Brad Sherman

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 220.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka's thirty-year long civil war. This Remembrance Day is observed to remember and mark the sacrifices made by all those who died, irrespective of their ethnicity, in the civil war. Sadly, the hope that the end of this brutal war would usher peace in the country, and that Sri Lanka's many communities would be reconciled with each other, has not been realized. The Sri Lankan government won the war, but it has not yet won peace. The tragic Easter Sunday bombings in April and tensions between different communities thereafter are a reminder of the divisions that still exist in the country. The current Sri Lankan government came to power in 2015 with the overwhelming support of the Tamil and Muslim communities. These communities were encouraged by this government's promise to act on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the civil war, as outlined in the September 2015 report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. In response to this report, Sri Lanka and the United States cosponsored UN Human Rights Commission Resolution 30/1, ``Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka,'' in 2015. Unfortunately, the Sri Lankan government has not fulfilled the commitments it made in that resolution, which, if implemented, would have promoted justice, peace, and reconciliation in the country. This year, at the Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka's government once again committed itself to reconciliation by cosponsoring Resolution 40/1, again titled ``promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.'' I urge the Sri Lankan government to work towards implementing the provisions of the resolutions that it has cosponsored. This will help heal the deep wounds that divide various communities in Sri Lanka. It can also help Sri Lanka keep its important commitments to the international community.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk). It has been a pleasure working with him on this bill, the Building Up Independent Lives and Dreams, or BUILD, Act. He has worked hard to get this over the goal line and has worked in a collaborative and bipartisan process. We have heard from a number of Habitat for Humanity chapters across the Nation who make more than five loans a year and are having difficulty complying with the mandatory TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure form. They believe it has additional costs and complexity, especially when they had previously set up their systems to deal with the old forms. The BUILD Act is straightforward and addresses those concerns. The bill allows a bona fide nonprofit that makes zero interest rate loans, like Habitat for Humanity, the flexibility in deciding which disclosure forms to use. They can either use the relatively new TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure form, or they can use the three previously required forms: the Truth in Lending form, the Good Faith Estimate form, and the HUD-1 form. This bill is supported by Habitat for Humanity International and the National Housing Conference. It is a narrow tweak to ensure that nonprofits offering zero percent interest loans can focus on helping people get housing rather than focus on reprogramming their system to deal with the new TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure form. This bill passed our committee 53 to 0 last year. It passed this House by voice vote last year. It went over to the Senate, where the Senate did what it all too frequently does, which is nothing. I look forward to giving the Senate another opportunity by sending this bill back to them, since it has not only overwhelming but unanimous support here in the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, as Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Sindh and Chairman of the Asia Subcommittee in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I have repeatedly drawn attention to the issue of forced conversions and other human rights abuses in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Today, I reiterate my concerns about the forced conversions of young Sindhi Hindu girls. On April 29, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its annual report on the world's most egregious violators of religious freedom. The report noted that religious freedom in Pakistan continued to decline in 2018. The Commission also reported that ``Forced conversions of non-Muslims continued despite the passage of the Hindu Marriage Act, which recognizes Hindu family law.'' While the numbers are unclear, estimates suggest that each year, several hundred or more girls and young women are abducted, forcibly married, and converted to Islam. There were at least 1,000 cases of forced conversions of Hindu and Christian girls just in Sindh Province in 2018, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. The actual number is estimated to be much larger as most cases go unreported. Pakistan's Human Rights Commission also notes that the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act of 2013, intended to address the issue, has not been enforced effectively. The state's response to forced marriages has been mixed, especially because the police are insensitive and indifferent in most cases. When families report their daughters as missing, this is ignored by the police. Therefore, the abducted girls remain with their abductors, where they are often coerced into silence. The role of some religious leaders adds to the problem. Mian Mitho, a religious leader and politician, has participated in numerous conversions of young Sindhi girls. He has close connections with the army and the Prime Minister, and this has allowed him to continue his activities. I urge Pakistan's government to more effectively address the issue of forced abductions, forced marriages, and forced religious conversions in the Sindh province.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 I stated for the Record: ``Madam Speaker, I wish to clarify that when I cosponsor a bill, it does not necessarily mean that I agree with every part of it. At a minimum, my cosponsorship indicates that I support moving the bill forward through the legislative process, including being marked up in committee, and if sent to the floor by the relevant committee(s), then subject to consideration and amendment on the floor.'' Let me reiterate that 2010 statement and provide additional background. I believe in the legislative process. I believe bills are improved during committee mark-ups and by consideration of amendments on the floor. The effect of cosponsoring a bill is to signal to the relevant committee chair(s) that I believe the bill should be marked-up in committee, a process that may well improve the bill (and in some cases may make the bill worse). When I decide to cosponsor a bill after it has completed the committee process, I do signal to the Speaker and Rules Committee that I believe the bill should be considered on the floor, and almost always under an open rule.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, I stand in solidarity with the Armenian American community in commemorating the February 1988 Sumgait Pogroms. Thirty-one years ago in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait, peaceful Armenian residents were brutally targeted on the basis of their ethnicity and subjected to unspeakable crimes. In March 1988, The Economist reported the atrocities and documented the murder and mutilation of pregnant Armenian women and newborn babies in a maternity hospital. Other mainstream media reports from the time speak of Azerbaijani mobs hunting down Armenian families and committing murder, rape and property theft. The Sumgait Pogroms were the beginning of an escalation of violence against the Armenian minority, with a wave of anti-Armenian violence spreading to Kirovabad in November 1988 and to Baku in January 1990, which culminated in the forcible expulsion of 390,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and the 1991-94 war over Artsakh (the former Nagorno Karabakh). In response to the Sumgait and Kirovabad pogroms, Nobel Prize-winning dissident, nuclear physicist and human rights activist, Andrei Sakharov, appealed to the international community to condemn the atrocities and prevent further violence by stating: ``Armenian people are again facing the threat of genocide. The events in Sumgait and Kirovabad may be its beginning. This must not be allowed to happen!'' (November 26, 1988, The New York Times) The government of Azerbaijan must be held accountable by the international community for the pogroms committed against its minority Armenian population, and I will continue to work in Congress to shed light on and learn the lessons of such atrocities.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I was in my office watching these tributes to the dean, and after a while I couldn't just sit there and watch. I realized this is an hour devoted to remembrances from his colleagues from Michigan, and I thank Congressman Kildee for allowing a humble Californian to participate. America is healthier because of John Dingell. Less tobacco is smoked now than decades ago because of John Dingell. Our air is cleaner. Our water is cleaner. We are healthier, and we are closer to completely universal healthcare than we have ever been in our history because of John Dingell. Not only is our environment healthier and our bodies are healthier, our country is healthier because of what John Dingell did to move forward the fight for civil rights in this country. John is the dean of the Michigan delegation, but he belongs to us, too. He is the dean of the House. He is the dean of the House for all time. I doubt that any Member will ever match his record of tenure, but I know that no Member will ever match his record of accomplishment. So we have had so many new Members come to the House this year wondering how to learn, how to be an effective Member, and how to serve their country. They could not do any better than to study the life of John Dingell in his nearly six decades of service to this country and to this House. I am so pleased that Debbie Dingell continues to serve the district, a district served by John and John's father. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for inviting a California member and taking just a bit of his time.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, as ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee, I rise to support H. Res. 1157, which reaffirms the strong commitment of the United States to the countries and territories of the Pacific Islands region. I want to applaud Representative Bordallo for introducing this, and I am proud to join with others as a cosponsor. First, this resolution sends an important message to the 300,000 Americans who call the region home. Our fellow Americans in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa, for them, this measure recognizes that they are a critical part of our Nation's fabric. Indeed, when North Korea threatened to launch missiles at a U.S. territory, it said that it would hit Guam. We cannot forget about these Pacific territories and, in Congress, we have an obligation to make sure that their voices are heard in these Halls. This resolution also specifically encourages continued support for the Compacts of Free Association which we currently have with the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau. Currently, the United States provides, under these compacts, essential governmental functions, including defense. While our compact with Palau was recently renewed, the Compacts of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands will expire in 2023. We in Congress should not wait. We should ensure that the compacts are expeditiously renewed. These arrangements not only help encourage the development of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, but also serve our core national security interests. I know firsthand that we cannot take our Pacific partnerships for granted--not just in the compact states, but across the region, because other states around the region are facing entreaties from the Chinese Government. The Chinese Government states that the Pacific Islands are a core component of their One Belt, One Road initiative, which seeks to ensnare small nations into Beijing's debt traps. We know that China is stepping up its military involvement in the region, recently placing acoustic sensors in the Mariana Trench to track American submarine movements. As the resolution recognizes, the solution to this challenge is for the U.S. to strengthen its engagement. We must ``increase the frequency of high-level bilateral and multilateral visits with leaders of Pacific Islands'' and find issues to work on in common. For example, many of the Pacific Island nations face an existential threat from rising sea levels. Accordingly, this resolution calls for us to work with these countries to address the negative impacts of climate change. Many of the territories or islands of these countries actually face submersion as a result of rising sea levels. In doing so, we would work with our partners around the world. While China employs bully tactics to unilaterally assert itself in the Pacific, the United States sets an example by working closely with the island nations and with Australia and New Zealand to promote sustainable development across the region. I want to thank Representative Bordallo again for her leadership on this issue. This resolution is an overdue affirmation of our commitment to the prosperity of the American territories in the Pacific and to the strengthening of the relationships between the United States and the nations of the region.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce for introducing H. Res. 1149, which recognizes the importance of our alliance with South Korea. As ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee and a member of the Congressional Caucus on Korea, I am pleased to cosponsor this resolution with several other Members of Congress. The U.S. and South Korea share common values--democracy, commitment to justice--but we also share a unique bond of history. The United States military and South Korean troops fought side by side to defend the Korean Peninsula before the Armistice Agreement of 1953. Today, we continue to cooperate in order to defend the Korean Peninsula. In fact, South Korea currently hosts 28,500 American Active Duty military personnel. Only 35 miles separate Seoul from North Korea, and when I was there with the chairman, we noticed that property values are considerably lower on the north side of Seoul than on the south side of Seoul. While we have substantial conventional forces there, no number of soldiers can deal with the biggest threat from North Korea; namely, its nuclear arsenal. Now, I know it has been tweeted that we no longer face a nuclear threat from North Korea, would that that be so. Secretary of State Pompeo has recently stated that North Korea continues to make more fissile material, no doubt using that to make more nuclear bombs, even several every year. And satellite imagery shows that North Korea is continuing to build and expand bases for intercontinental ballistic missiles. So we are standing shoulder to shoulder with South Korea, but we face a real threat from North Korea, and we will not be able to deal with that threat without the assistance of both South Korea and Japan. This resolution reaffirms the need for the United States and South Korea to stand shoulder to shoulder in continuing to apply necessary economic pressure on North Korea. Toward that end, I would say that we have scaled back in substance, if not in legal form, our sanctions against North Korea, perhaps falsely believing that a few words exchanged in Singapore are a reason to do so. Recently, we have sent a letter to the administration, a bipartisan letter urging them to sanction major Chinese banks, not just small ones, that have done business with North Korea in violation of U.S. law and U.N. sanctions. Now, it is important also to look at the Korean American community, and I am pleased that the resolution recognizes the importance of the bridges created by the American Korean community between the United States and the Republic of Korea. I recently led a letter urging President Trump and President Moon to make a major priority among North Korea, the United States, and South Korea allowing American citizens, some 100,000 of them, who have relatives in North Korea to at least be allowed to visit their relatives and, even before that, at least be allowed to talk to them over the phone. We must recognize the potential for the Korean American community to serve the cause of peace and to help establish a dialogue. Again, I thank Chairman Royce for his leadership on this measure and urge its adoption.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, for reasons well explained by the preceding speakers, I am pleased to join in supporting this resolution and to commend Mr. Chabot for introducing it. I was pleased to introduce it along with him and along with the chair, the ranking member, and several other Members of this House. This resolution deals with Burma, whose government chooses to call itself Myanmar, but we officially take the position that the country retains its name of Burma. This resolution calls out the Burmese military for their acts of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya and highlights the cases of two journalists who were imprisoned for simply trying to shed light on these historic stories. One of my priorities as ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee has been to focus attention on the 700,000 Rohingya who have been forced to flee Burma and relocate to Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries. They have not fled because they wanted to leave home. They have not fled because Bangladesh is someplace where it is easy to make a living. They have fled to refugee camps because they have no choice, for the Rohingya communities have faced widespread attacks, rapes, killings, and burning of villages, all orchestrated by the Burmese military. Not only that, but the Burmese State takes the position that the Rohingya are not citizens of their country because they can't prove that their great-grandparents were born in the country. So, if someone is born in Burma, their parents were born in Burma, they could even prove their grandparents were born in Burma, they are denied a Burmese passport. Now, this resolution uses the term ``genocide,'' not a word we should throw around, but in this case it is clearly a test that has been met. In reports by the Public International Law & Policy Group and by our own Holocaust museum, the evidence is there that the United Nations' definition of genocide has been met. The United Nations' Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines ``genocide'' as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. That is exactly what the Burmese military is doing, and denying citizenship is just part of that effort. This resolution sends an important message to the Burmese military, and it also focuses on two Reuters journalists who exposed the mass murder in the village of Indin. Those two journalists are Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were interviewing eyewitnesses to this crime. This is part of the Burmese genocide of the Rohingya. But instead of applauding their bravery, the Burmese Government arrested them and accused them of violating the Official Secrets Act. Of course, we understand that a government that is committing genocide wants to declare that genocide to be a state secret. And so, for that as their only crime, these two journalists have been sentenced to 7 years of hard labor in prison. There is only one just outcome here. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint must pardon these journalists. They must acknowledge that the Burmese military is committing atrocities against the Rohingya. They must provide the Rohingya papers of citizenship. We need to pass this resolution, hopefully unanimously, to say that genocide must be stopped and the two journalists must be released.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, last week, I cosponsored H.R. 5233, The Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018. This is bipartisan legislation that seeks to make an important correction to U.S. adoption law. Currently, when a child is legally adopted by an American parent and is raised by the family here in the U.S., they automatically acquire U.S. citizenship. However, when Congress updated the law, it failed to address the situation for thousands of families with previously adopted children. We need to correct that, which is why I support H.R. 5233. This legislation does not create a new loophole that allows anyone to game the system These are individuals who legally entered the U.S. They were legally adopted as children, and they grew up here believing they were U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, through no fault of the children, adoptive parents in several thousand cases failed to properly file all of the citizenship papers on behalf of their adoptive children, often not realizing that it was even necessary after completion of the legal adoption process. If you were legally adopted by an American family, entered the U.S. legally as a child, and raised in the United States, you are an American. I look forward to working with both my Republican and Democratic colleagues on this bipartisan effort.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, as the Ranking Member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee and the founder and chair of the Sindh Congressional Caucus, I have long focused on the human rights conditions in Pakistan. I have long urged Pakistan's government to ensure the human rights of its citizens and uphold the rule of law. This is especially true in Sindh province. Today, I wish to discuss two issues currently confronting the Sindhi community: enforced disappearances and the construction of dams along the Indus River. The most egregious problem in Sindh is enforced disappearances. The United Nations defines enforced disappearances as ``the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person.'' Hidyat Lohar (Loohaar), Khadim Arijo, and Aqib Chandio are just three of the hundreds of people in Sindh who have been forcefully disappeared. Often times, these people later turn up dead, and no justice is ever served. To give just one example, Dr. Anwar Laghari was murdered three years ago, and no perpetrator has been brought to justice. In fact, no one has even been charged. Another issue plaguing Sindh province is the construction of dams and canals along the Indus River. Sindh province's economic well-being depends on having sufficient access to the water supplied by the Indus River. For decades, Sindh and Punjab provinces have shared this vital water supply. Recently, however, the Pakistani government has taken to unilaterally constructing dams and canals along the river without Sindh province's consent. This has increasingly choked off Sindh's water supply, threatening the province's economic viability. These problems must be addressed. I urge the Trump administration to raise these issues with the new Pakistani government starting with Secretary of State Pompeo, who is meeting with the Pakistani Foreign Minister on October 2.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute and mourn the recent passing of a long-serving former staffer of mine, Evita Mendiola, after a battle with cancer. She grew up in San Diego and lived briefly in the California Bay Area before settling in Los Angeles. Evita worked for me on my first campaign for Congress in 1996 and served as Executive Assistant in both my Washington and Los Angeles offices for 12 years. She went on to work for our former colleague, Dale Kildee in his Washington office for another four years before returning to California in 2013. My staff and I were deeply saddened to hear of her passing. I extend all of her family my deepest condolences, especially to her mother Renate Mendiola and her brother, Robert King. Evita loved her family, and was especially dedicated to her precious nieces and nephews. She took great pride in their achievements and spent much of her free time at their athletic events and extracurricular activities. She served both Dale and I with dedication and diligence. She was my longest serving and best Executive Assistant. Evita watched over her colleagues and served by my side with fierce loyalty to the office, to the district, to my constituents and to the priorities of the office. Evita was more than an Executive Assistant. She was a utility player that handled case work and field representative duties whenever called upon--even though being a ``scheduler'' alone is the toughest job in a Congressional office. She took a particular interest in helping young people with their plans to attend military service academies. Over the years she guided dozens of applicants through the very complex and competitive application processes to make sure they received the opportunity to pursue serving our country. The annual service academy nominations became a highlight for me and members of my staff because of the hard work Evita put into it. Our country is better because of the military service of young people from the San Fernando Valley whom Evita helped pursue their dreams. Evita served as a mentor for junior staff and interns alike. She often maintained contact with former staff and interns years after they had left the job, offering guidance, support and friendship. Once again Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the life and service of Evita Mendiola who will ultimately be remembered for her dedication to her family and country. May her family find comfort and solace in the memories they shared and in the life she led.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4989, the Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act. This bill, again, passed our committee by unanimous, bipartisan voice vote. I want to begin by thanking Mr. Castro, and also others, for introducing this legislation. I am pleased to be one of the cosponsors. This bill aims to ensure the Department of State has policies in place to prevent our adversaries from tracking the locations of our Foreign Service officers through their electronic devices. From fitness trackers, to smartwatches, to phones, most of us have at least one device that could be used to track us with the right technology that has GPS capacities. Many of us would literally be lost without these devices, but they could pose a security risk. This is especially true for our diplomats overseas whose locations and travels can reveal sensitive information sources. Location information is a potential gold mine to our adversaries. This commonsense measure would make sure that the Secretary of State has a policy in place on the safe use of consumer electronic devices by our diplomatic and consular facilities and personnel. It would require proper training for employees and contractors, and ensure that the policy is coordinated across all parts of our government that use our diplomatic and consular facilities. This bill would also improve congressional oversight of this policy. This bill will reduce the security risks associated with GPS devices and other consumer electronic device. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro), the author of the bill.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4819, the DELTA Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry) for his initiative in putting forward this legislation to help protect one of Africa's most important ecosystems. I am pleased to cosponsor this measure. I also want to commend Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their leadership on international conservation issues, particularly the fight against wildlife trafficking. The Okavango River Basin in Angola, Botswana, and Namibia supports an amazing array of wildlife, including the largest remaining concentration of elephants in Africa. It is also home to more than a million people. The DELTA Act requires the development of a strategy to encourage sustainable management of natural resources in the river basin, including the protection of wildlife. This strategy will require input from a wide range of stakeholders, including national governments, local communities, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. The goal is to support economic development for the residents of the region while preserving unique ecosystems and protecting wildlife. The DELTA Act has the support of key conservation organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this bipartisan legislation, which passed our committee by unanimous voice vote, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to commend the sponsors of this legislation and the leadership of our committee. I urge an ``aye'' vote, and I point out that this bill received a unanimous bipartisan voice vote in our committee, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and the lead Democratic sponsor of this bill.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud the chair and the ranking member for a tour de force of bipartisanship: 32 bipartisan bills with near unanimous support in our committee, all put together in one outstanding package. I want to thank them both for including in this the BUILD Act, introduced by Mr. Loudermilk and me. This bill will help Habitat for Humanity and similar organizations. It says that when they provide a zero percent loan, they can use the old disclosure forms or the new disclosure forms, whichever is easiest for them and whichever they have the software to produce. This bill is supported by Habitat for Humanity International and the National Housing Conference. It passed our committee with a unanimous 53-0 recorded vote. I want to thank both the chairman and the ranking member for including this legislation in an excellent package, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure, H.R. 5480, the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act. I want to thank Mr. Royce and Ms. Lois Frankel for their work on this bill. This is an important bill that expands U.S. development policy to empower women entrepreneurs in developing countries. In 2016, the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that achieving global gender parity in economic activity could add as much as $28 trillion to the annual gross domestic product by the year 2025. This bill will help unlock the productive power of women, and particularly women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises. In the interest of time, I won't go into the details because we have excellent speakers on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this bill, which passed our committee by a unanimous bipartisan voice vote, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this measure, and I thank Ambassador Wagner and Representative Crowley for their work. This bill will equip our government with the tools to better monitor and, hopefully, prevent genocide. It passed our committee with an unanimous bipartisan voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of this measure. Mr. Speaker, this bill passed our committee by unanimous, bipartisan voice vote. It is named for Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and author who spent decades leading the fight to bring Nazis to justice. First, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri, Ambassador Wagner, and the chairman of the Democratic Caucus, the gentleman from New York, Joe Crowley, for their work in bringing forward this very important bill that improves our capacity to prevent and respond to genocides and mass atrocities. I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this legislation. Millions of innocent civilians have died in mass atrocities and genocides. I would like to take just a second to remind everyone of a few of these tragedies: The first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, which killed approximately 1.5 million people; The Holocaust, from 1933 to 1945, more than 9 million people were killed, including over 6 million Jews; Cambodia in 1975, which saw the slaying of 2 million people; Rwanda in 1990, which saw the deaths of 800,000 in just 100 days; and Sudan, Darfur, and the tragedy there. Tragedies and crises like this are not just in the past. Today, we are witnessing mass killings of innocent people in many places around the globe. In Burma, the military has inflicted horrific violence against the Rohingya people. Thousands have been killed. This is ethnic cleansing, and it appears on the verge of genocide. Now, 700,000 refugees have been pushed into Bangladesh, 80 percent of them are women and children. And as I mentioned, in Darfur, some 300,000 are dead, 3 million displaced. This measure gives us the tools to detect the warning signs of a mass atrocity or genocide so that we can respond quickly and improves interagency coordination. Overall, this measure will make our government better equipped to handle the growing threats of genocide and crimes against humanity. This is a good bill. The prevention of genocide and mass atrocity should be a core objective of our Nation's national security and foreign policy missions. The bill passed, as I said before, our committee by a unanimous bipartisan voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York.