Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, this bill is yet another Republican attack aimed at dismantling higher education in our Nation.

Last week, we know that President Trump ordered the illegal elimination of the Department of Education, threatening the future of millions of children across every district in our country. He is using the threat of cutting off Federal funding as a negative approach, very much taking a tool right here to pressure the universities and administrations to submit to his will in violation of freedom of speech for their students.

Mr. Chair, instead of addressing any of these crises threatening our students in our education system, we are here voting today on a bill that goes after foreign scapegoats instead.

We know that President Trump is the biggest threat to our education system in America right now, not someone in North Korea or China. Please, give me a break.

I fully support financial transparency in our universities. No one is against that. No one. That is why I am introducing amendments to this bill to ensure that transparency around our universities and the relationships with so-called countries of concern include countries whose leaders have active arrest warrants issued against them by the International Criminal Court, to include countries actively on trial with the International Court of Justice for violating the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions.

I am calling for transparency, Mr. Chair, around university investments in companies profiting from violations of international law, but my colleagues are not interested, of course, when it comes to that sort of transparency. My colleagues are not interested in holding countries with human rights abuses accountable. They are not interested in voting to uphold international law, Mr. Chair. They are only interested in voting to protect governments like the Israeli Government's apartheid regime.

In fact, many of my colleagues have cheered on expulsion, arrest, and deportation of university students calling for the exact type of transparency and exercising their First Amendment right, Mr. Chair, their constitutional right. You don't have to agree with them, Mr. Chair, no one does, but it is their right. It is their right to again express their disagreement with policy and decisions by a foreign government.

In fact, many of my colleagues again continue to say there is transparency for some countries in relationships with universities but not certain other countries, even if they have an investigation actively with the international court system.

This is not about transparency, as is claimed. It is truly about destroying freedom of speech and the most important American value in our country, the right to dissent.

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I think ``countries of concern'' is perfectly explained in my amendment. That is to say, again, I know for a fact that some of these countries killed American citizens. Some of them are literally openly killing American citizens, and the countries of concern, to explain--this is so important--that the International Court of Justice, if there is any violation, these are violations to the Geneva Convention and the Genocide Convention.

If we are specifically talking about making sure that universities are not engaging in whatever they are calling so-called threats our country, why is it that certain countries, again, who are under investigation for violating international law, many of which are under investigation for war crimes like bombing hospitals and schools and everything, are using it in the way that is also violating people's freedom of speech? They are using some of the resources they have in silencing many university students, especially those speaking out against genocide that is happening in Gaza.

I think it is important that if we are for transparency, let's talk about all violations of international law and human rights in all countries, again, countries of interest to include all of those folks that have active cases and arrest warrants for the people running their country.

We can go back and forth about whether or not we think the ICC is legitimate, but it exists. It exists to prevent what is actually happening right now. I think it is important that if we are going to be consistent about whether or not we are protecting American interests, what about Americans that are being killed by countries of interest that I am trying to include here? What about them? What about the folks whose rights continue to be violated when they travel to those countries?

I think it is really important and critical that if we are going to say this to universities and that we are targeting higher education, that we are consistent in what we say is a violation of international law and human rights.

I think, Mr. Chair, it is so important that we continue to protect the American interests. Right now it is very clear that this is an attack. The opposition to this is because it is an attack on the fact that many folks want the right to speak out against certain countries that are violating international law.

It is critical that we protect the right to dissent in our country. So many of my colleagues, even when I don't agree with them, I protect their right to speak up and say whatever they want, even if I disagree.

I know what this is about. This is about silencing people. If my colleagues are going to do it, they better include the folks committing genocide. I yield back the balance of my time.

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, this amendment is to discuss whether or not, again, our body, the United States House of Representatives, is standing and making sure that we don't undermine international law and the institutions that work to uphold it, especially the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

I think it is incredibly harmful to allow many of my colleagues to take great lengths right here to protect war criminals, apartheid regimes, folks that continue to commit war crimes in targeting civilians including tent communities, schools, and hospitals. This bill undermines the international legal system for seeking to hold various officials, again, countries that are violating crimes against humanity.

Again, it is really important. My amendment basically allows us to include countries that are currently under investigation or their leaders have been convicted or have an arrest warrant out for the fact that they have committed violation of international human rights laws.

I know when it comes to Russia or China, my colleagues like to talk about rule-based international order. When it comes to governments like the government of Israel, my colleagues are willing to throw international law in the shredder. Their actions consistently undermine the principle of equal justice under law when they protect perpetrators of the most horrific crimes against humanity.

I wish my colleagues would see what is happening. I wish they would see that, no matter their ethnicity, we should be saving the lives of the children. We shouldn't allow it to be enabled or emboldened. Their actions consistently undermine the principle of equal justice.

Of course, it is up to world leaders everywhere to affirm our commitment to international law, but let's be consistent about it. No matter who is committing it, it still is a violation of international human rights laws.

It is important to support the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. They were created so we can prevent genocide and so we can stop what is happening in Gaza.

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I think it is really important to understand the International Criminal Court right now is investigating right now an active case against what is happening in Sudan. Are we saying we are not caring?

I completely agree. Any country--Iran, China, Russia--any country that has an active investigation or has arrest warrants for their leadership in the International Criminal Court system and these international systems that are in place was to prevent and, again, protect the interests of the American people.

All of us support upholding international law because it protects our country, but it protects the rule of law in making sure that war crimes are not being committed.

Mr. Chair, I really urge my colleagues to understand we need to be consistent here. If you are going to say we are going to go after universities--because I know what this is really about. Is this really about China and Russia and protecting our interests, or is this really about trying to not protect certain people for speaking up in regard to what is happening in Gaza?

The attack on higher education right now and freedom of speech is incredibly dangerous. The right to dissent in our country, the freedom of speech, First Amendment--you do not have to agree. I was on my campus when I didn't agree with what people said about immigrants and what people said about other countries. I understood the American value of people having their rights and their First Amendment right to speak up.

What we are doing here is attacking and targeting universities because we don't like that their student body read about the atrocities that the Government of Israel is doing. That is what this is about. I think people need to be honest what this is about and not shy around about it.

I will say the international court system that is in place was created because of some horrific history that has happened in our world, and we are trying to prevent it. For us to now say it is illegitimate is wrong, and it is not the direction we should be going in. This is literally the place, again, that is investigating a number of other countries for egregious war crimes and egregious violence on women and children.

Now, because we don't agree that they went after one country--again, many of my colleagues disagree with me--I can tell you it takes a lot of investigation, talking to doctors, nurses, so many people on the ground, NGOs and other international organizations that led to, again, the investigation that has led into International Criminal Court.

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, in closing, I think it is important to know right now the International Court of Justice is investigating Congo, Uganda, Philippines, Venezuela, and Sudan. These are countries that have been under investigation by the International Criminal Court.

I don't have all the details, but it I think it is important to understand we can't delegitimize when it is a country that we disagree is committing these crimes. The process is there for a reason, Mr. Chair. Again, it is to make sure we uphold international human rights laws, no matter who is committing those egregious crimes.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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