Raúl Grijalva: “At the inception of the debate and discussion regarding this appropriations bill, I indicated I would offer an amendment…”

“At the inception of the debate and discussion regarding this appropriations bill, I indicated I would offer an amendment to prevent language in the bill from driving the extinction of the African elephants. I expect the administration to release its proposed ivory rule this month, and it deserves the support of every Member of this Chamber. This rider that is currently in the language of the bill is another unfounded attack on an endangered species that our Nation's top scientific experts have concluded will go extinct without the protection of the Endangered Species Act, under which this rule is being promulgated. I mentioned in my previous statement the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently destroyed a one-ton stockpile of illegal elephant ivory, most of it seized in Philadelphia from an antique dealer named Victor Gordon. Gordon imported and sold ivory from freshly killed African elephants in violation of U.S. law and the laws of the countries where the elephants were poached, and the ivory was stolen. The ivory was doctored so that it looked old enough to pass through a loophole in the law. All of this ivory is illegal. All of it is nearly impossible to distinguish from antique ivory, and anyone who bought it from Gordon and resells it or buys it from a new owner is contributing to the ongoing slaughter of elephants and the criminal trafficking of ivory that supports organized crime and terrorism. The only way to keep U.S.…”