Thomas R. Suozzi: “I thank Mr. Sires for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bipartisan H. Res. 585, which I…”

“I thank Mr. Sires for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bipartisan H. Res. 585, which I introduced along with my Republican colleague Peter King. This resolution reaffirms the United States' support for the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements in order to ensure a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. I want to start by thanking Chairman Engel for his support of this bipartisan resolution and for his decades-long commitment to bringing a lasting peace to the island of Ireland. I also thank, again, my fellow Long Islander Peter King, my lead Republican cosponsor of this resolution, who has been a staunch advocate for the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process for the length and breadth of his entire career in public service, over 30 years. I thank all of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and from the Congressional Friends of Ireland who cosponsored this resolution. Particularly, I thank my friend Bill Keating, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment. Mr. Speaker, the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a momentous achievement that marked the official end of The Troubles, a dark period in history that saw communities torn apart, thousands of people killed, and the island of Ireland literally divided by a hard border.…”