Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. America Competes Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for yielding the time.

Madam Speaker, we find ourselves in a competition to lead in the 21st century. And that is a competition that the United States cannot afford to lose, and if we do what we should do here, will not lose.

A month ago, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping thought that America was in decline, that America could no longer lead the world, and that they could therefore simply overwhelm smaller states. They believed that they could undermine the rules-based order whenever they chose.

Well, this incredible global coalition, binding and getting us together, working with our allies, that President Joe Biden has put together to condemn Russia and support the Ukrainian people, has proven that their assertion is absolutely wrong. But the events of the past month have underscored the need to position America for this challenge on a long-term basis.

Therefore, it is absolutely critical that Congress get H.R. 4521 to the President's desk. It is an investment in science, innovation, and technology, which would allow us to excel in the global economy for decades, bolster our domestic industry, and create jobs for American workers.

Madam Speaker, I am proud that my bill, the EAGLE Act, serves as the foreign affairs division of America COMPETES. It bolsters our diplomacy to marshal a coalition of states to check the PRC's aggression, its theft of technology, its shirking of global rules, and its gross violation of human rights, of which we need to focus on.

And I know that if we put our minds to it, we can work together in a bipartisan and bicameral way to finalize this critical legislation and get it to the President's desk, and we must do it.

That is because our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific are watching. They need our help to bolster international rules, combat the PRC's coercion, and address shared global challenges like climate change. And after what we have seen in Ukraine, the people of Taiwan are watching, to ensure that we deepen our economic ties, strengthen its defense, and create greater space for Taiwan globally.

Hong Kongers and Uyghurs are also watching to make sure we get this done because they urgently need the refugee protections that are in the COMPETES Act. They need Congress to send a message to Beijing that its genocide in Xinjiang, its destruction of Hong Kong's autonomy, and its lack of regard for human rights will not stand.

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