Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith of New Jersey is chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. We appreciate his strong leadership on this critical issue. And, as always, I also appreciate Ranking Member Engel for his support. Mr. Speaker, more than 6 years ago, the world watched with dread as Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad ordered action against what were peaceful protestors coming down the main boulevard in Damascus. We watched on CNN and international television. As they were saying it was peaceful, we then saw the automatic weapons of the regime open up and mow them down. What has followed has been year after year of mass atrocities as Assad seeks to break the Syrian people. Building on the vacuum created by Assad, ISIS burst onto the international stage in 2014 by declaring themselves and their supposed ``caliphate''--and committing obscene, horrific acts in an effort to spread their nihilistic, death-filled ideology. We also saw that they targeted anyone unlucky enough to cross their path across Syria and Iraq. Yet, oddly enough, the regime in Syria did not target ISIS. They were too busy carrying out their campaign against the people of Syria--protesters, the Free Syrian Army, and others--who were pushing back against the regime. Here, alongside the nightmare that Assad created, came this new nightmare of ISIS. These two evils, as I call them, ISIS and Assad, exist side by side, perpetrating extreme violence on anyone who would oppose their grip on power. ISIS is committing genocidal violence against Yazidis and Christians in Syria and Iraq, seeking to destroy their entire communities and to erase their shared histories. Assad is committing massive crimes against humanity, targeting men, women, and children from all sects, all religions, and all groups, as documented by Caesar, a military photographer who snuck out photos of what goes on in Assad's prisons, documenting the torture and death of tens of thousands of citizens in Syria. More than a year after the Obama administration, under intense congressional pressure, finally declared that ISIS' actions against the religious communities of Iraq and Syria constituted ``genocide,'' there is still an urgent need for assistance to these vulnerable communities. These communities, which exist on the outskirts in Syria and on the borders, have been devastated by ISIS' efforts to wipe them out. These ancient communities, whose roots go back centuries, include Christians, Yazidis, Assyrians, Syriacs, Turkomans, and many others. Their presence in Iraq and Syria is crucial to the social fabric of these nations. While the U.S. has been generous in providing assistance to those targeted, their needs are still urgent and extreme. Whole communities have been displaced, enslaved, and slaughtered. Survivors need assistance in feeding and clothing their families and in beginning to address the extreme trauma caused by ISIS and Assad. This bill offers additional immediate relief for these vulnerable communities and also directs the State Department to do more to support efforts to collect and preserve evidence of ``genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes'' so that, someday, justice might be served. I urge Members to support this bill so that the possibility of justice and accountability for these atrocities can give hope to those suffering today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, April 24, 2017. Hon. Edward R. Royce, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Royce: I write with respect to H.R. 390, the ``Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act.'' As a result of your having consulted with us on provisions within H.R. 390 that fall within thc 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. 390 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. 390 and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 390. Sincerely, Bob Goodlatte, Chairman.

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 extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 390) to provide for emergency relief to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Iraq and Syria, to provide accountability for perpetrators of these crimes, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 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, I would like to begin by thanking the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, and also the gentleman from New York, the ranking member of this committee, Mr. Engel, for working with us on this clear condemnation of the violence against peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., on May 16. That day, President Erdogan of Turkey, a longstanding NATO ally, met at the White House to discuss counterterrorism cooperation and to discuss bilateral issues. This was an important meeting. But that evening, armed members of the Turkish President's security detail brutally attacked demonstrators who had gathered outside the Turkish Ambassador's residence on Sheridan Circle in Washington, D.C. They were there to protest various policies of the Turkish Government. In an unprovoked attack, armed Turkish personnel broke through D.C. Metropolitan Police lines and attacked the protesters. They choked, beat, and kicked the demonstrators until D.C. Metropolitan Police officers, and State Department Diplomatic Security were able to stop the melee and restore order. One woman was beaten unconscious. She testified before the Foreign Affairs Committee that she sustained brain damage as a result. A protester near her was beaten to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the face. His front teeth were smashed. Mr. Speaker, what was the reason these and other American citizens were harshly beaten? They chose to exercise their constitutional right to free speech and assembly. They chose to criticize actions of President Erdogan's government. The protesters got under the Turkish delegation's skin. Let us be clear: at no time was President Erdogan in danger. This was not an act of protection. It was an act of suppression on our American soil. The actions of the Turkish security detail were unprofessional and dangerous. You had armed security personnel creating a melee. The actions were unjustified and, up to this point, have gone largely unchallenged. H. Res. 354 puts Congress firmly on record in clear, unmistakable terms condemning the actions of the Turkish security guards last month. The resolution also demands that Turkey immediately lift diplomatic immunity for all those who assaulted U.S. citizens and law enforcement officers. This resolution also calls for the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Secret Service to review their security procedures and for them to convey to Turkish officials in clear terms the expectations for the behavior of their security teams when they are operating in the U.S. Mr. Speaker, one of the most disturbing aspects of last month's attack is that this assault by Turkish security officials was not an isolated incident. Rather, it was the third instance of violence they have engaged in while operating in the United States in recent years. Passage of this resolution is an appropriate, strong response by this House to those brutal actions by Turkish forces. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 354) condemning the violence against peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Ambassador's residence on May 16, 2017, and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and measures to be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future, as amended.

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

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The violent attacks, Mr. Speaker, by officers assigned to Turkish President Erdogan's security detail against peaceful protesters back on May 16 were designed to do one thing. They were designed to silence those protesters' criticism of the Turkish Government. That is why it is so important that we speak out. We must speak loudly and clearly that we will protect our citizens and their fundamental rights to free speech and to assembly. Turkey is an important and longstanding NATO ally, but the Turkish Government can and should do better than this, and it can start by addressing the concerns of the House of Representatives and many Americans who were very angered by the video capturing this disgraceful attack on these citizens. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution, and 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. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize the 50th anniversary of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU), one of the most effective trade associations advocating on behalf of the nation's federally-insured credit unions. In 1966, around 50 credit union leaders came together in Los Angeles to explore how to better have their interests addressed at the federal level and the possibility of creating a trade association located in our nation's capital to meet that need. That idea took root and NAFCU was formed as the National Association of Federal Credit Unions in April of 1967. Soon thereafter NAFCU was the first national credit union trade association to be headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area. Since its inception, NAFCU has steadily grown in size and expanded its team, representing now over 800 credit unions and employing over 60 individuals, and even updating its name to the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions earlier this year. Most importantly NAFCU's influential presence has not gone unnoticed and the association has become well-known for its ability to identity, examine, and represent issues of concern to federally-insured credit unions before Congress. NAFCU has crossed many milestones in its 50 years, from the enactment of the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) to the passage of the Credit Union Membership Access Act in 1998. In recent years, they have been at the forefront in fighting for regulatory relief for our nation's credit unions. As a Member of Congress, I have had the pleasure of working with NAFCU on numerous occasions, working to provide regulatory relief and take on crucial issues impacting our credit unions. I congratulate NAFCU on its 50th anniversary and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions and service of Professor Doug Kresse as Director of Forensics at Fullerton College in Fullerton, California. After a decade of dedication to the speech and debate team, Doug will pass on the torch to his colleagues, but remain a devoted professor and mentor at Fullerton College. Doug Kresse was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest where he graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Speech Communication. He received a Master's degree in Speech Communication from California State University, Fullerton. He taught as Director of Forensics and Speech and Communications at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington, Tiffin University and Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, and finally, Fullerton College in Fullerton, California. Doug developed the intercollegiate speech & debate program at Fullerton College and served as Director of Forensics for ten years. He coached hundreds of students into polished speakers and well-argued debaters, helping them to move forward confidently in their studies, careers, and lives. Doug was presented with the ``President's Award'' by the National Education Debate Association in March 2016 for his commitment to collegiate debate and support of his students. A life-long learner, Doug is well known for his regular interest in news and reading. He actively participated in C-SPAN's Classroom programs for educators and was a national prize winner for C-SPAN's American Presidents series, designing a chessboard of the George H. W. Bush presidency. He continues to show C-SPAN and other news clips in the classroom as examples in his speech and debate courses, well known for his office full of VHS tapes. In his free time, Doug can be found keeping up with the local concert scene in Los Angeles, running, and spending time with his family. He has been married to his wife, Marti, for 37 years and is the proud father to two daughters, Kristin and Carol, father-in-law to Raymond, and grandpa to Mitchell Paige Coates. Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Doug Kresse for his dedication to his community and students, creating the leaders and speakers of tomorrow.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1625) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons within the definition of transnational organized crime for purposes of the rewards program of the Department of State, and for other purposes.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me say that, for republics in Europe and our United States, we credit our civilizations with having eradicated slavery some 150 years or more ago, but clearly Judge Poe uses the right word here: Slavery is, in fact, what is committed in these acts. I can tell you, my chief of staff, having worked in relief efforts in south Asia and in Cambodia with underaged girls as young as the ones described by Judge Poe--7, 8, 9 years old--the most vulnerable people on this planet are being sold into slavery. As long as force and fraud, coercion is used to prey upon the most vulnerable, as long as profits from these victims suffering from the ill-gotten gains are used to build out criminal networks to snare more and more of these children, as long as trafficking in persons is a global crime that extends beyond the capacity of certain governments, then it requires a global response and, again, as my colleagues have said, requires that the United States, therefore, lead. So this bill targets human traffickers around the world through the Department of State's successful reward programs by offering rewards for their capture anywhere on Earth, it lets the victims of human trafficking know we will not stop until they are free, and it tells the predators that we will not stop until they are behind bars. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel) especially for the trips that she has made overseas--not just here in the United States--to do this investigative work to expose trafficking and for being the original lead Democratic coauthor with me on this bill. I also want to again thank Gerry Connolly for his work. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade. He has done a great deal of work over the years on this issue as well.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1625 is the human trafficking TARGET Act. It authorizes the State Department and Federal law enforcement to target international human traffickers, and they can do that by offering rewards for their arrest or conviction anywhere around the globe. Mr. Speaker, I think for all of us, with some of the cases we have had in our districts, some of our constituents, some of the victims, this is pretty close to all of us. It has touched many of our communities, because trafficking in persons here in the U.S. and worldwide is a major global crime that destroys countless lives at home and abroad, and the most vulnerable are destroyed by this. Many of these persons--and they are primarily women and children--are trafficked into international sex trade by force or by fraud or by coercion. And I will remind everyone, out in southern California, in L.A., the average age of a girl being trafficked is 14. In Orange County, the average age is 14. So when I say ``by force,'' we are talking about abduction. When I say ``by fraud,'' that is a situation where they get one of these gigolos, one of those Romeos--they call them--to go out, convince some girl to run off with him, get her out of State, and then he sells her to a criminal gang. The gang sells her to the crime syndicate. Now her fate is sealed. Or through coercion, and we have heard these cases. At 14, young people are pretty gullible, what this criminal organization is going to do to her sister or to her parents if she does not go along. So this transnational crime also includes forced labor. It involves significant violations of public health, human rights standards worldwide, and every other kind of moral standard you could think of. And that is why, as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as Representative for the 39th District in California, I have, over the last few years, made working on this issue and moving legislation on this horrific crime a top priority for the committee, and we have had bipartisan support throughout for this legislation. We have enacted many bills in recent years, including the International Megan's Law last February. We have held committee hearings in Washington, in L.A., and in Orange County to hear firsthand from victims. For example, at a field hearing in Fullerton, we heard from Angela Guanzon, who was trafficked from the Philippines into coerced servitude in Los Angeles where she worked for 18 hours a day every day without a weekend off, without a holiday off, was forced to sleep on the hallway floor until a sharp-eyed neighbor finally alerted law enforcement. I helped establish a Human Trafficking Congressional Advisory Committee. I established that in the 39th District for L.A., Orange County, and San Bernardino. We have local law enforcement involved in that as well as the Federal authorities, victims rights groups, and community advocates in California to address these concerns, to try to come up with solutions. Mr. Speaker, we have made progress, but there is still so much work to be done. If we are going to end human trafficking, it will take all of us working together, so I want to thank Ranking Member Engel, of course, Congressman Connolly, and the coauthor of my legislation here, Lois Frankel, for their outstanding work on this measure. As has been discussed today, trafficking in persons is increasingly perpetuated and perpetrated by sophisticated transnational criminal enterprises. The traffickers themselves operate outside sometimes of our borders. Other times they are inside our borders, but the profits from the trafficking industry contribute to the expansion of organized crime and terrorism here and worldwide. That is why combating human trafficking requires a global approach to identify and apprehend the world's worst offenders. This TARGET Act for traffickers does that. It targets human trafficking globally through the Department of State's very successful Rewards Programs. Rewards issued under these programs have led to the capture of major terrorists and international criminals, including--I will remind Members--Ramzi Yousef, who was convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, several members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group who kidnapped and killed American citizens, and over 60 major international drug traffickers. All of them were convicted with the help of this particular program that we want to expand now, that we want to apply here. A reward on one's head creates real fear for terrorists and criminals. At one committee hearing, a State Department official testified that one captured narcotics trafficker told DEA agents he would no longer trust anyone in his organization after the U.S. put a $5 million reward for his capture. I remember the quote. He said he felt like a hunted man. Well, Mr. Speaker, we want human traffickers to know the fear of being hunted. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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.