Embassy Security Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2019

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure, and let me thank Mr. McCaul and Ms. Kelly, both members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for authoring this important legislation and Chairman Royce for bringing it to the floor.

One of the most important things that we deal with on our committee is protecting the lives of the brave American citizens working at our embassies and consulates abroad. This legislation will help us improve the way we provide embassy security.

This bill would also authorize the embassy security, construction, and maintenance account for the next year at $2.3 billion, the same level appropriated for the account this year.

Now, what has me concerned is the Trump administration has asked Congress to slash embassy security by $700 million. That just isn't right.

Mr. Speaker, the clearest indication of an administration's priorities is its annual budget. Frankly, it is astounding to me that the Trump administration has proposed such massive cuts to embassy security funding for 2 years in a row.

On the campaign trail, President Trump spent a lot of time blaming Secretary Clinton for the tragic attacks on our consulate in Benghazi. He did so with little regard for the facts. Secretary Pompeo, as a Member of this body, especially during the time of the absurd Benghazi Select Committee, expressed a great deal of outrage over the handling of diplomatic security. Now they have tried to cut funding for embassy security at every opportunity.

My message for them is simple: There is no cost too high to protect the lives of our diplomats and their families. I wish the President and the Secretary understood that.

Fortunately, Congress has the last word on these issues. We have come together in a bipartisan way for the past 2 years and rejected President Trump's draconian cuts to embassy security funding. This bill represents another rejection of the Trump administration's dangerous proposal.

Additionally, I would like to highlight two provisions in the bill. The first requires that all U.S. Government employees traveling abroad on official business receive a written or oral security briefing from the State Department on potential threats. This is a commonsense measure, and it is, honestly, bizarre that it isn't already required.

Second, I also want to thank Mr. McCaul and Ms. Kelly for including language that requires the State Department to provide our committee with a strategy for establishing a physical diplomatic presence in countries in which we currently have no physical diplomatic presence.

Lastly, I strongly support a universal approach to U.S. representation abroad, and I continue to be disappointed that we have no embassies in several countries in the Eastern Caribbean where Venezuela, Cuba, and others are present and active. Being absent significantly weakens U.S. leadership in the Caribbean and elsewhere around the globe.

Finally, let me say, while I am pleased that we are advancing this legislation, I am disappointed that it is moving as a standalone bill and not as it was originally intended, as the title of our committee's State Department authorization bill. Given the chairman's hard work on the State Department authorization bill, I am sure that the gentleman shares my concern. I hope that we can breathe new life into the legislative effort by the end of this Congress.

I will close by again thanking Chairman Royce for bringing this legislation to the floor.

We have no greater duty on our committee than to protect Americans serving abroad. I am very pleased that we are making several essential fixes in our approach to embassy security in this legislation and authorizing the embassy security, construction, and maintenance at a robust level.

We live in a dangerous time, and the Trump administration's budget would put our diplomats at even greater risk than what they have already faced on a daily basis, so I am glad that the House is stepping in to do what is needed.

Finally, let me say again, while I am pleased this bill is moving forward, I don't believe the window has closed on getting a comprehensive State Department authorization bill to the President's desk, and I continue to stand ready to work with the chairman to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I support the chairman's motion; I urge all Members to do the same.

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