Department of State Operations and Embassy Security Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2014

Floor Speech

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Ms. MENG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2848, the Fiscal Year 2014 Department of State Operations and Embassy Security Act. This bill authorizes funds for the State Department to advance U.S. interests around the world and strengthen our national security.

The bill fully funds the President's request for diplomatic security, as I have long urged that it should. Importantly, it also makes several important changes to how we protect our diplomats and embassies abroad and how we ensure accountability at the State Department.

Mr. Speaker, this past December, an accountability review board, or ARB, was convened to assess the State Department's policies and response to the attack in Benghazi. However, under the current authorizing statute, an ARB can only recommend disciplinary action against a State Department employee where there has been a ``breach of duty,'' a standard which is both very high and very hard to understand. As a result, the Benghazi ARB was unable to recommend disciplinary action against even a single State Department employee.

On this point, Mr. Speaker, I refer you to section 414 of the bill before us today. It is entitled the ``Revision of Provisions Relating to Personnel Recommendation of the ARB.'' The section was drafted and inserted by me and my esteemed colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).

By making it easier for future ARBs to recommend disciplinary actions, section 414 will ensure greater accountability and responsibility at the State Department in the years to come and help prevent future Benghazis.

This effort on the part of myself and Mr. Perry is representative of the bipartisan nature of this bill--the first such bill that would pass Congress in over a decade.

On a variety of issues, including the crucial maintenance and strengthening of Iran's sanctions, the committee has worked effectively and constructively as our country needs it to. This is in large part due to the stellar leadership of Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel, and I thank them so much for their mentorship.

It is ironic that our committee stands on the verge of a significant bipartisan breakthrough at this time. Perhaps our work can inspire some much-needed reasonableness and compromise in these Halls in the hours, days, and weeks to come.

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