▶ 0:12:35Committee on Foreign Affairs will come to order. And as we start each hearing, we will start with the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
▶ 0:13:16Good morning. Purpose of this hearing is to hear from members of Congress on bills that have been referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee. And I would now like to recognize recognize myself for a brief opening statement. Very I like to believe that the American people deserve open, transparent Congress, and that's what we're doing here today.
▶ 0:13:39Uh today, every member gets the opportunity, if they wish, the same opportunity uh to bring bills forward that they would like to see the foreign affairs committee uh take up. Everybody gets to be heard. Every member gets a fair shot in an open process. It doesn't matter if you're on the committee or not on the committee. You can bring your bill and we will bring it up for debate and conversation. And today you have that chance to make your case to your colleagues and the American people about why you believe your bill is important and the right direction for this for this country.
▶ 0:14:08Uh this is transparency and action. It's not just lip service. And I appreciate the members bringing forward their ideas. And that I now recognize the ranking member from Rhode Island, Representative Alma, for an opening statement.
▶ 0:14:21Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for those sentiments about the importance of this uh hearing today. Uh I welcome uh all of my colleagues to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Our work on this committee is integral to developing, strengthening, and ensuring oversight of the United States foreign policy and national security.
▶ 0:14:41As the committee of jurisdiction for oversight of the State Department, the work that we do here has a significant impact on the work of our diplomatic and development professionals at home and abroad and their work to advance US leadership and our global priorities. Though you may not formally sit on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, uh you are here today because you understand just how deeply US foreign policy affects your district and your constituents.
▶ 0:15:09Your insight today comes at a critical time of global instability and increased threats to US leadership and the rules-based order that has benefited the United States for decades. We are grateful to have you with us to share your perspectives and help inform our work on the committee as we work alongside Chairman Mast uh and with the uh leadership of ranking member Meeks who I am proud to fill in for here today. I look forward to hearing from each and every member here.
▶ 0:15:37So in the interest of not taking too much time away from our guests, I want to thank you all for joining us and I am sure we will all greatly benefit from your expertise you bring to this conversation. Thank you and I yield Ranking member yields back. I'd like to tell everybody that other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. Thank you to the members who are here today.
▶ 0:16:00Your full statements will be made a part of the record and I'll ask each of you to keep your spoken remarks to about five minutes in order to allow time for other members questions. Now, following all of your remarks, I recognize members of the committee to ask questions. So, please stay after your remarks. And that again, I thank you all for being here. And I'd now like to recognize Representative Chris Smith from New Jersey for any opening statement that you may have.
▶ 0:16:22Thank you so very much, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member. Thank you for convening this important hearing um and for the work that you have been doing uh for our foreign policy. It's been tremendous. I would ask I have a number of bills, but I'll narrow it down to two at least for now. Uh one of them is called the Nelson Wells and Dawn Michelle Hunt unjustly detained in Communist China Act.
▶ 0:16:46HR Uh last a year ago in September, I held yet another hearing on human rights abuse in China. I chair the China Commission. Um and I've to date had 107 congressional hearings focused exclusively on human rights abuses in China. But this was very unique because it focused on Americans who get accused including people who are trying to do trade and uh in China.
▶ 0:17:13they get accused of something uh and and then they get up to life imprisonment. Uh and there's well over 200 to 300 of these individuals. Uh one of the women and we we had family members come and testify and say they can't meet with them. They are abused. In one case, the brother of a young woman just said that she's been raped. Uh just horrible. And the Chinese Communist Party, we all know that there is no due process of law.
▶ 0:17:40there's no uh uh presumption of innocence when you're accused, you are guilty. If the prosecutor says you're guilty, you're guilty. And so there's a very real hazard for Americans. This piece of legislation uh would call for the president to devise a strategy u to help these people who have been unjustly uh detained and to make sure uh that we are advocating for them. On the day and weeks before and soon after our hearing, a number of people were released. A couple of people were released.
▶ 0:18:10Um, three uh and and you know it shows that the Chinese are listening and again we don't want Americans going over to the PRC wherever it might be. Uh including our men and women are providing or doing trade there and all of a sudden finally they've been accused of something and they're on their way to the slammer for for a very very long time. We're hoping the president will raise this issue. I think this bill says we're behind those Americans and we want them protected. The second is the Barus Democracy Act.
▶ 0:18:39In 2004, I authored the Barus Democracy Act of 2004 directed at Lucenko and his henchmen who were imprisoning and torturing people in Barus. Uh the legislation caused many people to be because it was signed into law by George W. Bush. Many people got out of prison as a result of it. Uh and it has been a very useful tool.
▶ 0:19:02It is the template for the Mandiski Act and the Global Magneski Act focusing on two things and that is no visas for those who are found to be complicit in this kind of abuse. Secondly, uh they can't do any trade here. When I met with Lucenko on one trip to Minsk, he pointed to me, we had 11 members at a at a at a meeting and he said that's public enemy number one. That's how much he hates this legislation and our hope is that we can reauthorize it.
▶ 0:19:30President Trump has done an amazing job of getting political prisoners out of Belarus 86 year to date and and into late last year. But I've met with Satetana and others who have she won the presidential election as we all know. Uh but of course it was stolen by Lucenko.
▶ 0:19:49her husband was released as a direct result of the president's 86 and all that have been released because of the president's but there's still 1,200 more than 1,200 that are still incarcerated and they asked please pass the Barus democracy act because it is a real real leverage to get people out of prison and to hopefully usher in some democratic reform. So I I those are the two major bills.
▶ 0:20:14I do have others um that that are I think important particularly in the area of of human rights um in China. Uh we do want to reauthorize the um um the u legislation for the United States Commission on Religious Freedom. Um we you know we do have a bill that's pending. It does run out the end of this year fiscal year.
▶ 0:20:37And um you know the the genius of Frank Wolf when he did the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998 was to have a concurrent independent picked by the leadership of the House and Senate Democrat and Republican to monitor and to make sure that there's a separate look at all things related to religious freedom and the commission has done an amazing job. Every hearing I've had on religious freedom, they're always there providing insights and they've been very helpful on the whole issue of of Nigeria.
▶ 0:21:05Um, they have been calling for CPC for Nigeria for the four years of Biden. Sadly, he didn't do it, but now President Trump has done it. And I just met with them yesterday at a big seminar and they're all all in to try to make sure uh well, we need to reauthorize that commission. You is a is an amazing commission. I'm out of time. Thank you.
▶ 0:21:27Thank you, Representative Smith. I'd now like to recognize Representative Lois Frankle from Florida for an opening
▶ 0:21:37Thank you. Uh thank you to our chair and ranking member and to the other committee members here today. Um I I serve as the ranking member on the National Security Department of State and Related Programs, formerly known as the subcommittee of the appropriations committee that funds foreign assistance. and thank you for the opportunity to be here today.
▶ 0:22:01Our our two committees share a common purpose using America's foreign policy tools to uh make in the words of our Secretary of State Marco Rubio making our country safer, stronger, and more prosperous. I I'm here today and I'm not highlighting bills, but I want to highlight two uh areas critical to to our goals. uh the women peace and security and food for peace.
▶ 0:22:28Uh on women peace and security in 2017 uh Congress bipartisan together passed the women peace and security act and it recognized that the importance of women part participating uh in activities related to peace and security. President Trump signed this bill into law.
▶ 0:22:48It had strong bipartisan champions including uh the primary sponsors were Marco Rubio in the Senate, Christy Gnome here in the House, uh and then we had uh Jean Shaheen in the Senate and Jan Shicowski here in the House. And they supported this bill because uh this is just something that's common sense. Women often experience life and conflicts differently than men.
▶ 0:23:17Uh uh mothers and grandmothers are often the first to see rising tensions in the community and uh women face unique dangers during conflict such as uh rape used as a tool of war. Uh quite often in most uh areas maybe uh culturally men are usually the combatants in war men.
▶ 0:23:41So, uh, when the conflict starts and when the conflict ends, women are usually left, I say, picking up the pieces. They're having to rebuild schools, uh, care for families, restart local communities, and help their communities heal. Uh, so it's very very important not to ignore a women's perspective. And, and that's why decades of research has confirmed that peace agreements last longer when women are involved. Countries with greater gender equality are less likely to fall in conflict.
▶ 0:24:11And every dollar invested in conflict prevention saves many times more in humanitarian and even military costs. And because of the WPs act, our government built a real working system across state and department, USAD department defense, homeland security to put these lessons in practice.
▶ 0:24:31Uh we trained women as conflict med uh mediators, supported organizations that prevent extremist recruitment, expanded services for ZAP survivors of violence and strengthened early warning tools that often rely on women's networks.
▶ 0:24:46And I also want to give an example uh in in Iraq uh when they started to use women to search uh women who were suspected of uh being bombers, the suicide bombers, they were actually able to reduce the amount of suicide bombing. But but but the sad fact today is that our system is being quietly dismantled and the administration has failed to submit the legally required WPs report to Congress.
▶ 0:25:17Offices have been closed, programs counsel canled and public data removed. The law is in place, but the executive branch is not following it. Although, uh, se uh, Secretary of State Rubio has promised to, uh, continue the work through regional bureaus, which unfortunately we haven't we haven't seen that yet.
▶ 0:25:36And so, uh, I'm just I'm here with this committee, and I'm I'm sure you know this as as we're stepping away, China's coming in, and, uh, I'm asking this committee to help us enforce this bipartisan law. I I want to just add something else on the food for peace program uh which is not simply about sending food. It's one of the most effective tools for saving lives and crisises and stabilizing communities.
▶ 0:26:04And for decades it's been run by humanitarian experts trained to operate in war zones and fragile states to integrate food aid with health, education and government's program. And now there is a proposal to move uh this program to USDA which is a strong partner but its mission is domestic agriculture not a man not managing emergency operations overseas and really food for peace needs to be used as a tool for
▶ 0:26:34as a foreign service tool. uh and so uh I would urge this committee to really take a look at that because I think it would be a big mistake to move that committee away from the expertise that we need. And with that, again, thank you for this time and I really encourage um more interaction with our committees. I I've served on this committee for six years. It's a really fabulous committee.
▶ 0:26:58And I think appropriations committee and the substant committee, I think we would all benefit if we have a little bit more interaction. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Mr. Ranking member, substitute, whatever. Thanks.
▶ 0:27:12I'll take it.
▶ 0:27:13Thank you, Representative Frankle. Uh, chair now recognizes Representative Nicolota from New York for any opening statement that you may have.
▶ 0:27:21Good morning, Mr. Chairman. I offer you my testimony today as a Navy veteran, a New Yorker, and a proud American who, like you, Mr. Chairman, believes American foreign policy should reflect both American strength and American fairness. Today, I want to highlight two issues where this committee's leadership can make a real difference. First, the need to modernize our status of forces agreements to better protect United States service members while respecting host nation sovereignty.
▶ 0:27:46And second, the long overdue justice in the murders of three American citizens, my constituents, the Batici brothers in I'll start with the status of forces agreements. These are the compacts our United States government enters into with allied nations that host US service members. These agreements are designed to ensure that when an American service member faces an accusation abroad, they receive the same fundamental rights any American expects.
▶ 0:28:13The right to counsel, an interpreter, and freedom from pre-trial detention for nonviolent offenses. But as we saw in the case of Navy Lieutenant Ridge Alone, those protections don't always hold up. In 2021, while stationed in Japan, Lieutenant Alcona suddenly lost consciousness while driving his family home down Mount Fuji. The accident that followed tragically took two lives.
▶ 0:28:37Medical experts later confirmed Lieutenant Alona suffered from acute mountain sickness, a sudden medical episode, not negligence or recklessness. And let me be clear, there was no drug use, no alcohol involved, just an American sailor, a husband, a father who s who suffered a medical emergency. Yet he was detained, interrogated without proper medical medical evaluation, and held weeks before charges were even filed. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to three years in a Japanese prison.
▶ 0:29:08A punishment that simply does not square with the facts. His case exposed serious flaws in how our status of force agreements are enforced. Flaws that leave even our most honorable service members vulnerable when tragedy strikes overseas. During my time on the Armed Services Committee, I worked tirelessly with Chairman Rogers to review these agreements and to start the process of reforming them. But more must be done. And that's where you come in, Mr. Chairman. These agreements aren't just the Pentagon's responsibility.
▶ 0:29:37They're negotiated handinhand with the State Department, and too often diplomacy takes presidents precedence over defending our troops. That needs to change. We need this body to hold the State Department accountable for standing up for our service members and ensuring that not one more American in uniform is left without the rights they've earned and deserve.
▶ 0:29:58I look forward to working with you as we push to strengthen these agreements, demand transparency, and make sure making sure that protecting our troops is never treated as a secondary concern. The same commitment to justice and accountability brings me my second point, the case of the Betici brothers, Elie, Agran, and Meett. three American citizens and my constituents who were murdered execution style in Serbia in 1999.
▶ 0:30:22The Petici brothers traveled to the Balkans to help refugees fleeing the war only to be arrested by the Serbian police and later executed. Their bodies were later discovered in a mass grave tied to Serbian security forces. Yet, despite extensive evidence of repeated US engagement, justice has remained elusive. For years, successive US administrations and the House of Representatives have spoken with one voice demanding accountability. Nevertheless, justice has remained out of reach, and no perpetrator has ever been convicted.
▶ 0:30:53My resolution H. Conrad 41 once again calls for justice and meaningful action from Serbian authorities. It urges the Serbian government to fully cooperate with ongoing investigations, hold those responsible for war crimes accountable, and uphold the rule of law. This measure reaffirms America's commitment to accountability and human rights in the Balkans. Making sure that impunity for such crimes has no place in modern Europe shouldn't be a partisan issue, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 0:31:20It's about saying standing up for American citizens and the values our country represents. This resolution previously passed the House unanimously during the 116th Congress and it deserves the same strong support today. The Batici family deserves justice, plain and simple. We must act swiftly so the Senate has the time to do its part and finally deliver the justice that has been denied for so long. I'll close with this. Our alliances are strongest when they are honest.
▶ 0:31:48Asking more of our partners and for of ourselves makes the f makes that fabric tighter. On sofas, that means modernizing procedures to match today's realities while respecting On the Batici brothers, it means using every law lawful lever to end a quarter century of impunity. In both cases, this this committee can lead through oversight, through legislation, and through steady diplomacy to deliver tangible results for American families and to uphold the credibility that keeps our nations safe.
▶ 0:32:18I look forward to working with you uh on both of these issues as as this Congress progresses. Thank you, Chairman Mast and ranking member uh replacement, Mr. Mr. Amo, uh for your time today. And before I yield back, I just want to say, Mr. Chairman, go Navy. Beat Army.
▶ 0:32:33Oh, man. It's a shot across the bow. Representative Loa.
▶ 0:32:38Hope I didn't kill my chances, Mr.
▶ 0:32:42It' be a hard-fought battle, that's for sure. I want to thank all the members of this panel uh for their testimony. I recognize ranking member uh Amo for any questions that you may have.
▶ 0:32:54Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um really just want to take a a moment to recognize uh the testimony of Representative Frankle. Um thank you for highlighting uh the importance of uh making sure that there isn't damage done uh and undermining of the Food for Peace program's more than seven decades of success.
▶ 0:33:16So, I'm hopeful that this committee uh will continue to look to you and other appropriators and in partnership in the spirit that you identified as we protect US leadership and international food security assistance. Something that uh we need to remain committed to uh in in great partnership with our priorities uh both for American global leadership uh around the world, but the values that we also stand for.
▶ 0:33:43Uh but with that I would like to thank all of the uh the the folks who have appeared today. Grateful for the insights that you have shared and I look forward to being a member of this committee to see uh that legislation as it moves through the process. Thank you. I yield back. Ranking member yields back. Recognize myself uh for a few questions to each of you. Again, I appreciate your testimonies.
▶ 0:34:08I'll just go uh ladies first and from my right to to my left uh in order will be the order that I do this. Um Representative Franco, thank you for your testimony. I would say uh we have made a very diligent effort on this committee and as well in the State Department to make sure that the United States of America is is asking and paying attention to three important questions and that is number one, what does the United States of America need from any country or region that we are engaging with and knowing that very clearly. Why are we engaging?
▶ 0:34:37What is it that is is exactly our interest? Number two, what does that country or that region want from the United States of America? What is it that they are actually desiring of the United States of America? So, if they're uh looking for assistance uh with chicken, we're not giving them assistance with fish. And uh you know, finally, if we uh offer the assistance that they're requesting, does the United States of America actually get what it needs or do we not? Because if that doesn't take place, then we had the wrong conversation.
▶ 0:35:07and uh the transaction uh long-term or short term uh whether for peace or security, stability or anything else cannot take place. That being said, I appreciate your remarks on the food for peace program. I can assure you that the uh secretary of agriculture will not be in charge of conducting our foreign diplomacy and our foreign affairs. Uh that will remain in the hands of the secretary of state. Uh so in that I thank you for your remarks and I thank you for your testimony today, Representative Frankle.
▶ 0:35:36Uh, Representative Smith, I'd like to ask you just one or two questions. Uh, if you don't mind, uh, I'd like to start with you, Surf, uh, and talk about, uh, international religious freedom. This is a very important first amendment for the United States of America. Bill of Rights guarantees religious freedom. And I think importantly and increasingly, uh, we see uh, Christians facing violence across the globe. Uh, this is something that we've seen. So, I think you're bringing this up in a very timely manner. So I would just ask you this uh one question.
▶ 0:36:05How have you seen you surf interact with the State Department over the the many many years that you have been here? You've you know basically you and Hell Rogers have seen more than anybody else uh in terms of firstperson perspective. So how would you say you have seen uh you surf interact with the state department over the years and how has that coordination worked best? Uh it has been I think a [clears throat] godsend to religious freedom globally.
▶ 0:36:34The State Department sometimes no matter who's in the White House will subordinate concerns about religious freedom to other issues where you has the focus of saying we're going to speak truth to power in other countries including and especially dictatorships like China. uh and also to to obviously admonish when necessary uh the State Department to try to get it right. They do very very good factf finding. Uh like I said, every hearing I have on religious freedom, I've had many.
▶ 0:37:04We always have them there. Uh we had a hearing just recently again on the uh what's happening in Nigeria. Uh and the the focus that they bring to um the the worst um attack on Christians in the world in terms of death.
▶ 0:37:21China is the worst in terms of incarceration and and torture, but obviously in um in Nigeria they're slaughtering him and and it's it's you know we've had many hearings on it but usurp brings you know that focus and says and the beauty of it is the speaker the ranking of the the minority leader of of of the Democrat party in this case all they all get a pick as to who goes on that commission.
▶ 0:37:48So it is a very very you know potent mix of people who then come together and do reports uh and and enlighten all of us and tell us when we're getting it wrong as well as a congress. So I I just think they're u they're just an amazing group of people and Frank Wolf in his genius because he sat right here because I had all the hearings on religious freedom act in 1998 and he said we've have to have a concurrent entity that will speak that truth to power and they've done it magnificently. Thank you. We want to reauthorize it.
▶ 0:38:18Let me ask you another question.
▶ 0:38:19Sure. What we often do real quick, Mr. Chairman, is wait to the very end of the fiscal year and then there's all this is it going to be reauthorized or not? I would ask the sooner the better uh that we get this done.
▶ 0:38:29Let me ask you a question about Barus now. Sure.
▶ 0:38:31Um and just uh very broadly, how do developments in Bellarus more recently support the need for your Barus democracy act?
▶ 0:38:39Well, I I think it it underscores that we need the continuity of the Barus dem democracy act. It has expired. Um, you know, the the [clears throat] uh when George W. Bush signed it, he put about 200 people on the list that were Lucas Shenko's top people, all of whom could no longer do trade here and couldn't get visas to come here. And then the European Union followed suit.
▶ 0:39:01So, it was a real concurrent effort to say release those prisoners and metriculate from a dictatorship to a democracy, which they never did, but there was an election and Fetlana won it. We all know that. She's an amazing heroic person.
▶ 0:39:15uh she argued that her husband who was the candidate uh before she became the candidate against Lucenko uh be be um u allowed out of prison and Bush not Bush Trump got 86 political prisoners out of Bellarus but there's more than 1,200 who language and her biggest ask and his biggest ask sir was to do the Barus democracy act so there's another potent tool in the president's quiver to go after look
▶ 0:39:45he has been a concurrent partner in crime as we all know with Putin. Uh he ought to be at the H for crimes against humanity himself. You know the whole ruse when they mustered all those troops along the the Bellarusian democracy the Bellarusian border uh with um with Ukraine was all the force we all saw the coming the next thing wasn't war games they were getting ready for the invasion. So he's been a partner in crimes against humanity uh with Putin. this will help.
▶ 0:40:13Uh and again, the president, I think, would use this tool big time. Uh he's got a lot of authorities, but this one is very, very
▶ 0:40:21Thank you, Representative Smith. Thank you for your passion on these issues. Representative Lulota, I just have a couple questions for you as well. Uh you have worked tirelessly uh on the Batici brothers uh case for years now. Uh for myself now as foreign affairs committee uh chairman, I can tell you that uh the Serbian uh delegation from top to bottom has uh been having an extensive number of meetings uh with us here uh various levels of our government really working to engage with our government.
▶ 0:40:51That being said, what leverage points do you believe that the United States should be using to achieve the accountability that you want to see that the family
▶ 0:41:01Yeah, thanks chairman. I appreciate you asking that question. First and foremost, our diplomats uh should be keeping this case front and center in their conversations with their counterparts. Uh every senior US official who meets with their counterparts from uh the ambassador in Belgrade to the secretary of state should be raising this case directly. Uh it's not just a human rights issue. It's a test of Serbia's credibility as a partner and its commitment to the rule of law. Uh and second, I think we we in Congress should be continue to apply more pressure.
▶ 0:41:31That means bipartisan resolutions and letters and engagement. You know, we talked to a lot of folks in these halls and there's 435 of us who have those relationships. Uh we should continue to uh to leverage those. Um I think that justice requires both of the both the executive branch and the legislative branch to be fully weighing in on this chairman.
▶ 0:41:51Very good. Thank you, Representative Loa. matters that uh you know we have memorials that we uh never allow people's names to to cease being said and uh that's important for for people to live on and so I appreciate you keeping the memory alive. Uh in that I thank all the members of this panel for their testimony. Uh I want to thank uh each member for their questions. Representative Almo I appreciate your questions and the members of this panel are dismissed.
▶ 0:42:32Pursuant to committee rule materials for the record subject to length limitations. Without objection, the committee stands adjourned.