Brad Sherman

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I will point out, like every committee, you can always send a letter to any committee I serve on or the Ways and Means Committee. But to take away from Members their right to come to the floor and offer an amendment and get a vote is to relegate us to the same position as all 320 million Americans, all of whom can send a letter to the Ways and Means Committee. I will also point out that the act I talked about, the Tax Filing Simplification Act, was referred to the Ways and Means Committee, has a number of cosponsors, and has never received a hearing or half a hearing or any discussion. So to say that the Ways and Means Committee will accept our letters and, therefore, we should have closed rules on tax bills, apply that to every other issue we have--every committee in this House will accept a letter from any other Member, let alone any constituent--means we really want closed rules on everything.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I support the committee system. The Democratic Caucus has put roughly 25 of its members on the Financial Services Committee. We are the members of the Democratic Caucus assigned to study and debate legislation on Financial Services issues. We did just that. And 60 percent of the Democrats assigned to the Financial Services Committee, 15 Democrats, voted in favor of this bill, while 10 opposed it. So if members of our caucus wonder what would our caucus position be if all the members of our caucus had a chance to really analyze bills in this particular technical area, one would expect that 60 percent of our caucus would support this legislation. The reason for that is that the purpose of regulation is to reduce risk rather than having risk be the reason to have regulation. This bill focuses on getting companies to reduce their risk. There are those that say if we just designate more companies as SIFIs, we will get more regulation. No, you won't. What you get is more companies designated, but then you get pressure to have less regulation on all the designated companies. What we need is to reserve the SIFI designation for those who are clearly exposing our economy to the risk of another meltdown, and we need to encourage companies to be less of a risk to our economy. The ranking member, who is bearing a substantial oratorical challenge, being, I think, the only speaker opposing the bill, correctly points out that AIG was a risk to our economy. That is right. This bill would have put it to AIG that you are going to get designated and regulated if you don't get out of the credit default business. Had they done that, the meltdown in 2008 would have been much less significant. So let us encourage these companies to de-risk, and let us have heightened regulation on those who refuse to do so or who by their very size pose a risk to our entire economy. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the Democratic Caucus to have some faith in the 60 percent majority who have been assigned to the Financial Services Committee and voted in favor of this bill.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, having no speakers on my side, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to add my voice to the voice of every other speaker on this resolution, for what an honor it has been to serve with Sam Johnson and to see his example of service on the floor of this House every day. I want to reiterate the importance of this resolution. It sends a critical message to our military families that their sacrifices are not forgotten. Our government must never give up until every last American is returned to their families and to their homeland. Today, it is easy to think of Congress as a body divided between Republicans and Democrats, but, ultimately, we are all Americans, and each and every one of us owes a huge debt of gratitude to our troops serving today and those who have served in the past. Their valor and courage have defined our Nation's course. We applaud them, we honor them, and we will do everything in our power to see that those who remain unaccounted-for are returned home. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H. Res. 129 calling on the Department of Defense and other elements of the Federal Government and foreign governments to intensify efforts to investigate, recover, and identify all missing and unaccounted-for personnel of the United States. I rise in support of H. Res. 129, which affirms our government's commitment to investigating and recovering missing American personnel. I especially want to thank Representative Sam Johnson, not only for introducing this resolution but for embodying our dedication to those who are captured or missing, whose service to this country, 7 years as a POW, three of those in solitary confinement, exemplify the highest honor of our military forces. I also want to thank Chairman Royce for bringing this resolution forward. Our brave servicemembers risk their lives for our country every day, and when they go missing, we owe it to them never to give up. No matter how many years pass, no matter how many miles we must travel, our search for them must continue. More than 83,000 personnel of the United States are still unaccounted for around the world from past wars and conflicts. This is the equivalent of an entire city, and their families are mourning the loss of ones they hold dear. Although an estimated 50,000 of these are World War II personnel lost at sea and, sadly, unlikely to ever be recovered, we must continue our efforts whenever there is any possibility of discovering and recovering an American who has been lost in the service of our country. Our brave men and women expect that when they make the ultimate sacrifice, we will make extraordinary efforts to recover them, and if we don't do exactly that, we are not only failing those families but also one of our military's most sacred principles: ``leave no man or woman behind.'' We honor this principle because it reminds us that, unlike many of our enemies, whose soldiers are viewed as expendable pawns of the regime, we value each and every life. Those missing in action need to be returned home to their families where they belong. This resolution has a simple message for our government. It is time to intensify our efforts to investigate, recover, identify, and account as fully as possible for all those missing and unaccounted-for American personnel. It also urges foreign governments to cooperate with us in these important efforts so that every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine gets the homecoming they deserve. Thank you to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve our great country and the principles we stand for. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3542, the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act. Mr. Speaker, this is an act that came before our committee and was adopted unanimously by voice vote. I was there. My hearing has been tested recently, and there was not one dissenting voice. I thank Representatives Wilson and Moulton for their leadership in authoring the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act, and I am proud to be a cosponsor. This legislation calls out the cowardly use of human shields by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It sanctions anyone who supports or takes part in this horrific practice. Let us be perfectly clear about what is at stake. There are designated terrorist entities using innocent civilians, even innocent children, as a means to camouflage their arsenals. Every time Hamas does this, every time it is done by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the leadership is making a horrific statement: they put a higher value on their efforts to kill Israeli civilians than they do on the lives of Gaza's civilians. Keep in mind, this practice is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and the rules and laws of war. It is a war crime and should, indeed, be sanctioned by the United Nations. First and foremost, this is an issue of basic human rights. Hamas has forced civilians to gather on the roofs of their homes so they can hide terrorist military leaders and weapons below. Hamas has even built their tunnels that they use to move weapons and fighters right under civilian infrastructure. This puts hospitals, schools, mosques, markets, and innocent Palestinians at great risk. It doesn't stop there. Hamas purposely puts rockets in U.N. facilities, compelling the U.N. to launch daily inspections of each of their facilities during times of heightened tension and putting international personnel in harm's way. Hamas' use of human shields also raises important national security concerns for Israel. Unlike Palestinian terrorist groups--groups that seek to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible--in contrast with that, the Israeli Defense Forces are not blind and cannot be blind to the plight of innocent civilians. That is why the Israeli Government has tried to warn Palestinian civilians of upcoming strikes, including evacuation notices, text messages and calls, and even low-explosive warning ``knocks.'' These warnings don't just give innocent civilians the opportunity to evacuate. They also put the terrorists on notice that strikes are imminent, giving them an opportunity to escape. The Israeli Government has made an explicit decision. They care enough about warning and saving the lives of Palestinian civilians that they are willing to give an advantage to terrorist groups--groups who are trying to kill as many Israeli civilians as they possibly can. The contrast, therefore, is astounding. While Israel has made bold investments in early warning apps on Israeli phones and developed the Iron Dome, along with the United States, to protect Israeli civilians from incoming missiles, Hamas makes no effort to protect Gaza civilians and engages in activities designed to cause Gaza civilians to be killed. Hamas puts innocent civilians in the line of fire. They hide their weapons and their leadership beneath schools and hospitals. Then, when Gaza children die, when innocent men and women are blown apart, Hamas' leadership cheers quietly at what they perceive as a propaganda coup against the Israeli Defense Forces. That is why I support sanctions against Hamas and any of its supporting organizations and individuals that facilitate the use of human shields. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have no other speakers on this side, so I will make a few remarks in closing. Mr. Speaker, I want to put this legislation in the broader context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A Palestinian state will never be born as a result of the use of human shields. No country can make peace with a group that uses its own women and children in that manner, and no country can build peace with an entity that makes the violation of the Geneva Conventions and the international rules of law established military policy. I am a firm believer in a two-state solution that results in a secure Jewish State of Israel and a peaceful Palestinian state by its side. I hope that this legislation will help move toward that end because it seeks to empower those who want to make peace and sanctions those who cheapen human life and violate international law. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, which passed in our committee without a dissenting voice. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues Congressman Ted Lieu, Congressman Adam Schiff, and Congressman Lee Zeldin to pay tribute to the visionary Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin, who passed away at the age of 97. Rabbi Zeldin was the founder and spiritual leader of Stephen Wise Temple. Stephen Wise Temple is located on an 18-acre mountain between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles. The Temple started in 1964 with just 35 families and grew into one of the largest Reform Jewish synagogues and schools in the world. Rabbi Zeldin transformed Jewish education in Los Angeles as an advocate for building Jewish day schools in the Reform movement. Thousands of students have now been educated at the Temple's educational venues which came to include a pre-school, elementary school, high school, and religious school. Rabbi Zeldin was known for speaking from his heart on the pulpit, usually without any notes. He was a champion for issues ranging from access to education, affordable housing, and support for the state of Israel. Rabbi Zeldin inspired in future generations a desire to care for others and set an example of inclusiveness by welcoming Jews of all denominations, as well as non-Jews to the synagogue. The Los Angeles community mourns the loss of its Rabbi, leader, teacher, mentor, and friend. We give thanks for the incredible legacy he leaves behind and for his many contributions to our community and the Jewish People. We send our sincerest condolences to Rabbi Zeldin's children, Joel and Karen, and Michael and Terry; his brother, Bernard; his grandchildren, Sivan and Igor, Sasha and Dustin, Oren and Noga, Gabe, and Noam; and his great-grandchildren, Eytan, Ilan, Alina, Liam, Stav, Evan and Ido.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 3320. Clearly, Taiwan should be a full member of the World Health Organization. All nations should be full members of the World Health Organization, especially one with an advanced health system that can help us stop pandemics from spreading from one country to another. That is why it makes sense for us to advocate Taiwanese participation in all international bodies, but particularly the U.N.'s World Health Organization. I am pleased to cosponsor this legislation that is critical to preparing to prevent pandemics. Look at the nonsense that is being foisted on the world by Beijing. For political reasons, in an effort to say that Taiwan doesn't exist except as a province, they are endangering the health of the world because pathogens have not been told that they are not to go to Taiwan. The epidemics have not been told to spare humankind from the inefficiencies and glaring omissions that occur when an important country is excluded from the World Health Organization. Taiwan's exclusion, even from observer status, from the World Health Organization is a terrible symbol, an attempt to deny self- determination to 23 million people. But it is worse than a terrible symbol. It is a practical impediment to stopping epidemics. It is a practical impediment to world health, and it is time for the United States to have a strategy to reach out to the world and say Taiwan needs to be part of health planning. Taiwan needs to be part of the lifesaving initiatives of the World Health Organization. So I look forward to working with our colleagues to pass this legislation and working with the State Department to implement it. I look forward to the day when we do not put the world at risk of an epidemic that could have been contained but for the malicious symbolism being foisted on us by Beijing. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. This legislation has support from just about everyone, bipartisan. It is obviously necessary for Taiwan to be part of the World Health Organization. To exclude it is to put the health of anyone who might be affected by a pandemic, to put that interest below Beijing's interest in strangling Taiwan diplomatically and economically. I urge the adoption of this legislation, and I look forward to working with the State Department until we achieve our objective, which is, at a minimum, Taiwan's return to observer status at the World Health Organization. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation, H.R. 535, the Taiwan Travel Act. I am pleased to have joined with Congressman Chabot in introducing this bill, the Taiwan Travel Act. Taiwan is not just an important trading partner, our 14th largest market. It is not just a land of 23 million people. It is a democratic ally of the United States, a place where our values are displayed in the Asia-Pacific region. Yet it would be surprising for most Americans to know that leaders from Taiwan are not allowed to visit the United States under any reasonable format. Instead, the President of Taiwan cannot visit Washington, D.C., but can visit Los Angeles for a refueling stop on the way to Costa Rica. What an absurd fiction that the President of Taiwan would fly across the Pacific again and again to visit their friends in Costa Rica or other Central American countries and that the refueling stop in the United States is just a 2-day effort to put fuel on a jet plane. Now, my district actually benefits from this, because when the President and several different officials of Taiwan come to America, they refuel at Los Angeles Airport and they come to the Sheraton Universal Hotel in the 30th Congressional District. But in spite of the benefit both in terms of image and the economy that the current situation provides for the 30th District, it is time for us to grow up and it is time for us to realize that Taiwan is a vital ally and that its most important leaders should be visiting Washington, D.C., and talking not only to the legislative branch, but talking to the executive branch as well. We should no longer be in a circumstance where, when Members of Congress from other parts of the country want to visit with the President of Taiwan, they have to fly to Universal City and stay at the Sheraton in my district and visit there. We could communicate far better if the President of Taiwan was able to land at Dulles and be in the halls of Congress. This bill simply says that it is time to encourage travel of the high-ranking officials of each country to the other and meetings at the highest levels. These are important steps in ending this effort to isolate Taiwan, because by encouraging a greater level of high-level visits and dialogue, we would ease Taiwan's international isolation and reaffirm that the U.S. has a political and security commitment to the freedom of Taiwan. Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Chabot for introducing this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, every year, China threatens Taiwan, attempts to strangle that democracy, bases missiles just over the Taiwan Straits, conducts military exercises designed to simulate an invasion, hurts the economy of Taiwan, and hurts the people of Taiwan. What is the mildest possible response that the United States could make to these provocative and hostile actions? It is the adoption of the Taiwan Travel Act, H.R. 535, to simply have meetings with Taiwanese officials and simply allow them to land, even at those airports in the United States inconvenient for refueling on the way to Costa Rica. We should welcome the leaders of Taiwan as we welcome the leaders of other allies of the United States, and this is the mildest answer we could make to the saber-rattling from Beijing. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan resolution. It will put America and this Congress on the side of the Iranian people. Regardless of which side you are on as to the nuclear deal, we are all dedicated to peace and democracy in Iran and an end to its support for terrorism around the world, support that not only causes damage outside Iran's borders but, as the demonstrators shouting in over 50 Iranian cities have clearly indicated, devastates the economy of Iran. To us here in Washington, we may believe that the face of this regime is that of Foreign Minister Zarif, the dapper, debonair diplomat, meeting with us in Geneva and Vienna. But the real face of this regime is that of Alan Kurdi, the 3-year-old Kurdish child found washed up on the beach in Turkey after fleeing the war in Syria, a war that has claimed nearly 500,000 lives because, and only because, Assad has been propped up by the Iranian regime. The other faces of this regime are the real faces of Iranian protestors who put their lives on the line for the freedom of their country. Mr. Speaker, this is a bill that deserves the support of both sides of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), and I ask unanimous consent that he be able to control that time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. In this House, we were on both sides of the Iran nuclear deal, but we were united in knowing that Iran is not an ally of the United States-- at least, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not--and this House never agreed to ignore extreme human rights abuses simply because the Government of Iran has agreed to limitations on its nuclear program. This resolution puts us on the right side of history by stating that the House of Representatives stands with the people of Iran and condemns the Iranian regime's serious human rights abuses. It goes on to encourage the administration to expedite the licensing of communications technology to entities in Iran to improve the ability of the Iranian people to speak freely and also calls on companies around the world not to allow this regime to use any device or any technology to cut the Iranian people from social media and from other communications platforms. We have seen in Iran a people dedicated to democracy and dedicated to improving their own lives. Over 1,000 Iranians have been arrested, and at least two dozen have been killed; this in a country with a great history. The Cyrus Cylinder is perhaps the first human rights document in world history. A model of it stands in the United Nations to commemorate the dedication of the Iranian people to human rights. Today, they shout ``No Gaza;'' ``No Lebanon;'' ``No Syria;'' ``My life for Iran,'' because they know that this regime's involvement in supporting terrorism around the world has not only devastated Syria, where Assad clings to power and half a million people have died, not only brings death and destruction to Lebanon and Yemen, but it has also devastated the Iranian economy, because this regime insists upon supporting Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Those are only the terrorist regimes whose names begin with H. Of course, this regime has killed over 5,000 members of the LGBT community solely for who they are and whom they love. This is a regime whose human rights record should, indeed, be criticized by the formal adoption of a resolution by this House of Representatives. I also want to point out that the travel ban or Muslim ban implemented by this administration is harming our efforts to support the Iranian people at this time of crisis. It says that if leaders of these demonstrations want to come to my community, where they have tens of thousands of Iranian-American supporters, they can't do it. And if, God forbid, they fear for their lives and want to flee, even if they are carefully vetted, they cannot set foot on American soil. So I look forward to us standing with the people of Iran and eliminating the Muslim ban. I look forward to this House saying that we stand with the people who are putting their lives on the line to fight for democracy. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider).

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Illinois an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I commend our committee chairman for an outstanding speech. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer).

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi), a member of our committee.

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).