Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise today in strong support of the Cambodia Democracy Act, which was introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).

As a cosponsor and as an advocate for the Cambodian community in southern California, I am especially proud to speak on this measure today.

The people of Cambodia have been living under the iron-fisted rule of Hun Sen for decades. Under his reign, he has denied Cambodians almost all of their political rights and prevented free and fair elections from taking place. In recent years, Hun Sen has resorted to violence and attacked peaceful protesters. He has undermined Cambodia's democracy by dismantling the country's only viable opposition party.

The work of NGOs has also been limited, and critical media outlets have been shut down. Like many other dictators, he fears the day when he will no longer be in power.

As the beacon of hope and freedom to the rest of the world, a key pillar of our foreign policy must be to support the expansion of democracy in other countries.

The Cambodia Democracy Act will help push back on Hun Sen's regime by applying asset blocking and visa sanctions on any government officials or security forces who have undermined the democratic process or committed human rights abuses.

The strong bipartisan bill has passed the House in successive Congresses and is a touchstone of congressional support for the people of Cambodia and their desire to democratic governance.

Members of both parties have long supported this important piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues to continue that support.

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Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), who is the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation, and the author of this bill.

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Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank Congressman Chabot for introducing this bill and for all of his work on behalf of the Cambodian people.

I would also like to thank Congressman Bera for supporting this bill as the lead Democrat sponsor.

Helping restore Cambodia's democracy is in line with the American values that we all share. It is also a good national security strategy, as holding Hun Sen's regime accountable will pressure him to stop serving as a willing puppet of the Chinese Communist Party.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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