You cannot see how that undercuts your mission?

We think this is a smart piece of legislation and authorizing and, you know, funding CEPI would be incredibly helpful.

It just strikes me as we are making a statement and a contradictory one to everything you said.

Didn't Mexico--Mexico participated in this, yet the U.S. is absent. Forty-seven countries pledging to this, and do not you think that undercuts our efforts?

I really think it is sending some kind of message to our close allies.

The House will come forward with appropriations with strong investments on the international front in many areas.

We realize it is in our self-interest--security interest, economic interest, and, indeed, our healthcare interest.

It is in our interest, it is in their interest, I think it is in a global interest to do that.

I think it is a message of showing how interested our committee is and Congress is on improving our transatlantic relations.

However, I do not know how we do those things when we have a administration that, in my view, seems to be hostile in its approach toward participating in all of these efforts.

Let's be clear: Taiwan is an independent nation, and China, the Chinese Communist Party specifically, is not a friend.