Ed Royce

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Federal Credit Union Act and to use this occasion to honor the contributions that the credit union movement has made to the United States. The Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934, permits credit unions to be formed anywhere in the United States. The legislation bolstered the development of credit unions as a way to promote thrift among the American people while setting in place federal oversight of these financial institutions. Eighty years later, credit unions in the United States claim nearly 100 million members. If the credit unions those members own were a single financial institution, it would be the fifth largest bank in America. But thankfully, those credit unions are more than 6,600 independent, consumer-owned, volunteer-led, democratically controlled financial institutions, vital to the well-being of their members. Credit unions are part of the great fabric that makes our country strong. They are cooperatives--bound together by a common set of business principles and values: voluntary membership; democratic control; economic participation; autonomy and independence; member education; cooperation among cooperatives; and concern for community. A Canadian, Alphonse Desjardins, brought the idea for credit unions west from Europe in 1900 and by 1909 he had successfully organized the first American credit union in New Hampshire. Two Americans, Pierre Jay, the Massachusetts banking commissioner and Edward Filene, a Boston merchant, took up the cause of promoting credit unions in those early years. In 1908 a national conference on credit unions was held in Boston that brought together Desjardins, Filene, Jay and others interested in the formative stages of the movement. That conference led to the 1909 draft of legislation in Massachusetts that became the nation's first state credit union act. The movement developed slowly during the following decade and by 1921 Filene become convinced that federal legislation was needed in addition to existing state legislation. He hired Massachusetts attorney Roy Bergengren to help. The Credit Union National Extension Bureau was formed. Four years later, 15 states had passed credit union enabling laws and 419 credit unions were serving 108,000 consumers. After the 1934 passage of the Federal Credit Union Act, credit unions recognized their need for stronger national representation and unity. The Credit Union National Association was formed--replacing the Credit Union National Extension Bureau. Robust credit union growth continued until World War II. Wartime slowed the expansion of the movement considerably. Interest picked up again once the conflict ended and by 1955 there were more than 16,000 credit unions across the United States. By 1969, that number had swelled to nearly 24,000. The 1970s brought about great change to credit unions as they broadened their services to meet the expanding needs of their members. Legislation permitting mortgage lending by credit unions was passed and the total number of credit union members more than doubled during the decade. As consumer needs evolved and became more complex, many credit unions merged to increase their ability to pool resources and improve member services. While the total number of actual credit unions decreased with mergers, the number of consumer members of credit unions soared, and is now on the cusp of 100 million across the nation. Credit unions continue to innovate with new services and tools to help their members build economic security. The work Congress did 80 years ago in passing the Federal Credit Union Act continues to serve the country well. In fact, the influence credit unions have on the entire financial system saves all consumers money with generally lower rates for loans and higher rates for savings--no matter where they bank. An impressive $8 billion dollars in savings in 2013 alone is attributed to credit unions. Today, credit unions are utilized by their members for the convenience, prices, product choice, and financial education they offer. Credit unions are living up to the promise outlined in their principles. They are institutions that their members and all Americans can choose to be their best financial partner.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield my remaining 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. ROYCE. In closing, I would just say that I am open to working with the chairman and ranking member to find an appropriate offset in conference. However, it is essential to adopt this amendment now so that this matter can be set, we can put a marker down, and get this in place. I thank the gentleman for the support for the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I want to compliment the chairman and the ranking member for the work that they have done to bring this bill to the floor, but this bill can be improved. There is growing bipartisan support for improving our international food assistance to ensure that more people are helped for less money. Unfortunately, this bill fails to advance international food aid reform, and it actually reverses progress achieved in the 2014 farm bill, legislation enacted by this body just a few months ago. It fails to provide flexibility, so that up to 25 percent of the Food for Peace title II budget would be exempt from U.S. purchase requirements. If enacted, this proposal would have generated over $100 million in efficiency savings and enabled the United States to reach an additional 2 million people in dire need of food aid. An effective international food aid program helps those in need, and it strengthens our international security. Finally, the bill fails to fund a congressionally authorized, broadly supported Local and Regional Procurement program. Following upon a successful pilot, the 2014 farm bill authorized $80 million per year for the Local and Regional Procurement program. That means we can buy food closer to the area in crisis, reducing transit time by more than 10 weeks, reducing the cost per food aid recipient by 20 to 30 percent. This was considered an important reform that won, again, broad bipartisan support. This amendment contains a modest shift in funding that will have a major impact, $10 million, while reducing funds for the administration of marketing and promotion programs that benefit major corporations. We can save lives. It is an easy choice. Mr. Chairman, our food aid takes too long to arrive and costs too much to get there. A former top aid official told our committee that: In fast onset famines, such as Somalia in 1991-1992, and wars involving mass population displacement, such as in Darfur in 2003 and 2004, I watched people die waiting for food arrive. Obviously, he strongly backs this reform. Lastly, I recently traveled to the Philippines and witnessed firsthand the impact that LRP can have. Devastated by a powerful typhoon and left with virtually nothing, the people of Tacloban did not have the luxury of time to wait for U.S. food aid to arrive from warehouses in Sri Lanka. In fact, it took more than 3 weeks for those shipments to arrive, but with local and regional procurement, we were able to start helping people right away, and we saved lives. I would say, in Syria, where the delivery of U.S. food is nearly impossible, the combination of vouchers with local and regional purchase is the only viable option. It is time to make a change. This requires $10 million. Vote ``yes,'' please, on the Royce amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ROYCE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Chairman, I rise, yet again, to raise the alarm over taxpayer-funded housing policy. This straightforward amendment that you have before you would prohibit Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from using funds to pay housing advocacy groups or others through the housing trust fund at a time when they continue to owe money to the American people. Beginning in 2008, the U.S. taxpayers bailed out the GSEs to the tune of $189 billion. That number is expected to grow to over $200 billion by 2015; but as the housing market has begun to recover, so, too, have Fannie's and Freddie's profits. At the first sign of money rolling in, some housing advocates are pressuring the Federal Housing Finance Agency to get a piece of the taxpayer-funded pie. They have gone to extraordinary lengths, even filing a lawsuit last summer to try to force contributions to the trust fund. Originally slated to receive funds siphoned off from the GSEs, the trust fund was never capitalized due, of course, to the fact that the GSEs went into conservatorship. Without passage of this amendment, the director of the FHFA could turn on that spigot at any moment. Contrary to what Fannie and Freddie apologists may claim, the GSEs have yet to repay any of the taxpayer-funded bailout. The cash injection into the GSEs was made in the form of a draw from the U.S. Treasury, not a loan to be repaid. No so-called repayment can be made as long as American taxpayers are on the hook for future losses. Let us also not overlook the fact that the failure of this public- private housing scheme was at the center of the financial crisis, a collapse that destroyed trillions of dollars in household wealth and left millions unemployed. How much money would it take to repay those losses? It is clear to any observer that the money that is now coming in from the GSEs is a small pittance for what they have cost the American economy. Any profits remain directly attributable to extensive and continued taxpayer support. That is the point, hence the need for this amendment. I would urge an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and will just take a moment and recognize the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Grayson) for his initiative in introducing this bill and for his commitment to the success of democratic governance in Afghanistan. The international community has previously pledged aid support to Afghanistan on the condition that the country hold transparent, credible, and inclusive elections this year and next year. This resolution encourages the Government of Afghanistan to uphold that commitment when Afghans finally select a successor to President Karzai on June 14. This new government will have a chance to start anew, tackling corruption--the kind of corruption that has jeopardized the success of international aid efforts there. This resolution urges the Government of Afghanistan to lessen the risk of fraud, to improve electoral transparency, enhance security efforts, and increase voter participation during the upcoming runoff. Importantly, it has also been the case that we need to recognize the sacrifices of members of the Armed Forces, and this resolution does that. It recognizes those in our Armed Forces and underscores that this election will contribute to the security and stability interests of both Afghanistan and the United States. This is an historic opportunity to bolster the Afghan-led electoral process, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution, which demonstrates our commitment to a legitimate and democratic transition to power in Afghanistan. Also, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) has reminded me that, as Afghanistan walks down this road, it might behoove the new government there to look at local elections as part of the solution, rather than to have people perennially appointed from the center of the country, empower people locally to elect their own local mayors, their own local leaders. They will certainly have that opportunity next year in the parliamentary elections. With that said, again, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Grayson) for this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE. 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 resolution.

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this coming Saturday, the Afghan people will exercise their right to vote and their right to determine their country's future, choosing between two candidates to complete the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan's long, violent history. This vote holds out the promise of helping to solidify the achievements of U.S. international forces there. That is why this bipartisan resolution, which I am pleased to cosponsor, urges the Government of Afghanistan to pursue a secure, transparent, and credible runoff Presidential election. Make no mistake--the Taliban would love nothing more than to disrupt this democratic process and see the Government of Afghanistan fail. During the past month, Taliban fighters have ramped up their attacks, of course, while threatening polling centers and election officials. Indeed, on Friday, the Taliban attempted to assassinate the leading Afghan Presidential candidate, Abdul Abdullah, in a suicide car bombing. After emerging unharmed, Abdullah said: Threats can't stop us and our people. We are still dedicated to what we have promised for a better future. For those of you who followed his campaign later that day, he was undeterred and went from event to event. Well, this election offers the chance for Afghanistan to embark on that better future by taking the final steps towards a legitimate transition of power. Just over 2 months ago, Afghans overwhelmingly flocked to the polls to vote in Presidential and in provisional elections. More than 7 million Afghan citizens cast a blot during the first round of voting. To put that in perspective, for those of you who remember, that was about 4.5 million who voted in 2009. This dwarfed that number--7 million. That first round election also saw a prominent female politician selected as a running mate, a choice that likely helped inspire some 2.5 million Afghan women to come out to the polls and to vote. While she and her running mate came in third, no aspiring leader can afford to ignore the interests of half of Afghanistan's population, who want better education, health, and other basic services. Although the April elections were a significant improvement over 2009, there is plenty of room for progress. Numerous electoral complaints led to the invalidation of votes, and in May, Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission fired poll workers, some of whom were accused of voter fraud. This is exactly why it is so critical for the Government of Afghanistan to take these proactive steps to champion a secure and fair runoff election. A successful election will help emphasize Afghanistan's commitment to good governance, and it will provide much-needed legitimacy to the incoming President of that country. Mr. Speaker, the United States has been heavily involved in Afghanistan for years. We have made great sacrifice. While the Obama administration has U.S. involvement in Afghanistan coming to a close, U.S. interest in a stable and secure Afghanistan will continue. The United States maintains an enduring national security interest in an Afghanistan that prevents itself from becoming a safe haven for terrorism. That goal becomes much harder if the Taliban is rejuvenated and successful in wrecking this weekend's elected government. But one way we can demonstrate our commitment to Afghanistan's success is by supporting the country's first-ever democratic transition of executive power. This resolution does exactly that, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer).

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 600) urging the Government of Afghanistan, following a successful first round of the presidential election on April 5, 2014, to pursue a transparent, credible, and inclusive run-off presidential election on June 14, 2014, while ensuring the safety of voters, candidates, poll workers, and election observers.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express my strong support for the Mortgage Choice Act. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his leadership on this important bill. Owning a home has long been the cornerstone of the American Dream, but regulations are currently restricting consumer access to mortgage credit for low and moderate income homebuyers. The Mortgage Choice Act will ensure that potential homeowners can borrow funds for their home in a responsible manner while keeping intact consumer protections established by Dodd-Frank's ability to pay provisions. I urge passage of this bill today. This is a legislative initiative that merits strong bipartisan support.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my neighbor and friend, Rabbi Haim Asa, who passed away at the age of 83 on May 28, 2014. His presence in the Jewish community of Orange County and beyond will be greatly missed. Rabbi Asa's contributions as a spiritual leader since the mid 1960s and as Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton have had a strong and positive impact on the community. His life story is full of remarkable accomplishments. As a Holocaust refugee from Bulgaria, he fought in Israel's War of Independence. Rabbi Asa was also known for cofounding the Congregation Emanu-El in Buenos Aires, rescuing a Romanian refugee from Turkish authorities, and saving a Jewish university student from Argentine authorities. His involvement in every local, regional, and national cause concerning the welfare of the State of Israel and its people is well known. He was instrumental in the development of many of the Jewish organizations, including Jewish Federation & Family Services, that serve the Jewish community today. Additionally, Rabbi Asa contributed to building the Holocaust memorial called Garden of the Righteous. It stands to educate people on the Holocaust in order to prevent a historic tragedy from repeating itself. I know that Rabbi Asa has touched thousands of lives over the years. Many in the community share my appreciation for his work to bring people together, always done with humor and insight. We feel a sense of deep loss. His achievements have left a permanent mark on the community and will inspire the lives of countless others for years to come. My thoughts go out to the friends and family of this remarkable community leader, Rabbi Haim Asa. I join the Jewish community and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing Rabbi Asa in honoring and remembering him. My condolences go out to his family. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Mr. Duffy's amendment. The current way the Internet is governed is soon set to change, as we all know, and the question remains: Who will take over? The answer will have consequences for human rights, for the global economy, as well as Internet security and stability. We must get it right. It is important to the future of our economy. It is important to the type of world we want to live in. We need to ensure the continuation of an open and accessible Internet which can serve to fulfill people's aspirations for freedom and for democracy. And when it comes to Internet policy, the administration has botched consultations over the transition of the duties at the NTIA. We cannot allow countries to use their influence to stifle speech and commerce on the Internet. This amendment will give us more time to ensure we get this right.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay my respects to William ``Bill'' MacAloney, the Chairman and CEO of Jax Markets in Anaheim, California. Bill who is a long-time friend of mine recently passed after a long and brave struggle with cancer. Bill's successful journey to becoming an industry leader in the grocery store business started in a very humble way. He grew up in a succession of orphanages and foster homes in Massachusetts. At the age of 16, Bill hit the road, hitch hiking all the way to California, arriving in Los Angeles with little money and no place to stay. With a great attitude, hard work and a ``can do'' spirit, Bill nudged his way into the food industry and opened up his first grocery store in the late 1960's. Several other stores followed under the Jax banner, one in Buena Park and another in Anaheim. During his career in the supermarket industry which spanned more than four decades, Bill MacAloney was Chairman of the nation's largest retail business, Certified Grocer of California. He also served as Chairman of the California Grocery Association and was Co-Chair of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the national supermarket trade association headquartered in our Nation's Capital. With a love for politics and community, Bill MacAloney served on the Villa Park City Council in 2002 and 2009. And Bill was an active philanthropist, and received awards and recognition from a wide range of highly respected organizations including the National Conference of Christians and Jews and B'nai' B'rith among others. I should also mention that Bill was appointed to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Board of Accountancy and was on the St. Joseph Hospital Board of Trustees. In closing, it has been an honor and a privilege for me to have known such an outstanding individual. He is a true gentleman, of great character who made the time to give back to the community and help others to achieve their dreams. Bill MacAloney is truly the classic All-American success story that we all should be proud of. I extend my sympathies to Bill's wife and loving companion of 45 years, Gwen, her four children, ten grandchildren and two great granddaughters.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4573) to protect children from exploitation, especially sex trafficking in tourism, by providing advance notice of intended travel by registered child sex offenders outside the United States to the government of the country of destination, requesting foreign governments to notify the United States when a known child sex offender is seeking to enter the United States, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, you have heard today about the unconscionable child sex tourism industry which has been operating now for years overseas. There are child victims at home here, too. Our proactive efforts to help countries identify incoming child predators will also encourage them to alert us when those foreigners convicted of sex offenses against children attempt to enter the United States, just as we are going to control the process on this side. I thank Mr. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Mr. Eliot Engel of New York, and I encourage Members to support passage of the International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) be yielded the remainder of my time, and that he may control that time.

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 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 Organization.

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, the world is now fully aware of the absolute terror of Boko Haram. Over the last few months, there have been over 500 schools burned to the ground by Boko Haram. Struck by the brazen abduction of nearly 300 innocent schoolgirls, people are now asking, ``What is Boko Haram?'' Sadly, for the communities in northern Nigeria, they know the answer to that. They know what Boko Haram means to them. They know that the definition of ``Boko Haram'' is ``Western education is a sin,'' and they know that, for this particular organization, of particularly great importance is that young women not be educated. Sadly, for the communities in northern Nigeria, they know that Boko Haram believes that you can kidnap women, you can sell young girls, you can treat them as chattel, and you can enslave them, but the one great sin is should you try to educate them, because should you try to educate them, you will meet the fate of over 100 teachers who have been slaughtered in northern Nigeria for trying to educate young women. Boko Haram in total has killed some 4,000 individuals now. The communities in northern Nigeria live in constant fear, losing any normalcy of life. Most of the schools in whole regions have been shut down. Community centers, farms, and businesses have been boarded up and closed. Even with the recent focus on rescuing these young women, Boko Haram has been able to continue its reign of terror. Its militants have relatively sophisticated weapons, they have ample funds, and they have advanced training. This group is the vanguard of a foreign-backed move to transform and radicalize Nigerian society, as many Nigerians have told me in the country. Since the abduction of these 300 students, more girls have been kidnapped, and more Nigerian security units have been attacked. This group, my friends, is not going away. Boko Haram lives up to its name. They have killed, as I say, over 100 teachers, but over 500 students. They have denied tens of thousands of young Nigerians an education, but they have a very alternative framework for education--or indoctrination--that they intend to supplant. Despite knowing the dangers, these young women were committed to their education, the ones that were abducted. This resolution importantly puts the House on record saying that we are committed to getting them freed. The resolution supports U.S. assistance to the Nigerian Government in trying to rescue these girls and calls for a more active U.S. role. Tomorrow, we will hear from a young woman who herself was kidnapped by Boko Haram and escaped. It is clear that the Nigerian security forces are facing an uphill battle in the fight against Boko Haram. Some of these problems are internal--some unprofessional and corrupt units that are poorly equipped and poorly trained. That has led some to say that we should not be involved. But, Mr. Speaker, it tells me that U.S. involvement is critical. Without U.S. expertise, including intelligence sharing, it is clear that the threat from the U.S.-designated terrorist group will grow, these girls will suffer, others girls will suffer, and the region will be destabilized. U.S. forces are well positioned to advise and assist. They can advise and assist Nigerian forces in the search and rescue of these girls. In this role, U.S. forces--expertly trained to deal with hostage situations and trained in jungle environments--could help Nigerians with intelligence planning and logistics up until the point the operation is launched. And if some U.S. laws would hinder such assistance, the administration should use its waiver authority under these extraordinary circumstances. An advise-and-assist operation would have the benefit of boosting morale and effectiveness of the Nigerian forces. It would ensure expert planning, and it would ensure the best chance of success of rescue. This isn't dissimilar to the operation against the Lord's Resistance Army in eastern Africa, where U.S. forces have been embedded with local units, training and constraining Joseph Kony, and it has been used in the past to eliminate al Qaeda-linked terrorists in North Africa. While these girls are foremost in our mind, there are larger considerations too. Indeed, commanders at the Pentagon have stated that Boko Haram is a threat to Western interests, and one of the highest counterterrorism priorities in Africa, they tell us; and that is especially the case, given Nigeria's position as the continent's most populous country and biggest economy. This resolution is a show of solidarity with these young kidnapped girls, with their families, and with the communities in northern Nigeria who have lived under constant fear of Boko Haram for far too long. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 573) condemning the abduction of female students by armed militants from the terrorist group known as Boko Haram in northeastern provinces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.