On the recordApril 10, 2018
I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding. Mr. Speaker, today, the United States House of Representatives will have an opportunity to vote on H. Res. 128, Supporting Respect for Human Rights and Encouraging Inclusive Governance in Ethiopia. H. Res. 128 calls upon the Government of Ethiopia to take clear and decisive steps toward becoming more inclusive, more democratic, and more respectful of the basic human rights of its people. There will be those who will argue today that this resolution is counterproductive in that the Government of Ethiopia has been a strong and dependable ally of the United States of America. The opponents will say that the national security interest of the United States justifies our support for this government, and, therefore, we must ignore the cries of the Ethiopian people who are suffering under this repressive regime. The opponents fear that the Ethiopian Government will end its cooperation with the United States in the war against terrorism if we publicly criticize their human rights record by passing this resolution. But I say to them, for far too long, the United States has looked the other way as the Ethiopian Government has so often used the weapons that we have provided for them, not to fight terrorism, but to terrorize their own people. For far too long, the United States has looked the other way as peaceful protestors were met with violence from heavily armed Ethiopian security forces.…
