Ed Royce: “I agree with part of the argument that is being made here by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel). You just heard a…”

“I agree with part of the argument that is being made here by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel). You just heard a common theme between the underlying bill and the ranking member's substitute, and that is the need for greater transparency, especially transparency around the Claims Tribunal. That is a must. I will go back to the underlying problem. If diplomats were working overtime on a settlement, why not tell the committee of jurisdiction of the possibility? If the goal of this settlement was merely to put to rest a decade-old dispute over an abandoned arms sale, as we were told after the fact, then why the secrecy? The administration has intentionally left us, the committee, and this Congress in the dark. Both the underlying bill and the ranking member's substitute requires the administration to be more transparent with Congress and the American people about how it engages with the tribunal. If future settlements are truly a good deal for the American taxpayers, these requirements should be welcomed, not a burden. The goal of the underlying legislation is to ensure that a tribunal that has been in place since 1981, and has operated more or less successfully, cannot be manipulated, cannot be manipulated by either the next administration or this administration. So here the two of us agree.…”