Ed Royce

I want to commend Representatives Smith and Bass, and of course, the chair and ranking member, for their work on this bill.

I want to thank Representative Zeldin for this measure.

We thank Steve Cohen for this measure.

I wanted to thank Congresswoman Torres for this timely resolution to extend our condolences to the people of Guatemala.

I want to thank the bill's author, that would be Representative Dan Donovan, former prosecutor, for this measure.

By strengthening oversight and management of construction of new facilities, we can better protect our diplomats.

President Kabila's security forces are responsible, as we know on this committee, for massive human rights abuses and great instability across the DRC.

I deeply appreciate the bipartisan work of Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Bass of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

I appreciate House Resolution 944 expressing solidarity and sympathy of the people of Guatemala after the June 3, 2018, eruption of the Fuego Volcano.

We need our allies to stand with us as we fight for mutually-shared democratic values.

No American wants to see Russia influencing our elections, particularly through illegal and hidden measures.

I am pleased to be the lead Democrat on this bill.

This bill will help push Kabila to follow through with his commitments to do one thing that we have all pushed him on, to hold free, fair, and transparent elections in December of this year, as Congo has committed to do.

Another aspect of this that I think we have to think on is that high volume, nonbank lenders played a pretty substantial role in the financial crisis.

I appreciate Secretary Carson being with us.

What about on the Government side? In many ways, FHA appears poorly prepared to oversee these nonbanks, because of their outdated technology and risk management systems.

When we are looking at the proxy advisory industry, we have a stranglehold there, from my standpoint, we have two firms holding 97 percent of the market.

I would suggest that tripling down in terms of the pressure we apply on the government there to have transparency and to end those practices is the only sure way to rally confidence on the part of the Afghan population and international…

But one of the other things that has to be a prerequisite here is within the Government of Afghanistan that government has to credibly combat corruption, and that has been a longstanding problem.

I do, however, question the administration's decision to keep the PLO office open.

I applaud the administration for standing strong with Israel and in understanding the sheer magnitude of the threats that our closest friend and partner, the democratic Jewish state of Israel, faces.

This particular amendment would expand the Army Corps of Engineers' authorization to permit cooperation with regional coalitions who are seeking to create or improve water infrastructure in their areas. The amendment today would help…

It's important that any future economic engagement with North Korea not empower the regime to continue its brutal mistreatment of Koreans.

I think it's very important we keep the pressure applied here to the Kim regime.

American diplomats serve on the front lines.