Ed Royce

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Hastings again for this legislation and for championing his support for the protection of dogs and cats around the world. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6197) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to authorize rewards for thwarting wildlife trafficking linked to transnational organized crime, and for other purposes.

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 materials in the Record.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure, which targets transnational wildlife traffickers through the State Department's existing global rewards program. These rewards will serve as a powerful tool to capture and to convict--to convict--wanted transnational criminals and terrorists who profit from the illegal wildlife trade. Last week as we opened the papers, there were 87 elephant carcasses discovered in Botswana's Okavango Delta. These animals were shot by poachers. They were brutally stripped of their tusks. They were left to die. This is a very real and urgent issue. Wildlife trafficking is generating over $10 billion a year in illegal profits for increasingly sophisticated criminal syndicates, and it is also generating profits for terrorists who are involved in this kind of slaughter. The illegal ivory trade is especially lucrative. Mr. Speaker, for years now, I have been engaged in this effort to save some of the most endangered species. During a recent trip to Tanzania, my colleagues and I met with the law enforcement and park rangers on the front lines. They told us how they were outmanned. They are outgunned. They are up against sophisticated criminal networks that use helicopters, that use night vision goggles. We have met with local communities impacted by these crimes, who explain how wildlife trafficking jeopardizes local security, spreads disease, of course undermines the rule of law. It fuels corruption. It damages economic development. Wildlife trafficking is a serious national security threat, and combating it requires a global approach to identifying and apprehending the world's worst offenders. And time is not on our side. Each day of inaction means more animals poached, more cash for criminal syndicates and terrorists. Mr. Speaker, I thank the bill's author, Representative Donovan, as well as cosponsors Castro and Ranking Member Eliot Engel for their work on this important measure. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, a former prosecutor. He is the author of this bill.

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

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, a former district attorney like Dan Donovan can tell you, if you are trying to get the attention of a thug, there is nothing like a reward on your head to create real fear for that terrorist or that criminal. We want wildlife traffickers to know the fear of being hunted. It is time we send the message to wildlife traffickers around the world that the United States will use every tool at our disposal to stop them and to take them down. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4969) to improve the design and construction of diplomatic posts, and for other purposes, as amended.

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 materials in the Record.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me make this observation for my colleagues. The U.S. Department of State operates more than 270 diplomatic posts around the world, often in difficult and sometimes very, very hostile environments. These embassies and consulates project American power and reflect our values. They protect the lives of the Americans who work in and visit those embassies every day. We owe it to the American people and those who serve us overseas to build the most secure, effective, and efficient embassies and consulates that we possibly can. That is why I want to thank Chairman Mike McCaul, the author of this bill, who is with us. Each day, there are thousands of brave Americans who serve our country at our embassies and consulates overseas. These facilities are our outposts for democracy. While our diplomats serve overseas, it is our job to ensure that they have the resources and support they need. This bill will do just that, by authorizing critical resources for embassy security, construction, and maintenance; enhancing worldwide security protection; and lastly, improving oversight of embassy design and construction of these consulates and embassies. The threats facing our embassies and diplomats overseas are real. We need to respond. The reported sonic attacks against our diplomats serving in Havana--and Canadian diplomats serving there, too, as you will recall--serve as a stark reminder of the real and complex security challenges they face on a daily basis. Yet, the last time Congress authorized resources for enhanced embassy security was immediately after al-Qaida bombed the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Over 220 people were killed and 4,000 others were injured in these attacks. On August 7, we solemnly recognized the 20th anniversary of those cowardly attacks. Thus, we must strengthen our resolve to do everything within our power to prevent another Nairobi or Dar es Salaam attack by constructing the safest, most secure, and most appropriate diplomatic posts around the world. That starts with this bill, which, if enacted, will be the first embassy security authorization in 15 years. Since the East African Embassy bombings, the State Department has used several different approaches to design and construct new posts quickly and efficiently. This is no small task, but what has become clear is that effective congressional oversight of these projects is essential to ensuring their success. That is why this bill promotes efficient contracting methods, ensures the facilities meet security and safety standards, and engages with the State Department in an effective, long-range planning process for the new projects. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4969, which will improve the security, effectiveness, and efficiency of our embassies and consulates. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for mentioning the State Department authorization. We are still working on that measure. We hope to move that. In the interim, though, the ability to move on the floor now with the embassy security measure is important. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, of course, a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and he is the author of this bill.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, America's embassies obviously are forward operating bases for our democracy, for our system. The brave men and women who serve at those posts represent our country on a daily basis and represent them often in a difficult and increasingly dangerous environment. As we have tragically seen before, diplomatic posts overseas are often the first and easiest targets our enemies choose to attack. Importantly, this legislation will improve the security, the functionality, and the efficiency of our embassies and our consulates through enhanced oversight and better management of the construction of new diplomatic facilities. So, again, I want to thank Chairman Mike McCaul of Texas, and I want to thank Representative Robin Kelly, as well as Ranking Member Engel and the many members of the committee from both sides of the aisle who have worked extensively on this important piece of legislation. Our embassies project American power. They do reflect our values. We owe it to our diplomats and the American people to build the best embassies possible. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5576) to address state-sponsored cyber activities against the United States, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which 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, in recent years, foreign adversaries have developed sophisticated cyber capabilities that can disrupt our network, that can threaten our critical infrastructure, and that harm our economy and undermine our elections. Malicious cyber activity topped the Director of National Intelligence's list of worldwide threats in 2018--topped it--ahead of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; and in testimony before this Congress, Director Coats stated: ``Frankly, the United States is under attack.'' A report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates that malicious cyber activity cost the U.S. economy between $57 billion and over $100 billion in 2016 alone. But it is not just the economic cost of cyber incidents that we should worry about. There are real physical costs to these online attacks as well. Last year's WannaCry cyberattack by the North Korea regime compromised the U.K.'s healthcare sector, if you will recall. In 2016, Russian cyber actors attempted to interfere in our election--an assault on our very democracy--and these attacks by Russia continue today. Despite the gravity of this threat, the U.S. continues to lack a unified framework to deter and respond to state-sponsored cyber activities. I applaud Representative Yoho and Ranking Member Engel for introducing the Cyber Deterrence and Response Act, which establishes a framework for deterring and responding to state-sponsored malicious cyber activity against this country. Consistent with the State Department's recommendation to the President on deterrence in cyberspace, this bill will ensure swift, powerful, and transparent consequences against bad actors online. Specifically, this bill requires the President to designate as a critical cyber threat actor each foreign person or each foreign agency of a foreign state that the President determines is responsible for state-sponsored cyber activities that pose a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, economic health, or financial stability of the United States. In effect, this would codify America's longstanding unofficial policy of naming and shaming bad actors in cyberspace. Further, this bill would require the President to impose sanctions from a menu of options against any critical cyber threat actor. Finally, the bill calls on the President to coordinate designations and sanctions with our allies and partners to maximize their effectiveness. The Secretary of State is to lead an international diplomatic initiative to deter state-sponsored cyber activities and promote mutual support to our allies and partners to respond to malicious cyber incidents. This legislation will put countries like Iran, North Korea, and Russia on notice that the United States is prepared to impose tough consequences for cyber attacks. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC, July 20, 2018. Hon. Ed Royce, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing concerning H.R. 5576, the Cyber Deterrence and Response Act of 2018. As a result of your having consulted with the Committee on Financial Services concerning provisions in the bill that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction, I agree to forgo action on the bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House Floor. The Committee on Financial Services takes this action with our mutual understanding that, by foregoing consideration of H.R. 5576, at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues that fall within our Rule X 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 requests your support for any such request. Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 5576 and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration thereof. Sincerely, Jeb Hensarling, Chairman.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and the author of this bill.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick). He is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is a cosponsor of this legislation. He has formerly worked for the FBI on cyber issues, and we very much appreciate his expertise in this area.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Curtis). He is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and a cosponsor of this legislation as well.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would really like to thank our colleagues here, especially Representative Ted Yoho, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Eliot Engel of New York. I also want to thank the Financial Services Committee that worked with us on this legislation. We want to thank, in addition, the Judiciary Committee. We had the Oversight and Government Reform Committee that worked with us as well in support of this bill. I think, as Mr. Yoho would share with you, the bill is truly a bipartisan endeavor that has been improved by contributions from multiple committees, government agencies, and the business community. And with the passage of this bill, Congress sends a strong message to our adversaries, that cyberattacks against the United States and against our allies will not be tolerated. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5274) to promote international exchanges on best election practices, cultivate more secure democratic institutions around the world, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask 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, America is more secure when fewer nations are authoritarian, and that is the unfortunate alternative to democracy, are authoritarian strongmen. These strongmen regimes justify their repression at home by creating enemies abroad. Since the freedom we enjoy is a threat to authoritarian regimes, the U.S. and our allies are natural targets for their aggression. We have seen this, unfortunately, with Moscow, with Beijing, and with the regime in North Korea. This is why there is longstanding, bipartisan support in this Congress for our democracy promotion programs overseas. In recent years, however, we have seen democracy decline worldwide. This is fueled, in many cases, by a decreasing level of public confidence in democracy and in elections. Unfortunately, many people around the world just cannot trust that their elections are free and fair, and we have seen this happen in Honduras, in Cambodia, and in the DRC. The bill before us addresses these issues by crafting an international exchange program with an objective, and that is, of promoting capabilities and instilling best election practices around this planet. This two-way exchange program will support countries in between their election cycles when they have the time to assess shortcomings. And then it will help them during elections to integrate lessons learned, to build coalitions, and to implement reforms. Healthy societies depend on elections that accurately reflect the decision of voters. The world has a shared stake in the integrity of the election mechanisms--these are the nuts and bolts of how people cast their votes and how these votes are counted, and how they have done this free from manipulation. I want to close by noting that this is a very real-time concern, and particularly important in the Western Hemisphere, as there are national elections coming up this fall in Brazil, and next year in Bolivia and El Salvador. So I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to thank the authors of the bill. I would like to thank Representative Castro and Representative Meadows. I would like to thank also our ranking member, Mr. Engel. They put a lot of work in on this important legislation. There has long been a strong bipartisan consensus in Congress on the importance of promoting democracy overseas, and this is because America is undeniably more secure when fewer nations are authoritarian. But democracy promotion is not just about that. It is not just about our security. It is also morally just. Human rights are far better protected in democratic countries, ones without dank prison cells full of political prisoners. Elections are an important part of democracy, but all too often, elections overseas are plagued, often by corruption or technical challenges, sometimes by lack of transparency. And this bill will address these impediments by creating an electoral exchange program so that we can take our best practices and lessons learned overseas to help local governments improve their own election capacity. So I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking the gentlewoman from California for yielding to me. And I do want to commend my colleague, Mimi Walters, for organizing this Special Order. I want to commend her for her tireless effort here for the release of her constituent by the name of Michael Nguyen, someone whose family I happen to know. I rise today to request that the government of Vietnam release an American citizen. If I could just share with you my observations about this situation. We are really speaking out on behalf of a U.S. citizen from Orange, California, who was detained, as the Congresswoman shared with you, on July 7. And what I wanted to share with you is he was touring Vietnam and visiting elderly relatives. I think it is a very commendable thing that he does, that he stays in touch, he tries to do this once a year, to see his elderly relatives in Vietnam. We have been informed that he is under investigation for engaging in activity against the People's government, which in this case is a spurious charge that the Vietnamese government is using to justify an arbitrary detention of a U.S. citizen. Now, this is an individual who is deeply missed by his wife and four daughters, the youngest of whom is only 8 years old. Michael's family has seen their entire lives turned upside down because of this senseless ordeal. Now, as I shared with you, I know the family, I know his wife, Helen, who works in healthcare in Orange County, and I can tell you what she and the daughters would tell you: This fellow is a loving husband, a doting father. The kids really enjoy his sense of humor. He is the guy that gets up, and because of his schedule as a small businessman, he is able to make breakfast for the girls every morning. He enjoys taking them to school, to the dance classes, to the sports practices. As school begins again back here in the United States, it is usually a time of excitement, but also nervousness, for young students. So our hearts especially go out to his four daughters, who are being forced to navigate the new school year without their father. While his family suffers without him at home, Michael remains detained in a Vietnamese prison. While in detention, he is provided only one meal a day and is allowed to buy a bowl of soup extra a day from the canteen. Michael is 54 years old. He cannot and should not be subjected to such treatment. It is really imperative that we speak out, because Michael could be detained for months on end. Some prisoners are held for years on these bogus charges. This situation is deplorable. Michael's case is an egregious example of Vietnam's troubling history of arbitrary arrest. My fear for Michael's safety is the same fear that you have already heard Congresswoman Mimi Walters share with you. We do fear for his safety. We want him returned to his family here in the United States. The United States has a growing relationship with Vietnam, particularly in security and in the trade arenas. However, human rights remain a core value to us here in the United States, and we cannot separate rights, those rights, from our own ongoing engagement with the Vietnamese government. If you abuse our citizens, there will be consequences. All levels of the U.S. government should make every effort to ensure Michael returns safely to his family without delay. So here again is my request: Just allow this citizen to return back to his family here in the United States. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate, again, Congresswoman Mimi Walters for organizing this Special Order today.

Mr. ROYCE of California

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago on August 7, 1998, Islamist terrorists affiliated with al-Qaida attacked American soil-- bombing the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Over 200 people were killed in these attacks, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,000 were injured. I ask that we pause to remember those Americans who gave their lives in service to our country that day. At approximately 10:30 a.m. on that day, a non-descript delivery truck drove up to the back gate of our embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and tried to enter the underground parking garage. When the embassy's security guards stopped them, the terrorists inside the truck began shooting before detonating a massive bomb that devastated the embassy and many of the surrounding buildings. Nine minutes later, in Tanzania, a second truck stopped just 35 feet from the wall of our embassy in Dar Es Salaam and detonated its deadly payload. Approximately 220 people died instantly, and thousands more were wounded in the two attacks. With great reverence, we recognize the courage of the Kenyan and Tanzanian security and emergency personnel who prevented even greater loss of life by their bold actions. We offer our sincere condolences to the nationals of both countries who suffered the greatest number of killed and injured in these senseless, horrific attacks. History should record that U.S. personnel in both embassies showed extraordinary leadership and personal courage in their response to the attacks, rapidly responding to locate and rescue victims. Their offices were on fire and their colleagues dead and injured--but these men and women responded immediately and quickly restored embassy operations. U.S. embassies throughout the region went on alert. Unfortunately, we in Washington did not respond as quickly to the strategic threats we witnessed that day. The precisely coordinated attacks on our embassies were a declaration of war and a warning of our enemies' intention to hit our homeland. But we failed to heed that warning and paid a price three years later when al-Qaida took us by surprise and struck again on September 11, 2001--this time killing nearly 3,000 in a series of similarly coordinated attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Since the founding of our country, our diplomats have served America in some of the most difficult and dangerous places on earth. Our embassies and consulates are platforms of U.S. influence and vigilance and our diplomats are often the first to spot threats to our national security before they arrive on our shores. These intrepid professionals defend our national security, enforce our laws, and protect our fellow citizens overseas. And they are often the first Americans our enemies target. Many Americans remember 9/11 as the first time al-Qaida struck the United States, but the first battle in our struggle against terrorism took place on August 7, 1998 outside our embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Our diplomats were on the front lines that day, and they continue to serve on the front lines around the world today serving at over 275 posts around the world. And the threats continue. In recent years, terrorists have killed American diplomats in Libya, Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan, while hostile intelligence services actively target our personnel in China, Russia, Cuba and elsewhere. Mr. Speaker, the history of the East Africa bombings 20 years ago shows us that we ignore threats to our diplomats at our own peril. Let us therefore resolve to remember those who gave their lives for our country, and dedicate ourselves to protecting America's national security by committing ourselves to a strong, secure, and effective Foreign Service.