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| <title> - FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP</title> | |
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| [House Hearing, 118 Congress] | |
| [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] | |
| FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP | |
| ======================================================================= | |
| MARKUP | |
| BEFORE THE | |
| COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS | |
| HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | |
| ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS | |
| FIRST SESSION | |
| __________ | |
| March 28, 2023 | |
| __________ | |
| Serial No. 118-10 | |
| __________ | |
| Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs | |
| [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| Available: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/, http:// | |
| docs.house.gov, | |
| or http://www.govinfo.gov | |
| _________ | |
| U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | |
| 51-597 PDF WASHINGTON : 2023 | |
| COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS | |
| MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas, Chairman | |
| CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey GREGORY MEEKS, New Yok, Ranking | |
| JOE WILSON, South Carolina Member | |
| SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania | |
| DARRELL ISSA, California | |
| ANN WAGNER, Missouri | |
| BRIAN MAST, Florida | |
| KEN BUCK, Colorado | |
| TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee | |
| MARK E. GREEN, Tennessee | |
| ANDY BARR, Kentucky | |
| RONNY JACKSON, Texas | |
| YOUNG KIM, California | |
| MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, Florida | |
| BILL HUIZENGA, Michigan | |
| AMATA COLEMAN-RADEWAGEN, American | |
| Samoa | |
| FRENCH HILL, Arkansas | |
| WARREN DAVIDSON, Ohio | |
| JIM BAIRD, Indiana | |
| MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida | |
| TOM KEAN, JR., New Jersey | |
| MIKE LAWLER, New York | |
| CORY MILLS, Florida | |
| RICH MCCORMICK, Georgia | |
| NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas | |
| JOHN JAMES, Michigan | |
| KEITH SELF, Texas | |
| BRAD SHERMAN, California | |
| GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia | |
| WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts | |
| DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island | |
| AMI BERA, California | |
| JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas | |
| DINA TITUS, Nevada | |
| TED LIEU, California | |
| SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania | |
| DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota | |
| COLIN ALLRED, Texas | |
| ANDY KIM, New Jersey | |
| SARA JACOBS, California | |
| KATHY MANNING, North Carolina | |
| SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, | |
| Florida | |
| GREG STANTON, Arizona | |
| MADELEINE DEAN, Pennsylvania | |
| JARED MOSKOWITZ, Florida | |
| JONATHAN JACOBS, Illinois | |
| SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE, California | |
| JIM COSTA, California | |
| JASON CROW, Colorado | |
| BRAD SCHNEIDER. Illinois | |
| Brendan Shields, Staff Director | |
| Sophia Lafargue, Staff Director | |
| C O N T E N T S | |
| ---------- | |
| Page | |
| BILLS, AMENDMENTS EN BLOC | |
| H.R. 314......................................................... 2 | |
| Amendment to H.R. 314 offered by Mr. Meeks....................... 16 | |
| Amendment to H.R. 314 offered by Ms. Kamlager-Dove............... 19 | |
| Amendment to H.R. 314 offered by Mr. Jackson..................... 23 | |
| H.R. 1684........................................................ 26 | |
| APPENDIX | |
| Hearing Notice................................................... 54 | |
| Hearing Attendance............................................... 56 | |
| Hearing Minutes.................................................. 57 | |
| VOTES | |
| Votes submitted for the record................................... 58 | |
| STATEMENT SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD FROM REPRESENTATIVE CONNOLLY | |
| Statement submitted for the record from Representative Connolly.. 62 | |
| MARKUP SUMMARY | |
| Markup summary................................................... 64 | |
| FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP | |
| Tuesday, March 28, 2023 | |
| House of Representatives, | |
| Committee on Foreign Affairs, | |
| Washington, DC. | |
| The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:10 a.m., in | |
| room 210, House Visitor Center, Hon. Michael McCaul (chairman | |
| of the committee) presiding. | |
| Chairman McCaul. A quorum being present, the Committee on | |
| Foreign Affairs will come to order. The committee is meeting | |
| today for consideration of H.R. 314, the Fighting Oppression | |
| Until the Reign of Castro Ends Act; and H.R. 1684, the Haiti | |
| Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2023. | |
| The chair announces that any requests for recorded votes | |
| may be rolled and he may recess the committee at any point, | |
| without objection, so ordered. | |
| Pursuant to House rules, I request that members have the | |
| opportunity to submit views for any committee report that may | |
| be produced on any of today's measures. Without objection, so | |
| ordered. | |
| Pursuant to notice, I now call H.R. 314, the Fighting | |
| Oppression Until the Reign of Castro Ends Act. The bill was | |
| circulated in advance and the clerk shall designate the bill. | |
| [The Bill H.R. 314 follows:] | |
| [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| The Clerk. H.R. 314, to prohibit the removal of Cuba from | |
| the list of State sponsors of terrorism until Cuba satisfies | |
| certain conditions and for other purposes. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Without objection, the first reading is | |
| suspensed with and the bill is considered read and open to | |
| amendment at any point. And I will now recognize myself for a | |
| Statement on the bill. | |
| Cuba remains on the State sponsor of terrorism list because | |
| the communist regime continues to support acts of terror. In | |
| addition to harboring terrorists from Latin America, Cuba is | |
| allied with America's adversaries including Russia and China. | |
| The Cuban Government remains in lockstep with these malign | |
| actors seeking to upend the global balance of power. And Cuba | |
| continues to support Venezuela's brutal dictatorship, the very | |
| same government whose leadership is wanted in the U.S. on | |
| narcoterrorism charges. | |
| Representative Salazar's FORCE Act will prohibit the Biden | |
| administration from removing Cuba from the SSOT list until they | |
| meet a basic set of requirements. These are the same | |
| requirements that a bipartisan majority in Congress and | |
| President Bill Clinton agreed were necessary for lifting the | |
| U.S. embargo on Cuba's regime, that is, legalizing political | |
| parties, labor unions, and free political prisons, committing | |
| to holding free and fair elections. | |
| President Biden caved to the Cuban regime's request for | |
| U.S. foreign assistance, permitting the regime to re-allocate | |
| funds toward its oppressive institutions. We cannot allow the | |
| Biden administration to continue to project weakness on the | |
| global stage by providing relief for the communist regime in | |
| Havana. | |
| I was in Miami. I have been there many times. I met first | |
| hand with victims of the Castro regime and I know many Cuban | |
| exiles who long to return to their home that was stolen from | |
| them. It is time to stop rewarding the Western Hemisphere's | |
| longest-ruling communist dictatorship. I am proud to support | |
| this critical piece of legislation and I commend my friend and | |
| colleague, Representative Salazar, for her tireless efforts on | |
| behalf of the Cuban people. | |
| Is there any further discussion on the bill? | |
| Mr. Meeks is recognized. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me say I oppose | |
| this bill. And while I appreciate the sponsor's passion on | |
| these issues and in fact, share her goals for a more free, | |
| prosperous, and democratic Cuba, I break with her on the best | |
| way to bring about these changes. | |
| My views on U.S. engagement with Cuba are clear. I have | |
| been against policies which seek to further isolate and | |
| alienate the people of Cuba and I have seen the impact of what | |
| establishing relationships with the people of Cuba can do in | |
| just a short time. | |
| During the Obama Administration, the warming relations with | |
| Cuba inspired Cuban people to build private businesses, explore | |
| new opportunities, and organizing using social media and their | |
| own voices to do so. As an added benefit, engagement also | |
| strengthened the United States' credibility in the entire | |
| region. | |
| I oppose this bill on a number of other grounds. Most | |
| importantly, I believe it would deepen the wedge between the | |
| people of Cuba and the people of the United States on issues of | |
| mutual and global concern. | |
| Our partners in the region are also focused on these issues | |
| such as access to humanitarian support in times of crises, | |
| economic development, and the ability to recover from crises | |
| especially in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and the barrage of | |
| natural disasters which have caused the people of Cuba great | |
| hardship in recent months. | |
| I also oppose this bill because intelligence reviews have | |
| found no, and I repeat, no indication that the Cuban Government | |
| provided weapons or paramilitary training to terrorist groups, | |
| contrary to what some believe. Failing to be a democracy is not | |
| criteria for remaining on the list. It is not a democracy, but | |
| that does not mean that it is a terrorist country. | |
| Cuba was put back on the list by the Trump administration | |
| to intentionally complicate the United States and Cuba | |
| relations. This State Department's findings on Cuba in its | |
| annual report to Congress have failed to meet the standard for | |
| designation as a State-sponsor of terror. The country simply | |
| does not meet the definition of State sponsor of terrorism, so | |
| putting Cuba on the list with North Korea, Iran, and Syria | |
| weakens the impact of what the list is intended to do and that | |
| is to thwart the activities of those who have repeatedly | |
| provided support for acts of international terrorism. | |
| There are many countries around the world that fall short | |
| of the democratic and human rights requirements imposed by this | |
| legislation for Cuba to escape the State sponsor of terrorism | |
| list. But we do not place them on the State sponsor of | |
| terrorism list for these shortcomings. There are many other | |
| tools in our foreign policy tool kit to demonstrate our | |
| disapproval including assistance cutoffs, travel restrictions, | |
| trade controls, financial sanctions. We do not need to impose | |
| an inaccurate terror designation to signal our disapproval. | |
| Now if we are serious about supporting the Cuban people and | |
| Cuba's aspiring entrepreneurs and facilitating the flow of | |
| information and communication, we need to remove barriers to | |
| engagement. The State sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba | |
| impacts us all. Whether direct or indirect, it gets in the way | |
| of the type of change we all want to see happen on the island, | |
| while also diminishing hope for a better day. | |
| Open relationships are a more powerful change agent than | |
| isolation. How do we know? We have isolated Cuba for over 60 | |
| years and nothing has changed. We saw the biggest change when | |
| we tried to improve the relations which gave that | |
| communications that were important, what we saw taking the | |
| Cuban people to the streets. It is time for a more carrots- | |
| based approach to the challenges being faced on the island. We | |
| know the incentive can work. | |
| Unfortunately, the Cuban people have bore the brunt when | |
| U.S. policy uses its sticks-only approach. Removing Cuba from | |
| the list and resuming normalized relations which we have | |
| already seen, had and would improve the atmosphere for | |
| bilateral and multilateral dialog on a wide range of issues of | |
| mutual interest. And with that, I yield back the balance of my | |
| time. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. Any further | |
| discussion on the bill? The author of the bill, Ms. Salazar, is | |
| recognized. | |
| Ms. Salazar. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you--very | |
| brave on your part to having brought this bill to be considered | |
| in front of the committee, so that is why I am proud this | |
| committee is considering H.R. 314, the FORCE Act, a bill I | |
| introduced to keep Cuba on the State sponsor of terrorism list | |
| until the Cuban regime is democratically reformed. | |
| Last week, here in this hall, I pressed Secretary Blinken | |
| to answer whether Cuba had reached the high bar, high bar that | |
| it takes to be taken off that list and he admitted clearly that | |
| it has not. So I am assuming that the Secretary of State is in | |
| full support of keeping Cuba on the list of State sponsors of | |
| terrorism. | |
| And why is that? Because him and I and the whole world | |
| knows the truth, that Cuba belongs on that list and let me | |
| explain just a few of the details why it still belongs on that | |
| list. | |
| Cuba's regime bankrolls foreign terrorist groups like the | |
| ELN in Colombia, like Maduro in Venezuela, in Bolivia, and | |
| Nicaragua, and every other dictator it could find in the | |
| hemisphere or in Africa. | |
| In 2019, this group attacked a police academy. I am talking | |
| about the ELN in Colombia. It attacked a police academy | |
| injuring 68 cadets and killing 22 others. In 2020, they carried | |
| out 76 massacres, 82 massacres the next year, and Cuba was | |
| there helping them. | |
| Just last month, it was reported that the ELN was planning | |
| more of these terror attacks. But Cuba just doesn't pay for | |
| terrorists or helps them. Cuba also hides them. Best example, | |
| the most important example is an American fugitive called | |
| Joanne Chesimard from New Jersey. She was serving time for | |
| shooting a New Jersey police officer at point blank range, | |
| execution style. But for almost 40 years, 40, she has lived | |
| peacefully in Cuba. The FBI has asked the Cuban regime, | |
| specifically, Fidel Castro, to send her back. Never. It never | |
| happened. | |
| Then we have William Morales, a bomb maker from Puerto | |
| Rico. He was implicated in over 50 bombings in the 1970's and | |
| in one of those bombings he killed 4 people and maimed another | |
| 50 in the fire. When police went to arrest him, Morales said | |
| very happily, they are not going to hold me forever. And he was | |
| right. Cuba was there to welcome him with open arms and he has | |
| lived in Cuba ever since. | |
| We cannot give the Castro regime an inch and we are one bad | |
| decision away from Russia reopening the Lourdes spy base in | |
| Cuba, only 90 miles off the coast of the United States. | |
| Therefore, taking Cuba off this list would be the beginning | |
| of the end of Latin America. Our hemisphere is already poisoned | |
| by the spies in Venezuela and Bolivia. The FORCE Act will put | |
| this decision back in the hands of Congress who will ensure the | |
| LIBERTAD Act is obeyed. | |
| And just to say a few more words, when President Obama | |
| established relations with the Cuban regime, specifically with | |
| the Castro brothers, it was the perfect moment for that regime | |
| as my colleague, Congressman Meeks, just pointed out, it was | |
| the perfect moment for the Castro regime to prove to the world | |
| that they really wanted to engage in the international economic | |
| community. President Obama gave everything in exchange of | |
| nothing and 3 years later, the Cuba regime did not open up, not | |
| even one inch, what we were expecting on the economic front | |
| what Obama had expected. So it was a major disappointment for | |
| the foreign policy for the Obama Administration to have given | |
| everything in good faith and received nothing back. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields. Does any other | |
| member seek recognition? | |
| Mr. Sherman is recognized. | |
| Mr. Sherman. This bill does not say that Cuba stays on the | |
| list until it stops supporting international terrorism. It says | |
| that Cuba stays on the list until it becomes a liberal | |
| democracy. That is bad anti-terrorism policy writ large and | |
| worldwide. If we turn to the world and say if you are not a | |
| liberal democracy, we are putting you on the terrorist list and | |
| we are keeping you there, then why--then a country has nothing | |
| to lose unless it has decided to become a liberal democracy and | |
| at least 100 countries haven't. So we turn to these 100 | |
| countries that we have yet to convince to adopt democracy, | |
| freedom, and liberty and say well, since you are not going to | |
| be a democracy, you are on the international terrorist list. At | |
| that point, there are no further consequences to them actually | |
| supporting international terrorism. | |
| I think we should stick with the policy that has guided us | |
| in our international terrorism policy for at least two decades, | |
| the terrorism list is for those countries that engage | |
| international terrorism on a substantial scale. Whether Cuba | |
| does or does not fit into that category is a reasonable debate | |
| and if this resolution said keep Cuba on the list until | |
| Congress determines that it is no longer engaged in | |
| international terrorism that would be a reasonable approach. | |
| But instead, it says keep Cuba on the list until it becomes a | |
| liberal democracy with full freedom. I don't think that we can | |
| have a policy of saying--once you do that, you create a | |
| precedent that logic would require you apply to the rest of the | |
| world. | |
| So the terrorism list is for terrorist States. If Cuba is a | |
| terrorist State, it should be on the list. If Cuba is no longer | |
| at some point a terrorist State, it should be off the list even | |
| if it doesn't become a democracy. That doesn't mean that we | |
| don't do many, many things to try to bring democracy to Cuba, | |
| but the terrorism list is not something that we should apply to | |
| any one of 100 countries in the world that is not a democracy, | |
| but does not support terrorism. And with that, I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. Any further | |
| discussion on the bill? | |
| Mr. Perry is recognized. | |
| Mr. Perry. I thank the chairman. Wishful thinking. Wishful | |
| thinking, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. We all wish | |
| that Cuba wouldn't do the things it does, but relaxing the | |
| standard is just going to encourage more. We have seen it. We | |
| have already seen this. We don't have to try it again to see | |
| that no good deed will go unpunished. We have tried with Cuba. | |
| So I support the gentlelady from Florida, Ms. Salazar's | |
| bill, and she has clearly articulated, if you didn't listen to | |
| her, why Cuba remains a terrorist State. She has articulated | |
| it. | |
| But included in that, even though she didn't articulate it | |
| is the fact that Cuba hosts Lourdes, the largest listening post | |
| on the planet, operated by the Communist Party of China pointed | |
| at the United States of America. And if that is not enough, co- | |
| located there is Torrens, where Moscow maintains their largest | |
| signals intelligence facility outside of their geographic | |
| bounds of their country. | |
| Cuba does not have an army that we are concerned about, but | |
| they do have a biological warfare threat that exists and is | |
| real. And I will remind everybody it is 90 miles off the coast. | |
| Cuba enables the repressive systems in Venezuela and | |
| Nicaragua. It hijacks legitimate protests in Colombia and Chile | |
| that are striving to become communist nations. | |
| Listen, folks, a block of the United Socialist Republics in | |
| our hemisphere would be completely, completely | |
| counterproductive. The soft on crime, let's all put a Che | |
| Guevara t-shirt on, and act like he was some kind of freedom- | |
| fighting hero, quite honestly is absurd and ridiculous. | |
| It would be awesome if the members of this committee could | |
| agree that Cuba does not work in the best interest of the | |
| United States. Quite honestly, it does not work in the best | |
| interest of humanity. And while we all agree, we all agree with | |
| the people of Cuba, the people of Cuba. When I was growing up | |
| in Miami, our neighbors, Cubans, where not only just our | |
| neighbors, they were close, family friends. Their freedom, | |
| their livelihood, their property, their heritage, stolen from | |
| them by Fidel Castro. That vision exists today in the | |
| leadership of Cuba and to believe anything otherwise I am not | |
| sure what that is. I am really not sure what that is. I hope it | |
| is just ignorance. | |
| We are not doing this to Cuba by the way. I have heard, oh, | |
| we have punished Cuba and we have sanctioned Cuba and this is | |
| all the United States' fault. No, this is Cuba's fault. This is | |
| the leadership of Cuba, it is not the people of Cuba, but they | |
| are never going to get out of it if we continue to help the | |
| leadership of Cuba which by the way when we send them anything, | |
| we relax anything, they use it to their benefit, not to the | |
| people of Cuba's benefit, to their benefit. | |
| Understand how totalitarian regimes work. They are not | |
| waking up in the morning and say, how can we get the United | |
| States to help us so we can help our people? They are figuring | |
| out how can they get the international community help them stay | |
| in power and oppress their people. Let's not be part of that, | |
| ladies and gentlemen. I urge you to support and vote for the | |
| bill and I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from | |
| California, Mr. Issa. | |
| Mr. Issa. I thank the gentleman and I don't want to make | |
| this go any longer than necessary because I believe that there | |
| are not just enough votes, but there is an overwhelming | |
| majority in support of this. | |
| I might just comment, my good friend, Mr. Sherman noted, | |
| the details of what this bill does and doesn't do, and he is | |
| technically correct and I am not going to disagree with him. | |
| But what I would say is that Congress, in my 23 years, we are | |
| perfectly capable of passing a law that says do this, don't do | |
| this until they do that, and if they make even the smallest | |
| move toward freedom, toward not oppressing their people, toward | |
| not destabilizing the region, toward not exporting terrorism | |
| throughout South and Central America, just the slightest move, | |
| I would be happy and I hope that we are both still here in that | |
| time and that it is soon, but I would be happy to join the | |
| gentleman, my fellow gentleman from California, in passing | |
| another bill that says we are going to have an outreach and we | |
| are going to support an administration's outreach. But while we | |
| still have people who have permanent damage from having been | |
| bombarded through a somewhat unknown brain injuring event | |
| because we went there and opened our arms to the Cuban | |
| Government, we cannot do less than what we are doing today, so | |
| I am a cosponsor. Support it. And I thank the gentleman for | |
| yielding. I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. Any further | |
| discussion? | |
| Mr. Cicilline is recognized. | |
| Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am proud to | |
| represent a vibrant Cuban community in the State of Rhode | |
| Island. Cuban Americans represent some of the hardest working | |
| and brightest minds, not just from Rhode Island, but across our | |
| country. In 2016, I traveled with then President Obama on his | |
| historic trip to Cuba, as his administration charted a new | |
| course on U.S. policy toward Cuba. | |
| After 50 years of isolating Cuba, it was clear that U.S. | |
| foreign policy was not working. But through the Obama | |
| Administration's actions, we began to see positive developments | |
| between our countries, including expanded cooperation on | |
| counterterrorism, counternarcotics, coastal and marine | |
| protection and more. While there remain many unresolved issues | |
| in the relationship between our two nations, these changes gave | |
| the United States more tools to promote positive changes for | |
| the Cuban people. | |
| The Biden administration has made it clear that standing up | |
| for democracy and human rights will remain at the center of | |
| U.S. foreign policy, but we can still engage with the Cuban | |
| Government as we do with a number of other countries around the | |
| world that we have significant differences with. And that is | |
| why I was so disappointed to see President Trump and his | |
| administration roll back President Obama's actions on Cuba. | |
| This included the re-listing of Cuba as a State sponsor of | |
| terrorism with the likes of Iran, Syria, and North Korea, | |
| despite an intelligence review conducted in 2015 under | |
| President Obama showing that Cuba did not meet the statutory | |
| definition to be on that list. | |
| The classification of a country as a State sponsor of | |
| terrorism should always be led by the facts, not politics. The | |
| actions carried out by the Trump administration less than 10 | |
| days before the 2021 inauguration of a new President, weakens | |
| our credibility and really delegitimizes the State sponsor of | |
| terrorism list. | |
| And so as my colleague, Mr. Sherman, made clear, this is | |
| not a list of countries that aren't democracies. That would be | |
| a very long list. We have very robust relationships with many | |
| countries that are not democracies and we should always | |
| continue to promote democracy in every part of the world that | |
| we can, but this a very different designation. This is a State | |
| sponsor of terrorism. There is a definition for that. And there | |
| are three countries on it that have been repeatedly engaged in | |
| acts of terrorism around the world, Iran, Syria, and North | |
| Korea. We ought to take that seriously. We ought not undermine | |
| and delegitimize those classifications which mean something | |
| very, very specific, just because we have a long-standing | |
| disagreement with Cuba about their governance. | |
| The requirements that are contained in this proposal are | |
| very specific. It requires the development and sustaining of a | |
| very strong, liberal democracy. There are many countries that | |
| we deal with on a very regular basis that would not meet this | |
| definition, maybe as many as a hundred, but there is value in | |
| ongoing diplomatic relationships and work that we can do to | |
| improve the lives of the residents of those respective | |
| countries. | |
| So I think this is a very, very dangerous precedent. If we | |
| are going to lump on a list of State sponsors of terrorism | |
| countries that, in fact, are not meeting the statutory | |
| definition, countries that don't meet it as Iran has, Syria | |
| has, and North Korea, I think it makes a mockery of that very | |
| serious designation and is very counterproductive and will | |
| prevent us from continuing to engage with countries like Cuba | |
| in an effort to promote democracy and free speech and free and | |
| fair elections, et cetera. | |
| So I think this is a terrible idea. I have tremendous | |
| respect for the sponsor of this, but I urge my colleagues to | |
| vote no and I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. Any further | |
| discussion? | |
| Mr. Huizenga. | |
| Mr. Huizenga. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will make a couple | |
| of comments and then yield to my colleague from Florida. My | |
| colleague from Rhode Island just had said this is about a | |
| ``disagreement about their governance.'' This is far more than | |
| a disagreement about their governance. | |
| Last week, we had a hearing regarding the oppression of the | |
| Ortega regime in Nicaragua where they are literally throwing | |
| church leaders and political opponents in jail. Who are they | |
| supported by? Cuba. | |
| It seems to me, Mr. Chairman, that is a definition of a | |
| State sponsor of terrorism. And to me, if it walks like a duck, | |
| quacks like a duck, and supports terrorism, it is a State | |
| sponsor of terror. So why would we not say that? | |
| And I ask this question somewhat rhetorically. When has the | |
| Castro regime ever actually helped battle terrorism? They are | |
| there supporting the terrorists, both economically, as well as | |
| through encouragement and work through various agencies around | |
| the world. | |
| So I couldn't help and I will finish with this and pass it | |
| off to my colleague, I couldn't help but notice our next bill | |
| is dealing with Haiti, rightfully so. We are going to try to | |
| root out corruption and illegal activity and we are going to | |
| put sanctions on those folks and that bill would require that | |
| and a report to Congress. And we are talking about rolling that | |
| back for Cuba. And I simply don't understand it. I am | |
| supporting Cuba because of those Cuban families that came to | |
| West Michigan supported by my Dutch Reformed Church after the | |
| revolution, the Lugo | |
| [phonetic] family, the Cortina | |
| [phonetic] family, the Flores | |
| [phonetic] family, the Carro | |
| [phonetic] family. That is why we cannot forget. And I | |
| would like to yield to my colleague from Florida. | |
| Ms. Salazar. Thank you, my colleague, Mr. Huizenga. | |
| You know, it's the Cuba issue is dear to me because I | |
| represent the city of Miami, where you have 2 million Cuban | |
| Americans who escaped probably the worst revolution that the | |
| Americas has seen since the arrival of Christopher Columbus in | |
| 1492. We're talking about the Cuba that Fidel Castro was able | |
| to elevate repressive methods to scientific levels. We're | |
| talking about a revolution that has been able to take away the | |
| spirituality, the human fiber from the average Cuban. | |
| So, I speak from the heart because I represent them, and | |
| respectfully, I disagree with the chairman and with other | |
| colleagues on the other side that do not agree with this | |
| amendment. It is that Cuba is a very bad actor. And if we give | |
| them 1 inch, they will take the whole body. | |
| If we allow--if we send the message to the Chinese and to | |
| the Russians that the Lourdes spy base is going to be up and | |
| open for business, we're going to have not one Chinese balloon, | |
| we could have many Russian balloons and Chinese balloons, | |
| because Cuba is dying to harm the United States in any way, | |
| shape, or form--not only the United States, through being | |
| proxy, like my colleague said, in Nicaragua, in Honduras, in | |
| Central America, in the Sandinistas, with Maduro, in Bolivia. | |
| Any way Cuba could find to harm the United States and to spread | |
| communism, it will be there. It will be there. | |
| But, even more so, they terrorize their own people. Like | |
| I'm not sure if you guys know, but, for instance, Cuba is in | |
| the business of human trafficking. You send doctors to the | |
| different missions. The doctors get paid $10,000 a month, and | |
| the country that receives those doctors needs to pay that | |
| salary back to the Cuban regime. And the doctor makes $200 out | |
| of $10,000. That is called human trafficking. And that's one of | |
| my causes right now with Mexico, saying to the President of | |
| Mexico, ``You cannot have on your soil human slaves.'' | |
| There are 55 minors who are in jail, kids that are 16, 17 | |
| years old. And what was their crime? To scream ``Freedom'' on | |
| the streets of Havana. | |
| The average Cuban makes 12 cents--12 cents--a day. They're | |
| only 90 miles away from the most important economic power in | |
| the world. Cuba had the per capita income of Italy in 1960. So, | |
| we're talking about that we're dealing with a very evil, | |
| pernicious regime, and we should not reward them to take them | |
| off that list. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields. | |
| Any further discussion on the bill? | |
| Mr. Lawler is recognized. | |
| Mr. Lawler. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| Chairman McCaul. I'm sorry, if the gentleman will yield, | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you, Mr. Chair. | |
| I would like to speak to H.R. 314. I represent a small, but | |
| vibrant Cuban community in my district, and I must strongly | |
| oppose this bill. It reflects a failed performative policy | |
| toward Cuba that does nothing to advance U.S. interests and | |
| actively harms the very Cuban people we've been talking about. | |
| Codifying Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism--a criteria | |
| satisfied only by the most malign actors--that it, objectively, | |
| does not meet, indicates that U.S. policy toward Cuba isn't | |
| about liberalism or the protection of human rights. It's about | |
| politically driven punishment. | |
| For one, this designation actively thwarts the | |
| liberalization that the United States is seeking, as my | |
| colleague from the Valley so eloquently Stated. It restricts | |
| the financial transactions that would allow everyday Cubans to | |
| open businesses and engage in trade and investment, stifling | |
| the private sector growth that could promote greater freedom in | |
| the country; impeding travel and academic exchanges that would | |
| enable U.S. institutions to support activists, artists, | |
| scholars, and journalists opposed to the regime. And | |
| critically, it is a major barrier for humanitarian and faith- | |
| based organizations to provide much-needed aid for the | |
| compounding crisis the Cuban people are facing. | |
| As it relates to the acts of terrorism, evidence has not | |
| really been provided by us to even support this designation. | |
| And if we are going to put countries on the list that harbor | |
| fugitives or terrorists, we have a very long list of countries | |
| we could add. In fact, many of them have been listed today. You | |
| could add Columbia or Venezuela or Nicaragua. You could add | |
| France for harboring Roman Polanski or even England or Ecuador | |
| for Julian Assange. But we are not doing that. | |
| So, anyone who cares about supporting the Cuban people and | |
| promoting a path to liberalization and normalization in the | |
| country should oppose this measure. And I urge my colleagues to | |
| vote against this bill. | |
| And with that, I yield back. | |
| Mr. Sherman. Will the gentlelady yield? Will the gentlelady | |
| from California yield the remaining part of her time? | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Yes, I will. | |
| Mr. Sherman. Thank you. | |
| I just want to quickly make the point, we're saying Cuba | |
| should be on the Terrorist List because it cooperates with bad | |
| governments, evil governments, in Nicaragua, China, Venezuela, | |
| and Russia. You know who's not on the Terrorist List? The | |
| governments of Nicaragua, China, Venezuela, and Russia. So, to | |
| say that Cuba should be on the list for hosting a Chinese | |
| listening post, when China isn't on the list for operating that | |
| post, seems a little selective. | |
| And with that, I will yield the time back to the lady, the | |
| gentlelady from California. | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you so much, and I yield back the | |
| balance of my time. You said it most eloquently. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields. | |
| Any further discussion? | |
| Mr. Lawler is recognized. | |
| Mr. Lawler. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| In response to my colleague, I would just say, then, maybe | |
| we should have that discussion about those other countries. | |
| But my wife comes from Moldova, a former satellite Soviet | |
| State that has been corrupted by Russian influence for years, | |
| since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This body took action | |
| recently, applying sanctions on individuals for financial | |
| corruption and other associated crimes. Because we, as the | |
| leader of the free world, have an obligation to root out | |
| corruption and to take on bad actors. | |
| This body, and my colleague who puts this bill forward, put | |
| a resolution on the floor condemning socialism and the horrors | |
| of it. Eighty-six Democrats voted against that. Fourteen of | |
| them couldn't find their way to the House floor to vote. A | |
| hundred people on the other side of the aisle couldn't be | |
| bothered to condemn socialism. | |
| There are bad actors in the world--Russia, China, Iran, | |
| North Korea, and, yes, Cuba. The Castro regime and the Cuban | |
| government have been oppressing the Cuban people for | |
| generations. They have engaged in ill-advised conduct and been | |
| party, going back to the beginnings of the cold war, to acts of | |
| aggression against the United States. They continue to | |
| cooperate with bad actors and terrorist regimes throughout the | |
| world. | |
| And this bill is simply saying that the President should | |
| not remove them from the list until such time that the Cuban | |
| government has become more democratic. We are a democracy, a | |
| democratic republic. We should act like it. We should embrace | |
| it, and we should not continue to allow bad actors to get away | |
| with whatever they want. | |
| This administration has been pathetically weak when it | |
| comes to taking on bad actors. China can fly a spy balloon | |
| across the entire continental United States without any | |
| repercussion. Russia can shoot down one of our drones without | |
| any repercussion. | |
| And my colleagues on the other side of the aisle twist | |
| themselves into knots trying to explain away socialism, | |
| communism, dictatorships, and it's embarrassingly pathetic. | |
| So, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill | |
| and continue to hold Cuba accountable for their bad acts until | |
| such time as they can finally see the light and treat their own | |
| residents, their own citizens, with the dignity and the decency | |
| that they deserve. | |
| I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any further discussion? | |
| Mr. Self is recognized. | |
| Mr. Self. I have heard the distinction here between, across | |
| the aisle, the people of Cuba, and on this side, the regime of | |
| Cuba. ``Convincing them to adopt democracy'' was a phrase I | |
| heard from one of my colleagues across the aisle. You do not | |
| convince autocratic regimes to adopt democracy. Evil stalks the | |
| world. It continues to stalk the world, and dictators do not | |
| change simply because we want to convince them to adopt | |
| democracy. | |
| I also heard the phrase ``warming relations with Cuba'' | |
| during the Obama Administration. I will remind people that the | |
| Obama Administration also had ``warming relations'' with Iran | |
| through the JCPOA. And I understand it was not just the United | |
| States, but it was led by the United States to return at least | |
| $50 billion to Iran. And Iran is certainly on this list and | |
| should remain on this list, and Cuba should remain on this list | |
| as well because it is a dictatorship and it does support | |
| terrorism. And we're not talking about a terrorist State, which | |
| I also heard; it is a State-sponsoring nation. | |
| So, I am firmly committed to this bill. I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. | |
| Any further discussion? | |
| Mr. Mills is recognized. | |
| Mr. Mills. I want to point out a couple of things that we | |
| keep talking about here, and the same countries that continue | |
| to get notified, which is Iran, North Korea, China, Russia--the | |
| geopolitical alignment that we already know has formed and who | |
| is actually one of the biggest advocates of malign activities, | |
| whether that be from a kinetic response, as we're seeing with | |
| Russia in Ukraine; whether that be with China's continual | |
| aggression from an economic and resource perspective. But one | |
| thing is very clear. Chairman Xi has continued to try outreach | |
| to expand his global mechanism to strangle the American people. | |
| And it is a target on the West and our hemisphere. We have | |
| seen this, as my colleague has properly pointed out, with | |
| regard to the expansion of Chavez of Venezuela or Petro in | |
| Columbia, or in Honduras, who just separated their ties with | |
| Taiwan, at China's behest. | |
| We are seeing a continuation of the stronghold to cutoff | |
| the Western Hemisphere supply chain, whether that be through | |
| the Eurasian expansion, Asia, and Africa--or, sorry--Oceania | |
| and Africa takeover for the Road and Belt Initiative, or the | |
| increased taxation and tariffs in control of the Panama Canal. | |
| Or, what about the 500 football-field-sized satellite that is | |
| sitting in our own hemisphere, as my colleague, Ms. Salazar, | |
| has pointed out multiple times, that the State Department and | |
| others do not even recognize? | |
| We keep talking about terrorism as if it has to only be in | |
| a kinetic element, but we have to understand that terrorism can | |
| also be through cyberterrorism. It can also be through the | |
| threats and the terroristic capabilities of trying to cutoff | |
| food supply, as we're seeing, or supply chains to the West--the | |
| economic coercion that is undermining the United States | |
| continually. | |
| And we have seen time and time again, as my colleague from | |
| Texas pointed out with the failed Resolution 2231 or JCPOA, | |
| where we reward people, thinking it's going to take them off of | |
| the State sponsor of terrorism, when, in fact, they were in | |
| continual violations--``they'' being Iran--when it came to | |
| small and midrange ballistic missile capabilities being | |
| shuttled across into Yemen, utilized by the Houthis, and | |
| sponsoring terrorism there. | |
| So, my point in all of this is to say, we are continuing to | |
| see the malign activities building up more and more and more at | |
| the behest of China and Russia, who is a very solid partnership | |
| with Cuba and has been for 50 and 60-plus years. | |
| And for my colleagues to continually ignore this, and try | |
| to say that we need Cuba to act as if it's an individual malign | |
| actor, is nonsense. I stand in strong support of Ms. Salazar's | |
| bill to fight the oppression until the reign of Castro ends. I | |
| support a democratic process for a free Cuba, which is what the | |
| Cuban people have been fighting for and who have been | |
| dissidents as a result of this. | |
| But the reality is this, and I will correct one thing that | |
| one of my colleagues said: America is unique not because we are | |
| a democracy. We are not a democracy. We are a constitutional | |
| republic that protects our people. | |
| And until Cuba can do this and separate itself from the | |
| malign actors, they should remain on this list until anyone can | |
| prove to me otherwise. | |
| With that, I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. | |
| Any further discussion? | |
| There being no further discussion of the bill, the | |
| committee will move to consideration of amendments. | |
| Does any member wish to offer an amendment? | |
| The ranking member is recognized. | |
| Mr. Meeks. I have an amendment at the desk. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The clerk shall distribute the amendment. | |
| The clerk shall report the amendment. | |
| The Clerk. ``Amendment to H.R. 314 offered by Mr. Meeks of | |
| New York. | |
| Page 2, after line 8, insert the following: | |
| Waiver. The''---- | |
| Chairman McCaul. Without objection, further reading of the | |
| amendment is dispensed with. | |
| [The amendment offered by Mr. Meeks follows:] | |
| [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes | |
| on his amendment. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| And I have a very simple amendment that I think that all of | |
| my colleagues should be able to support. And that's simply | |
| adding a waiver to this legislation. | |
| As I Stated at our first markup last month, there will not | |
| be bipartisan sanctions legislation in this committee without a | |
| waiver of some sort included within the legislation. And I hold | |
| myself to this same standard. | |
| For example, I want a more aggressive sanctioning of | |
| corrupt leaders of Haiti and the criminal gangs that lead to | |
| anarchy and violence in the streets of Port-au-Prince. And my | |
| legislation on the markup would impose mandatory sanctions on | |
| such individuals. | |
| But I can imagine times where we will need to work with | |
| unsavory characters to make sure Haitians can access food and | |
| basic humanitarian assistance. And that's why in my bill, which | |
| we'll talk about later, there is a waiver. And that's why this | |
| bill needs one also. | |
| My amendment here applies, basically, the same standard | |
| that Chairman McCaul applied to his bill in the DATA Act. So, | |
| it is something that I believe everyone on both sides of the | |
| aisle should be able to say yes to, because in that one we did. | |
| It simply would allow the President to waive the provisions | |
| of this legislation, should doing so be vital--if we waive it | |
| and there's a vital interest to America's national security | |
| interest. And on this, I genuinely hope that my amendment is | |
| something that we can look at and say we care about the Cuban | |
| people. So, we should waive certain things in these crises to | |
| help the Cuban people. So, this is really about the Cuban | |
| people. I would hope that everyone would be able to support | |
| this amendment. | |
| And I yield back the balance of my time. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. | |
| Any other members seek recognition? | |
| The gentlelady, the author of the bill, Ms. Salazar, is | |
| recognized. | |
| Ms. Salazar. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| And respectfully, I disagree with Ranking Member Meeks | |
| because this amendment undermines the bill that I am | |
| introducing, because it prevents the law, which is the Libertad | |
| Act, or better known as the Helms-Burton law, from being | |
| followed. | |
| And basically, all that law says is that Cuba has to follow | |
| some of the democratic rules--free speech, basic freedoms, | |
| political activity, release political prisoners, free and fair | |
| elections, independent judiciary, trade unions and associations | |
| to be independent--simple stuff, what we have as a democracy | |
| and as a constitutional democracy, as my colleague mentioned. | |
| So, if we adopt or if we agree with your proposed amendment | |
| to H.R. 314, that will, then, do away with what we're | |
| presenting in this law, H.R. 314. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Will the gentlelady yield? | |
| Ms. Salazar. And it allows the national security interests | |
| to keep a communistic dictatorship 90 miles away from the | |
| United States on the list. So, I think it should be in the | |
| hands of Congress, just like the Helms-Burton is, and not in | |
| the hands of the President, because he could be swayed--not | |
| only this President, but any other, he could be swayed by | |
| political interests. | |
| And unfortunately, it's been 63 years of the Cuban people | |
| are in the hands of the most evil dictator that the Americas | |
| have seen. And so, for that reason, I believe that your | |
| amendment should not be considered. | |
| Thank you. I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields back. | |
| Any further discussion? | |
| There being no further discussion, the question now occurs | |
| on the amendment offered by Representative Meeks, the ranking | |
| member. | |
| All those in favor, signify by saying aye. | |
| All those opposed, signify by saying no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it, and the | |
| amendment is not---- | |
| Mr. Meeks. Mr. Chairman, on that, I ask for a roll call | |
| vote. | |
| Chairman McCaul. A roll call vote has been requested. | |
| Pursuant to the chair's previous announcement, this vote | |
| will be postponed. | |
| Are there any further amendments? | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove is recognized. | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| I have an amendment at the desk. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The clerk shall distribute the amendment. | |
| The clerk shall report the amendment. | |
| The Clerk. ``Amendment to H.R. 314 offered by Ms. Kamlager- | |
| Dove of California. | |
| Page 2, beginning on line 5'' | |
| Chairman McCaul. Without objection, further reading of the | |
| amendment is dispensed with. | |
| [The amendment offered by Ms. Kamlager-Dove follows:] | |
| [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady is recognized for 5 minutes | |
| on her amendment. | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you, Mr. Chair. | |
| As we have discussed, H.R. 13--314 ties the removal of Cuba | |
| State sponsor of terrorism designation to conditions that have | |
| nothing to do with the support for terrorism. This would | |
| evidently weaken any incentive to change alleged terrorism- | |
| related behavior because doing so would not result in the | |
| lifting of the SSOT sanctions. My amendment would simply strike | |
| these counterproductive requirements and make the designation | |
| conditioned solely on meeting SSOT criteria. | |
| Anyone who believes that Cuba would legitimately qualify | |
| for this classification should support my amendment. I have | |
| made it easy. Given that an exhaustive review by the | |
| intelligence community in 2015 concluded that Cuba was not in | |
| fact an actor similar to North Korea, Iran, or Syria. This | |
| amendment highlights the attempted weaponization of the SSOT | |
| for punitive politically driven purposes. I urge all of my | |
| colleagues to support this commonsense amendment and I yield | |
| back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields back. | |
| I oppose this amendment. Any other members seek | |
| recognition? | |
| Ms. Salazar is recognized. | |
| Ms. Salazar. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| Once again this new amendment undermines the bill that we | |
| just introduced, H.R. 314. Why? Because it eliminates the | |
| reference to the LIBERTAD Act. The LIBERTAD Act is law right | |
| now, which is the one that codifies the United States' embargo | |
| against Cuba. And that law--all it says is that Cuba could join | |
| the international community if it were to behave like a | |
| responsible actor, a Democratic constitutional democracy. Once | |
| again, free speech, basic human rights, political activities, | |
| release political prisoners; 55 of them are less than 18 years | |
| old, allow and accept and assure the right to private property, | |
| make commitments to free and fair elections, establish an | |
| independent judiciary, simple things what we have that we | |
| aspire for Cubans to have and for the rest of the hemisphere to | |
| enjoy as well. | |
| So by this amendment that was just introduced eliminates | |
| that reference to the LIBERTAD Act which enumerates what I just | |
| presented and allows the President to unilaterally remove Cuba | |
| from the list. And once again it should be in the hands of the | |
| legislature, in the hands of the U.S. Congress, not in the | |
| hands of the Executive because he could--he or she in the | |
| future could be motivated by political interests. Thank you. I | |
| yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields back. | |
| Do any other members seek recognition? | |
| The ranking member is recognized. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| I support this amendment. A State sponsor of terror | |
| designation should not depend on your status on a well- | |
| respected human rights poll. It should not depend on your World | |
| Bank ease of doing business ranking. It should not depend on | |
| whether your country has good relations with the United States, | |
| but it should depend on whether you are a sponsor of | |
| international terrorism. | |
| Cuba was removed from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list | |
| in 2015 after an exhaustive review by experts at the State | |
| Department and in the intelligence community. It was the Trump | |
| administration. And they did not cite any new facts to justify | |
| its decision to relist Cuba in the waning days of his | |
| administration. | |
| By the way, it was during the same time this country's | |
| attention was still glued to the events of January the 6th. By | |
| the way, it is the same president that had in Mar-a-Lago Orban | |
| from Hungary. It is the same president that had a bromance with | |
| someone who is on the State Terrorist list, Kim Jong-un. It is | |
| the same president who had and said that Russia's intelligence | |
| was better than ours and accepted Russia's Statements against | |
| the United States. Same guy. But he said nothing different in | |
| regards talking about Cuba. | |
| It sounds simple because it is simple. A State sponsor of | |
| terror designation should be about a State sponsoring what? | |
| Terrorism. | |
| I support this amendment. All of the States, as Mr. Sherman | |
| talked about earlier, that they say that Cuba supports et | |
| cetera in--on the Western Hemisphere, none of them are on the | |
| State Sponsor of Terrorism list. So I support this amendment | |
| and I urge everyone to do the same. | |
| Mr. Sherman. Will the gentleman yield? | |
| Mr. Meeks [continuing]. Back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any other members seek recognition? | |
| Mr. Self? I am sorry, Mr. Mast recognized. | |
| Mr. Mast. Thank you, Chairman. | |
| I just wonder if the ranking member will define the word | |
| bromance for us? I am happy to yield. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Yes. Bromance is when someone says I talk to him | |
| a lot. I got to know him very well. He was very smart, very | |
| cunning, very streetwise and we spoke a lot. Actually we spoke | |
| a lot and I think we had a really, you know, a great | |
| relationship. I don't know if you remember when we started that | |
| relationship. It was very, very nasty then, but now we get | |
| along. That is a---- | |
| Mr. Mast. Are you describing a bromance or is that the | |
| definition of a bromance? | |
| Mr. Meeks. That is a bromance. | |
| Mr. Mast. Could you give me the definition of---- | |
| Mr. Meeks. I call that a bromance. That is---- | |
| Mr. Mast. Give me the definition of a bromance. | |
| Mr. Meeks [continuing]. President--from the former | |
| president of the United States. | |
| Mr. Mast. Thanks. | |
| Mr. Meeks. That is a bromance. | |
| Mr. Mast. This is definitely not a bromance, but thank you | |
| for your attempt. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. | |
| Mr. Mast. I yield. | |
| Chairman McCaul. And thanks for that enlighting definition. | |
| The chair recognizes Mr. Self. | |
| Mr. Self. For once I agree with the ranking member. This is | |
| very simple. The year 2015 tells you everything you need to | |
| know about this amendment. 2015 is also the year that the JCPOA | |
| was instituted. And he said that President Trump introduced no | |
| facts. We didn't need to introduce any new facts because they | |
| were already known. So once I agree with the ranking member, | |
| but everything he argued argues against this amendment. Thank | |
| you very much. I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. | |
| Any further discussion? | |
| Let me just say I oppose this amendment. The definition of | |
| a State sponsor of terrorism is a country that has repeatedly | |
| supported acts of terrorism. I believe the Cuban regime | |
| embodies this definition. | |
| With that, there being no further discussion, the question | |
| now occurs on the amendment offered by Ms. Kamlager-Dove. | |
| All those in favor, signify by saying aye. | |
| All those opposed, signify by saying no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it; the | |
| amendment is not agreed to. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Mr. Chairman, with that I would ask for a roll | |
| call vote. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Roll call vote has been requested. | |
| Pursuant to the chair's previous announcement, this vote will | |
| be postponed. | |
| Are there any further amendments? | |
| Mr. Jackson is recognized. | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. Thank you, Mr. Chair. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The clerk shall distribute---- | |
| Mr. Johnson of Louisiana. I have an amendment at the desk. | |
| I have major concern with the---- | |
| Chairman McCaul. Mr. Jackson will pause while your | |
| amendment is being circulated and then I will recognize you to | |
| speak on your amendment. | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Thank you. | |
| The clerk shall report the amendment. | |
| The. Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 314 offered by Mr. Jackson of | |
| Illinois. At the end of the bill add the following: Section 3-- | |
| -- | |
| Chairman McCaul. Without objection, further reading of the | |
| amendment is dispensed with. The gentleman is recognized for 5 | |
| minutes on his amendment. | |
| [The amendment offered by Mr. Jackson of Illinois follows:] | |
| [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I have major concerns | |
| with the FORCE Act because I do not believe that Cuba meets the | |
| requirements for a State sponsor of terror. I am also concerned | |
| that we are trying to issue--we are tying issues unrelated to | |
| terrorism to a State sponsor of terror designation. This is not | |
| how our foreign policy should work. | |
| I share the sponsor's interest in helping the people of | |
| Cuba, a country that I have traveled to several times, but do | |
| not believe this legislation is the way to bring about change | |
| on the island. | |
| My amendment is simple. It would sunset the legislation | |
| after 2 years. It has been long the policy of my friends across | |
| the aisle to support sunset on legislation. The very | |
| legislative protocol on the majority leader's website | |
| emphasizes the importance of sunsets and sanctions legislations | |
| put forward by Chairman McCaul last markup also had a sunset. | |
| Even if we disagree on the underlying legislation, I feel | |
| that we should all agree that it is important not to lack--to | |
| lock in a permanent policy that would be difficult to change | |
| when circumstances change or alter. I urge all of my colleagues | |
| to support my amendment. | |
| And for a point of record I would like to note that | |
| President Castro, or however you call him, died 7 years ago. So | |
| when we talk about his regime, he has not been dead longer than | |
| the statute of limitations. Thank you. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any further discussion on the amendment? | |
| Mr. Lawler is recognized. | |
| Mr. Lawler. Thank you. | |
| I would just note last week Secretary of State Blinken | |
| said, quote/unquote, ``We are not planning to remove Cuba from | |
| the list.'' So for my colleagues who say that they don't meet | |
| the definition, that they are not a State sponsor of terrorism, | |
| that we on this side of the aisle are wrong about this, then | |
| you should pick up the phone and talk to the Secretary of State | |
| because he agrees with us that they clearly meet the | |
| definition, which is why the administration is not making any | |
| efforts to remove them from the list. | |
| So this bill would simply make it clear that the President | |
| and the Secretary of State, who have agreed with us that they | |
| are not removing Cuba from the list, cannot do so until such | |
| time as Cuba complies with the LIBERTAD Act. So I yield back. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any further discussion? | |
| The ranking member is recognized. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| I support this amendment. It would sunset the legislation | |
| after 2 years and would give Congress and the executive branch | |
| more flexibility should circumstances on the ground change in | |
| the years to come. The majority leaders have a legislative | |
| protocol on sunsetting legislation precisely because it allows | |
| Congress the flexibility to do its job. And that is what this | |
| will do. If circumstances change, Congress can move quickly | |
| because we have sunsetted and we had the opportunity to look at | |
| it. | |
| And with that I yield back the balance of my time and ask | |
| everyone to support it. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. | |
| Any further discussion on the amendment? | |
| Let me say that I opposed this amendment. I believe it | |
| would be irresponsible to remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of | |
| Terrorist list based on an arbitrary timeline. So we must focus | |
| on their dangerous behavior until it stops. | |
| There being no further discussion, the question now occurs | |
| on the amendment offered by Mr. Jackson. | |
| All those in favor, signify by saying aye. | |
| All those opposed, signify by saying no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. The | |
| amendment is not agreed to. | |
| The ranking member is recognized. | |
| Mr. Meeks. I request the yeas and nays. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Roll call vote has been requested. | |
| Pursuant to the chair's previous announcement this vote will be | |
| postponed. | |
| Are there any further amendments? | |
| Pursuant to notice I now call up H.R. 1684, the Haiti | |
| Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2023. | |
| [The Bill H.R. 1684 follows:] | |
| [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| Chairman McCaul. The bill was circulated in advance and the | |
| clerk shall designate the bill. | |
| The. Clerk. H.R. 1684, a bill to require the Secretary of | |
| State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the ties | |
| between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in | |
| Haiti and impose sanctions on political and economic elites | |
| involved in such criminal activities. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Without objection, the first reading is | |
| dispensed with. The bill is considered read and open to | |
| amendment at any point. | |
| I now recognize myself for a Statement on the bill. | |
| Ranking Member Meeks and Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick, | |
| I want to thank you both for introducing this measure to | |
| address the lawlessness and corruption in Haiti. | |
| We had a hearing on this very issue and it is astounding | |
| how organized crime and gangs have taken over, like these | |
| warlords almost similar to Somalia in Haiti. And that is why I | |
| strongly support this measure. | |
| I think the rising levels of gang violence, political | |
| instability, kidnappings of Haitian and American citizens, | |
| poverty remains exceptionally high making Haiti the poorest | |
| country in the region and one of the most dangerous. To make | |
| matters worse Haiti has been experiencing a resurgence of | |
| cholera since last October after no cases were documented for | |
| over 3 years. | |
| I remain deeply troubled by the deteriorating health | |
| conditions as well as the violent warfare being waged by these | |
| warlords making it impossible for Haiti to find any stable form | |
| of governance. As I said, it is very reminiscent of Somalia and | |
| the situation there. | |
| I think these corrupt oligarchs, political elites use these | |
| gangs as brokers to advance their own personal interest and | |
| economic financial at the expense of the people. The absent | |
| government combined with the total lack of law and order is a | |
| primary driver of illegal immigration against the United | |
| States. So this measure is welcome, a welcome step in shining a | |
| light on the criminal activity in Haiti and to look at--to | |
| sanction those who are engaged in it. | |
| Specifically it will require the State Department to | |
| examine and report on times between gangs and the political and | |
| economic elites, establish visa restrictions, targeted | |
| sanctions against gangs, and Haiti's political and economic | |
| elite. While Haiti's challenges are difficult, the United | |
| States must remain committed to stopping this. And I was | |
| actually quite shocked when we had our hearing to hear that our | |
| international law enforcement is virtually absent from Haiti, | |
| and the Caribbean for that matter. | |
| And, Mr. Chairman, I look forward--not only do I support | |
| this measure, but I look forward to working with you on future | |
| legislation to address this rising problem. | |
| And with that, I yield back and I yield to you, Ranking | |
| Member Meeks. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| And thank you for those words and thank you for joining | |
| with us. | |
| And I want to thank Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick for | |
| her hard word and--on this bill also. | |
| There are as many as 200 gangs in Haiti who now control at | |
| least 60 percent of Port-au-Prince. The number of reported | |
| homicides for 2022 increased by 35.2 percent. Without a doubt | |
| Haiti is in a dire situation. The United Nations Office on | |
| Drugs and Crime report released in 2023 report that | |
| increasingly sophisticated and high-caliber firearms and | |
| ammunition are trafficked to--into Haiti amid an unprecedented | |
| and rapidly deteriorating security situation. | |
| Haiti also remains a trans-shipment country for drugs, | |
| primarily cocaine and cannabis, which mostly enter the country | |
| via boat or plane arriving through public and private and | |
| informal ports, as well as clandestine runways. | |
| Haiti's borders are porous and the challenges of patrolling | |
| 1,100 miles of coastline and a 243-mile land border with the | |
| Dominican Republic are overwhelming the capacities of Haiti's | |
| national police, customs, border patrols, and coast guard who | |
| are severely understaffed and under-resourced and increasingly | |
| targeted by gangs. | |
| And while I have seen some forward movement recently with | |
| vital support from the Biden administration on police training | |
| this January and the announcement and roll out of sanctions | |
| last October, heavily armed criminal gangs are targeting ports, | |
| highways, critical infrastructure, custom officers, police | |
| stations, courthouses, prisons, businesses, and neighborhoods. | |
| And we need to continue to apply pressure. | |
| The ongoing political paralysis has led to further de- | |
| stabilization which is being felt by Haitians across the | |
| country and those living in the diaspora. The United States | |
| should not and cannot be in the business of appointing leaders | |
| in sovereign nations. Last Congress I made it clear that the | |
| pathway toward stability must be by coordinated and led--must | |
| be coordinated and led by the Haitian people. | |
| Our job is to listen to the people of Haiti, work with our | |
| regional partners to add a semblance of stability in the | |
| country. This means continuing to investigate those involved in | |
| illegal trafficking of firearms from the United States to | |
| Haitian gangs. It means holding corrupt officials accountable | |
| by ensuring that these actors are not allowed to travel freely | |
| to the United States or own houses and other assets in our | |
| country. It also means assisting Haiti in finding closure and | |
| moving past the horrific assassination of Former President | |
| Moise. | |
| This is why I introduced this bill along with Chairman | |
| McCaul and of course subcommittee Chairwoman Salazar and | |
| Representative Cherfilus-McCormick in a bipartisan effort to | |
| ensure that Congress receives regular reports on the role that | |
| Haitian economic and political elite play in masterminding and | |
| providing support for Haitian gangs. We must ensure that we do | |
| not repeat previous United States mistakes in Haiti. | |
| In order to move away from the political paralysis that has | |
| gripped Haiti over the last few years the Haitian people need | |
| to believe that their voices matter, that their government is | |
| there to help. We know that these conditions are causing the | |
| rise in migration out of Haiti as people seek safety at any | |
| cost. | |
| We have a duty to make sure that we identify and hold | |
| accountable those who relish in the chaos caused by supporting | |
| gang activity using kidnappings and rape to control and silence | |
| communities and use coercion to bring youth in and around the | |
| Port-au-Prince into the disservice of criminal activity. We | |
| cannot allow them to walk around--the gang leaders and those | |
| that are supporting them to walk around with impunity. We must | |
| show the people of Haiti that they have the opportunity to take | |
| this and control themselves and not allow the gangs to rule and | |
| dictate and that the United States will hold accountable those | |
| that try to travel back and forth from Haiti and commit these | |
| committal--these terrible acts and criminal activity. | |
| So I ask--and again thank the chairman. I support this | |
| measure and I ask everyone else to do the same. I yield back | |
| the balance of my time. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. | |
| Any further discussion on the bill? | |
| Let me say also the women impacted in Haiti is probably the | |
| most egregious and disturbing out of all of this, but Ms. | |
| Kamlager-Dove is recognized. | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you, Mr. Chair. | |
| I want to express my support for H.R. 1684, the Haiti | |
| Criminal Transparency Collusion Act, and I am so excited that | |
| this is bipartisan. | |
| The deteriorating humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti | |
| is unprecedented in the Western Hemisphere. One of our closest | |
| neighbors is experiencing what the U.N. High Commissioner on | |
| Human Rights describes as a living nightmare with sexual | |
| violence, kidnappings, displacement, and indiscriminate killing | |
| as part of an everyday life for so many there. | |
| The situation in Haiti is not receiving the urgent | |
| spotlight that it deserves. It rarely does. It rarely does. The | |
| Haitian people have a long history of resilience and grit in | |
| the face of relentless manmade and natural disasters. This is a | |
| country born out of the fight for dignity and human rights | |
| against colonialism, systemic racism, and slavery. Haiti can | |
| and it will persevere. | |
| This bill says that we should not write the situation off | |
| as hopeless and insurmountable. We must continue to support the | |
| Haitian people with intentional policies and concerted | |
| international action. I am glad that this bill takes a strong | |
| step in holding accountable those who are perpetuating and | |
| benefiting from the country's chronic insecurity. I hope that | |
| this is the first step and not an only step. | |
| I have to say I was at the U.N. yesterday and we can do | |
| more, we should do more, we need to do more. That was what I | |
| heard at every meeting. | |
| And, Mr. Chair, I am not surprised that the international | |
| community has been absent in Haiti. Haiti has always gotten a | |
| salty side-eye from the international community because of its | |
| history of really fighting and winning against the French long, | |
| long ago. And we have an obligation, we have an obligation to | |
| stay with Haiti, to go to Haiti, and to be supportive of a | |
| country that needs us and that needs us to help in the right | |
| way. We cannot in good conscience stand by as a humanitarian | |
| catastrophe unfolds miles from our shores against folks with | |
| African descent who need to see us. And I urge my colleagues to | |
| support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields back. | |
| Any further discussion on the bill? | |
| Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, | |
| for supporting this bill. | |
| And thank you so much, Ranking Member Meeks, for your | |
| leadership, especially when it comes to the Haitian people. | |
| This bill is extremely important to the Haitian community | |
| and America, especially since we see many of these political | |
| elites are living in South Florida, are living throughout the | |
| United States, and are buying homes, shipping weapons every | |
| single day. | |
| It impacts us even more when we have a couple who--33- | |
| years-old living in my district who has been kidnapped. They | |
| were on their way in Haiti doing mission work to try and help | |
| the Haitian people and they got on the bus and they asked for | |
| the Americans and kidnapped them. This is our first attempt in | |
| actually trying to resolve this issue and I hope that we can | |
| work bipartisan-ly to make sure we have more initiatives so we | |
| can help the Haitian people, but also the Haitian Americans who | |
| are suffering from this situation. Thank you so much. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentlelady yields back. | |
| Any further discussion on the bill? | |
| Mr. Lawler is recognized. | |
| Mr. Lawler. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| I want to thank the ranking member for introducing this | |
| legislation. | |
| I have one of the largest Haitian diaspora in my district, | |
| primarily in Spring Valley, New York. And the concerns about | |
| the political and economic crises in Haiti are significant. And | |
| obviously when we look at what occurred with respect to the | |
| assassination of the president and the fallout from that, as | |
| well as the continued gang activity and the links between the | |
| Haitian political class and the economic elites with the | |
| country and the impact that that is having on the residents of | |
| Haiti and on the diaspora, I think this legislation is | |
| critically important. | |
| I think as we discussed with the previous legislation, it | |
| is important for the United States to take a leadership role in | |
| our hemisphere and to be working with our allies, but to also | |
| crack down where there is corruption, where there are | |
| challenges in our region of the world. And I think Haiti is a | |
| perfect example of that. We have a vested interest in it and we | |
| need to be doing more to help root out the political | |
| corruption, the gang activity, and the economic corruption | |
| which has had a devastating impact on the people of hearing. | |
| So I am fully in support of this legislation and I thank | |
| the ranking member for bringing it forward. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any further discussion on the bill? | |
| Mr. Jackson is recognized. | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| I would like to also recognize on behalf of the Haitian | |
| community--we have to keep in perspective, if you will, the | |
| United States this is a debtor to Haiti. Haiti has long been an | |
| ally of the United States. Haiti was the first country of | |
| Africans to have thrown off the yoke of colonialism and | |
| enslavement and they were punished. Haiti didn't finish paying | |
| reparations back to its colonial powers until 1940's in the | |
| United States. And since then we have had a no-trade/no | |
| development policy with them. | |
| So Haiti doesn't come here begging. Haiti comes here | |
| looking for assistance. They are a dignified people and, | |
| frankly, we lose credibility in the world and our standing when | |
| we have the poorest country off of our coast because we have | |
| been ambivalent and indifferent toward giving them assistance. | |
| They are also a people of tremendous integrity having | |
| recognized Taiwan. They don't sidestep the need for Taiwanese | |
| recognition. They have had the courage to do so and to peril | |
| themselves by not getting any assistance from us or them. So I | |
| strongly encourage that we support our Haitian colleagues and | |
| comrades. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any further discussion on the bill? | |
| Mr. McCormick? | |
| Mr. McCormick. Thank you, sir. This is very pertinent to a | |
| discussion I had just last night from a guy who was actually my | |
| translator during the Haitian earthquake in which lots of | |
| people died. We did fasciotomies. We had a whole mission field | |
| go over there and help them out. And we still see the same | |
| problems since before and after the earthquake a decade later. | |
| Just a quick interaction. | |
| This is a guy who has been back and forth. He does his own | |
| church there. He is literally in fear of his life. When he | |
| comes over here to raise money for his mission--one of the | |
| interesting things just happened just last night when he was | |
| texting me he said I reapply for the visa today. I pray they | |
| renew it. The worst case scenario is if they call me to come to | |
| the embassy for an interview in person. I would hate taking the | |
| risk to go to Port-au-Prince. I pray that everything happens | |
| online. In other words, he fears for his life just to go into | |
| the capital to apply for a visa at an embassy. | |
| Furthermore, when I said that, look, we need to go out, we | |
| need to make sure we have better security in this country | |
| that's right next door to us. He literally said; and this is | |
| the--one of the poorest people I know, ``That would be amazing | |
| thing. That's what we need. We do not need money as much as we | |
| need security and peace.'' In other words, poverty is one thing | |
| you can deal with, but you cannot deal with a scenario where | |
| you may be kidnapped or robbed at any given time, where your | |
| wife who just gave birth can't get food because you are worked | |
| to even go to the store. The fact that we have gone in there | |
| with Marines before and we had the same problem later is | |
| egregious. | |
| I was just talking to my fellow Congressman and freshman | |
| Ronny Jackson last night about how we have a United Nations for | |
| a reason. I am not sure what--the reason other than a lot of | |
| times they speak against the United States and against Israel, | |
| but besides that I have yet to see them step up and actually do | |
| something in this very, very impoverished country that needs to | |
| peace as much as it needs money. And with that I yield. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any further discussion on the bill? | |
| There being no further discussion, the committee will move | |
| to consideration of amendments. Does any member wish to offer | |
| an amendment? | |
| Mr. Perry is recognized. | |
| Mr. Perry. Mr. Chairman, I have got an amendment at the | |
| desk. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The clerk shall distribute the amendment. | |
| Mr. Cicilline. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Point of order is recognized. | |
| The clerk shall report the amendment. | |
| The. Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 1684 offered by Mr. Perry of | |
| Pennsylvania. Page 6, after line 18. Insert the following: | |
| Including a list of each criminal organization assessed to be | |
| trafficking Haitians and other individuals to the United States | |
| border. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Without objection, further reading of the | |
| amendment is dispensed with. The gentleman from Pennsylvania is | |
| recognized for 5 minutes on his amendment. | |
| Mr. Perry. I thank the chairman. | |
| This amendment simply requires reporting, reporting on the | |
| rampant human trafficking coming from these criminal | |
| organizations to our already overwhelmed southern border. | |
| Having a better understanding to what extent these groups | |
| continue to traffic humans to our southern border is crucial to | |
| solving the issues we face at the southern border, and quite | |
| honestly, any one of our borders. | |
| Criminal organizations commit heinous crimes against those | |
| they traffic and they literally have no regard for life, for it | |
| is not humane to operate an open border that encourages all the | |
| violence and dehumanization associated with human trafficking. | |
| And it is why it is crucial that we specifically have reporting | |
| language regarding human trafficking because not only is it | |
| crucial to the region's security, but it is crucial to the | |
| United States' national security. | |
| In closing this amendment simply helps us understand the | |
| scope and severity of how Haitian criminal organizations are | |
| trafficking populations to our borders and informs Congress so | |
| that we can make more informed and better decisions regarding | |
| solutions to those problems. | |
| With that, Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption and I yield the | |
| balance. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Let me say I support this amendment. | |
| Any other members seek recognition? | |
| The ranking member is recognized. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Mr. Chairman, the people of Haiti and the entire | |
| region impacted by the crises Haiti faces deserve to know which | |
| organizations and individuals support de-stabilizing criminal | |
| activity including those who take advantage of desperate people | |
| who are already extremely vulnerable and traffic them | |
| throughout the region making financial gains at every stop | |
| along the way. | |
| So I strongly support this amendment and ask my colleagues | |
| to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields back. | |
| Any further discussion on the amendment? | |
| There being no further discussion, does the gentleman, Mr. | |
| Cicilline, insist on his point of order? | |
| Mr. Cicilline. I do not, Mr. Chairman. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The gentleman withdraws his point of | |
| order. | |
| The question now occurs on the amendment offered by Mr. | |
| Perry. | |
| All those in favor, signify by saying aye. | |
| All those opposed, signify by saying no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the | |
| amendment is agreed to. | |
| There being no further amendments, I move that the | |
| committee report H.R. 1684, as amended, to the House with a | |
| favorable recommendation. | |
| All those in favor, signify by saying aye. | |
| All those opposed, signify by saying no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the | |
| motion is agreed to. | |
| Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the | |
| table. Staff is authorized to make any technical and conforming | |
| change. | |
| Committee will recess for about 10 minutes subject to the | |
| call of the chair. The clerk will send out a notice when we | |
| reconvene to vote. | |
| [Recess.] | |
| Chairman McCaul. The committee will come to order. | |
| The committee postponed further proceedings on the recorded | |
| vote on amendment No. 8 offered by Representative Meeks on | |
| which the noes had prevailed by voice vote. | |
| The question occurs on agreeing to the amendment. The clerk | |
| will call the roll. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Smith? | |
| Smith? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Wilson? | |
| Representative Wilson? | |
| Mr. Wilson. No. | |
| The Clerk. Wilson votes no. | |
| Representative Perry? | |
| Mr. Perry. No. | |
| The Clerk. Perry votes no. | |
| Representative Issa? | |
| Mr. Issa. No. | |
| The Clerk. Issa votes no. | |
| Representative Wagner? | |
| Wagner? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Mast? | |
| Mr. Mast. No. | |
| The Clerk. Mast votes no. | |
| Representative Buck? | |
| Buck? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Burchett? | |
| Mr. Burchett. No. | |
| The Clerk. Burchett votes no. | |
| Representative Green? | |
| Mr. Green. No. | |
| The Clerk. Green votes no. | |
| Representative Barr? | |
| Mr. Barr. No. | |
| The Clerk. Barr votes no. | |
| Representative Ronny Jackson? | |
| Jackson? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Young Kim? | |
| Mrs. Kim of California. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kim votes no. | |
| Representative Salazar? | |
| Ms. Salazar. Salazar votes no. | |
| The Clerk. Salazar votes no. | |
| Representative Huizenga? | |
| Mr. Huizenga. No. | |
| The Clerk. Huizenga votes no. | |
| Representative Radewagen? | |
| Mrs. Radewagen. Nay. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Radewagen votes no. | |
| Representative Hill? | |
| Mr. Hill. Hill no. | |
| The Clerk. Hill votes no. | |
| Representative Davidson? | |
| Mr. Davidson. No. | |
| The Clerk. Davidson votes no. | |
| Representative Baird? | |
| Mr. Baird. No. | |
| The Clerk. Baird votes no. | |
| Representative Waltz? | |
| Mr. Waltz. No. | |
| The Clerk. Waltz votes no. | |
| Representative Kean? | |
| Mr. Kean. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kean votes no. | |
| Representative Lawler? | |
| Mr. Lawler. No. | |
| The Clerk. Lawler votes no. | |
| Representative Mills? | |
| Mr. Mills. No. | |
| The Clerk. Mills votes no. | |
| Representative McCormick? | |
| Mr. McCormick. No. | |
| The Clerk. McCormick votes no. | |
| Representative Moran? | |
| Mr. Moran. No. | |
| The Clerk. Moran votes no. | |
| Representative James? | |
| Mr. James. No. | |
| The Clerk. James votes no. | |
| Representative Self? | |
| Mr. Self. No. | |
| The Clerk. Self votes no. | |
| Ranking Member Meeks? | |
| Mr. Meeks. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Meeks votes aye. | |
| Representative Sherman? | |
| Mr. Sherman. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Sherman votes aye. | |
| Representative Connolly? | |
| Mr. Connolly. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Connolly votes aye. | |
| Representative Keating? | |
| Keating? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Cicilline? | |
| Mr. Cicilline. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Cicilline votes aye. | |
| Representative Bera? | |
| Mr. Bera. Yes. | |
| The Clerk. Bera votes aye. | |
| Representative Castro? | |
| Castro? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Titus? | |
| Ms. Titus. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Titus votes aye. | |
| Representative Lieu? | |
| Mr. Lieu. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Lieu votes aye. | |
| Representative Wild? | |
| Ms. Wild. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Wild votes aye. | |
| Representative Phillips? | |
| Mr. Phillips. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Phillips votes aye. | |
| Representative Allred? | |
| Mr. Allred. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Allred votes aye. | |
| Representative Andy Kim? | |
| Kim? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Jacobs? | |
| Ms. Jacobs. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Jacobs votes aye. | |
| Representative Manning? | |
| Ms. Manning. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Manning votes aye. | |
| Representative Cherfilus-McCormick? | |
| Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Cherfilus-McCormick votes aye. | |
| Representative Stanton? | |
| Mr. Stanton. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Stanton votes aye. | |
| Representative Dean? | |
| Ms. Dean. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Dean votes aye. | |
| Representative Moskowitz? | |
| Mr. Moskowitz. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Moskowitz votes aye. | |
| Representative Jonathan Jackson? | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Jackson votes aye. | |
| Representative Kamlager-Dove? | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Si. | |
| The Clerk. Kamlager-Dove votes aye. | |
| Representative Costa? | |
| Costa? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Crow? | |
| Mr. Crow. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Crow votes aye. | |
| Representative Schneider? | |
| Mr. Schneider. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Schneider votes aye. | |
| Mr. Chairman? | |
| Chairman McCaul. The chairman votes no. | |
| The Clerk. Mr. Chairman votes no. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Are there any other members in the room | |
| who wish to have their vote recorded? | |
| Are there any other members who wish to change their vote? | |
| The clerk will report the tally. | |
| The Clerk. On this vote the ayes are 20 and the noes are | |
| 23. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The noes have it. The amendment is not | |
| agreed to. | |
| The committee postponed further proceedings on the recorded | |
| vote on amendment No. 7 offered by Representative Kamlager-Dove | |
| on which the noes had prevailed by voice vote. | |
| The question now occurs on agreeing to the amendment. The | |
| clerk will call the roll. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Smith? | |
| Smith? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Wilson? | |
| Mr. Wilson. No. | |
| The Clerk. Wilson votes no. | |
| Representative Perry? | |
| Mr. Perry. No. | |
| The Clerk. Perry votes no. | |
| Representative Issa? | |
| Mr. Issa. No. | |
| The Clerk. Issa votes no. | |
| Representative Wagner? | |
| Wagner? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Mast? | |
| Mr. Mast. No. | |
| The Clerk. Mast votes no. | |
| Representative Buck? | |
| Buck? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Burchett? | |
| Mr. Burchett. No. | |
| The Clerk. Burchett votes no. | |
| Representative Green? | |
| Mr. Green. No. | |
| The Clerk. Green votes no. | |
| Representative Barr? | |
| Mr. Barr. No. | |
| The Clerk. Barr votes no. | |
| Representative Ronny Jackson? | |
| Jackson? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Young Kim? | |
| Mrs. Kim of California. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kim votes no. | |
| Representative Salazar? | |
| Ms. Salazar. Salazar votes no. | |
| The Clerk. Salazar votes no. | |
| Representative Huizenga? | |
| Mr. Huizenga. No. | |
| The Clerk. Huizenga votes no. | |
| Representative Radewagen? | |
| Mrs. Radewagen. Nay. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Radewagen votes no. | |
| Representative Hill? | |
| Mr. Hill. No. | |
| The Clerk. Hill votes no. | |
| Representative Davidson? | |
| Mr. Davidson. No. | |
| The Clerk. Davidson votes no. | |
| Representative Baird? | |
| Mr. Baird. No. | |
| The Clerk. Baird votes no. | |
| Representative Waltz? | |
| Mr. Waltz. No. | |
| The Clerk. Waltz votes no. | |
| Representative Kean? | |
| Mr. Kean. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kean votes no. | |
| Representative Lawler? | |
| Mr. Lawler. No. | |
| The Clerk. Lawler votes no. | |
| Representative Mills? | |
| Mr. Mills. No. | |
| The Clerk. Mills votes no. | |
| Representative McCormick? | |
| Mr. McCormick. No. | |
| The Clerk. McCormick votes no. | |
| Representative Moran? | |
| Mr. Moran. No. | |
| The Clerk. Moran votes no. | |
| Representative James? | |
| Mr. James. No. | |
| The Clerk. James votes no. | |
| Representative Self? | |
| Mr. Self. No. | |
| The Clerk. Self votes no. | |
| Ranking Member Meeks? | |
| Mr. Meeks. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Meeks votes aye. | |
| Representative Sherman? | |
| Mr. Sherman. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Sherman votes aye. | |
| Representative Connolly? | |
| Mr. Connolly. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Connolly votes aye. | |
| Representative Keating? | |
| Keating? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Cicilline? | |
| Mr. Cicilline. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Cicilline votes aye. | |
| Representative Bera? | |
| Mr. Bera. Yes. | |
| The Clerk. Bera votes aye. | |
| Representative Castro? | |
| Castro? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Titus? | |
| Ms. Titus. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Titus votes aye. | |
| Representative Lieu? | |
| Mr. Lieu. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Lieu votes aye. | |
| Representative Wild? | |
| Ms. Wild. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Wild votes aye. | |
| Representative Phillips? | |
| Mr. Phillips. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Phillips votes aye. | |
| Representative Allred? | |
| Mr. Allred. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Allred votes aye. | |
| Representative Andy Kim? | |
| Mr. Kim of New Jersey. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Kim votes aye. | |
| Representative Jacobs? | |
| Ms. Jacobs. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Jacobs votes aye. | |
| Representative Manning? | |
| Ms. Manning. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Manning votes aye. | |
| Representative Cherfilus-McCormick? | |
| Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Cherfilus-McCormick votes aye. | |
| Representative Stanton? | |
| Mr. Stanton. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Stanton votes aye. | |
| Representative Dean? | |
| Ms. Dean. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Dean votes aye. | |
| Representative Moskowitz? | |
| Mr. Moskowitz. No. | |
| The Clerk. Moskowitz votes no. | |
| Representative Jonathan Jackson? | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Jackson votes no--aye. | |
| Representative Kamlager-Dove? | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Si. | |
| The Clerk. Kamlager-Dove votes aye. | |
| Representative Costa? | |
| Costa? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Crow? | |
| Mr. Crow. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Crow votes aye. | |
| Representative Schneider? | |
| Mr. Schneider. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Schneider votes aye. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The chair votes no. | |
| The Clerk. Mr. Chairman votes no. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Are there any members in the room who wish | |
| to have their vote recorded? | |
| Any members who wish to change their vote? | |
| The clerk will report the tally. | |
| Mr. Smith is recognized. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Smith? | |
| Mr. Smith. I vote no. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Smith votes no. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Now the clerk will report the tally. | |
| The Clerk. On this vote the ayes are 20 and the noes are | |
| 25. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The noes have it. The amendment is not | |
| agreed to. | |
| The committee postponed further proceedings on the recorded | |
| vote on amendment No. 6 offered by Representative Jackson on | |
| which the noes had prevailed by voice. | |
| The question now occurs on agreeing to the amendment. The | |
| clerk will call the roll. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Smith? | |
| Mr. Smith. No. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Smith votes no. | |
| Representative Wilson? | |
| Mr. Wilson. No. | |
| The Clerk. Wilson votes no. | |
| Representative Perry? | |
| Mr. Perry. No. | |
| The Clerk. Perry votes no. | |
| Representative Issa? | |
| Mr. Issa. No. | |
| The Clerk. Issa votes no. | |
| Representative Wagner? | |
| Wagner? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Mast? | |
| Mr. Mast. No. | |
| The Clerk. Mast votes no. | |
| Representative Buck? | |
| Buck? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Burchett? | |
| Mr. Burchett. No. | |
| The Clerk. Burchett votes no. | |
| Representative Green? | |
| Mr. Green. No. | |
| The Clerk. Green votes no. | |
| Representative Barr? | |
| Mr. Barr. No. | |
| The Clerk. Barr votes no. | |
| Representative Ronny Jackson? | |
| Jackson? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Young Kim? | |
| Mrs. Kim of California. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kim votes no. | |
| Representative Salazar? | |
| Ms. Salazar. No. | |
| The Clerk. Salazar votes no. | |
| Representative Huizenga? | |
| Mr. Huizenga. No. | |
| The Clerk. Huizenga votes no. | |
| Representative Radewagen? | |
| Mrs. Radewagen. Nay. Nay. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Radewagen votes no. | |
| Representative Hill? | |
| Mr. Hill. No. | |
| The Clerk. Hill votes no. | |
| Representative Davidson? | |
| Mr. Davidson. No. | |
| The Clerk. Davidson votes no. | |
| Representative Baird? | |
| Mr. Baird. No. | |
| The Clerk. Baird votes no. | |
| Representative Waltz? | |
| Mr. Waltz. No. | |
| The Clerk. Waltz votes no. | |
| Representative Kean? | |
| Mr. Kean. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kean votes no. | |
| Representative Lawler? | |
| Mr. Lawler. No. | |
| The Clerk. Lawler votes no. | |
| Representative Mills? | |
| Mr. Mills. No. | |
| The Clerk. Mills votes no. | |
| Representative McCormick? | |
| Mr. McCormick. No. | |
| The Clerk. McCormick votes no. | |
| Representative Moran? | |
| Mr. Moran. No. | |
| The Clerk. Moran votes no. | |
| Representative James? | |
| Mr. James. No. | |
| The Clerk. James votes no. | |
| Representative Self? | |
| Mr. Self. No. | |
| The Clerk. Self votes no. | |
| Ranking Member Meeks? | |
| Mr. Meeks. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Meeks votes aye. | |
| Representative Sherman? | |
| Mr. Sherman. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Sherman votes aye. | |
| Representative Connolly? | |
| Mr. Connolly. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Connolly votes aye. | |
| Representative Keating? | |
| Keating? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Cicilline? | |
| Mr. Cicilline. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Cicilline votes aye. | |
| Representative Bera? | |
| Mr. Bera. Yes. | |
| The Clerk. Bera votes aye. | |
| Representative Castro? | |
| Castro? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Titus? | |
| Ms. Titus. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Titus votes aye. | |
| Representative Lieu? | |
| Mr. Lieu. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Lieu votes aye. | |
| Representative Wild? | |
| Ms. Wild. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Wild votes aye. | |
| Representative Phillips? | |
| Mr. Phillips. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Phillips votes aye. | |
| Representative Allred? | |
| Mr. Allred. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Allred votes aye. | |
| Representative Andy Kim? | |
| Mr. Kim of New Jersey. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Kim votes aye. | |
| Representative Jacobs? | |
| Ms. Jacobs. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Jacobs votes aye. | |
| Representative Manning? | |
| Ms. Manning. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Manning votes aye. | |
| Representative Cherfilus-McCormick? | |
| Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Cherfilus-McCormick votes aye. | |
| Representative Stanton? | |
| Mr. Stanton. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Stanton votes aye. | |
| Representative Dean? | |
| Ms. Dean. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Dean votes aye. | |
| Representative Moskowitz? | |
| Mr. Moskowitz. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Moskowitz votes aye. | |
| Representative Jonathan Jackson? | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Jackson votes aye. | |
| Representative Kamlager-Dove? | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Kamlager-Dove votes aye. | |
| Representative Costa? | |
| Costa? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Crow? | |
| Mr. Crow. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Crow votes aye. | |
| Representative Schneider? | |
| Mr. Schneider. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Schneider votes aye. | |
| Mr. Chairman? | |
| Chairman McCaul. The chairman votes no. | |
| The Clerk. Mr. Chairman votes no. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Are there any other members in the room | |
| who wish to have their vote recorded? | |
| Any members who wish to change their vote? | |
| The clerk will report the tally. | |
| The Clerk. On this vote the ayes are 21 and the noes are | |
| 24. | |
| Chairman McCaul. The noes have it and the amendment is not | |
| agreed to. | |
| There being no further amendments to dispense with, I move | |
| that the committee report H.R. 314 to the House with a | |
| favorable recommendation. | |
| All those in favor, signify by saying aye. | |
| All those opposed, signify by saying no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the | |
| motion is agreed to. | |
| Mr. Meeks. Mr. Chairman, I've got ask for a roll call vote. | |
| Chairman McCaul. A recorded vote has been requested. The | |
| clerk will call the roll. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Smith? | |
| Mr. Smith. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Smith votes aye. | |
| Representative Wilson? | |
| Mr. Wilson. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Wilson votes aye. | |
| Representative Perry? | |
| Mr. Perry. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Perry votes aye. | |
| Representative Issa? | |
| Mr. Issa. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Issa votes aye. | |
| Representative Wagner? | |
| Wagner? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Mast? | |
| Mr. Mast. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Mast votes aye. | |
| Representative Buck? | |
| Buck? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Burchett? | |
| Mr. Burchett. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Burchett votes aye. | |
| Representative Green? | |
| Mr. Green. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Green votes aye. | |
| Representative Barr? | |
| Mr. Barr. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Barr votes aye. | |
| Representative Ronny Jackson? | |
| Jackson? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Young Kim? | |
| Mrs. Kim of California. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Kim votes aye. | |
| Representative Salazar? | |
| Ms. Salazar. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Salazar votes aye. | |
| Representative Huizenga? | |
| Mr. Huizenga. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Huizenga votes aye. | |
| Representative Radewagen? | |
| Mrs. Radewagen. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Radewagen votes aye. | |
| Representative Hill? | |
| Mr. Hill. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Hill votes aye. | |
| Representative Davidson? | |
| Davidson? | |
| Mr. Davidson. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Davidson votes aye. | |
| Representative Baird? | |
| Mr. Baird. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Baird votes aye. | |
| Representative Waltz? | |
| Mr. Waltz. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Representative Waltz votes aye. | |
| Representative Kean? | |
| Mr. Kean. Yes. | |
| The Clerk. Kean votes aye. | |
| Representative Lawler? | |
| Mr. Lawler. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Lawler votes aye. | |
| Representative Mills? | |
| Mr. Mills. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Mills votes aye. | |
| Representative McCormick? | |
| Mr. McCormick. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. McCormick votes aye. | |
| Representative Moran? | |
| Mr. Moran. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Moran votes aye. | |
| Representative James? | |
| Mr. James. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. James votes aye. | |
| Representative Self? | |
| Mr. Self. Aye. | |
| The Clerk. Self votes aye. | |
| Ranking Member Meeks? | |
| Mr. Meeks. No. | |
| The Clerk. Ranking Member Meeks votes no. | |
| Representative Sherman? | |
| Mr. Sherman. No. | |
| The Clerk. Sherman votes no. | |
| Representative Connolly? | |
| Mr. Connolly. Nay. | |
| The Clerk. Connolly votes no. | |
| Representative Keating? | |
| Keating? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Cicilline? | |
| Mr. Cicilline. No. | |
| The Clerk. Cicilline votes no. | |
| Representative Bera? | |
| Mr. Bera. No. | |
| The Clerk. Bera votes no. | |
| Representative Castro? | |
| Castro? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Titus? | |
| Ms. Titus. No. | |
| The Clerk. Titus votes no. | |
| Representative Lieu? | |
| Mr. Lieu. No. | |
| The Clerk. Lieu votes no. | |
| Representative Wild? | |
| Ms. Wild. No. | |
| The Clerk. Wild votes no. | |
| Representative Phillips? | |
| Mr. Phillips. No. | |
| The Clerk. Phillips votes no. | |
| Representative Allred? | |
| Mr. Allred. No. | |
| The Clerk. Allred votes no. | |
| Representative Kim? | |
| Mr. Kim of New Jersey. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kim votes no. | |
| Representative Jacobs? | |
| Ms. Jacobs. No. | |
| The Clerk. Jacobs votes no. | |
| Representative Manning? | |
| Ms. Manning. No. | |
| The Clerk. Manning votes no. | |
| Representative Cherfilus-McCormick? | |
| Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick. No. | |
| The Clerk. Cherfilus-McCormick votes no. | |
| Representative Stanton? | |
| Mr. Stanton. No. | |
| The Clerk. Stanton votes no. | |
| Representative Dean? | |
| Ms. Dean. No. | |
| The Clerk. Dean votes no. | |
| Representative Moskowitz? | |
| Mr. Moskowitz. Yes. | |
| The Clerk. Moskowitz votes aye. | |
| Representative Jonathan Jackson? | |
| Mr. Jackson of Illinois. No. | |
| The Clerk. Jackson votes no. | |
| Representative Kamlager-Dove? | |
| Ms. Kamlager-Dove. No. | |
| The Clerk. Kamlager-Dove votes no. | |
| Representative Costa? | |
| Costa? | |
| [No response.] | |
| The Clerk. Representative Crow? | |
| Mr. Crow. No. | |
| The Clerk. Crow votes no. | |
| Representative Schneider? | |
| Mr. Schneider. No. | |
| The Clerk. Schneider votes no. | |
| Mr. Chairman? | |
| Chairman McCaul. The chairman votes aye. | |
| The Clerk. Mr. Chairman votes aye. | |
| Chairman McCaul. Have all members voted? | |
| Does any member wish to change their vote? | |
| The clerk will report the tally. | |
| The Clerk. On this vote the ayes are 25 and the noes are | |
| 20. | |
| Chairman McCaul. In the opinion of the chair the ayes have | |
| it and the motion is agreed to. | |
| Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the | |
| table and staff is authorized to make any technical and | |
| conforming changes. | |
| This concludes consideration of the measures noticed by the | |
| committee for today. I want to thank all the members. | |
| There being no further business to transact, the committee | |
| stands adjourned. | |
| [Whereupon, at 12:26 p.m., the committee was adjourned.] | |
| [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| [all] | |
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