United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, but I want to first congratulate our committee's chair and ranking member for their great work on putting together this enormous and enormously important bill.

First, I want to say how rare this day really is in another way. It is the first time that we have had a ranking member who is a female, Ms. Granger, and the first female chairman of the committee, Nita Lowey. We will miss her enormously on this committee and in the Chamber.

This bill is enormous. It is not perfect, but it reflects a fair compromise that includes funding for many important priorities at home and abroad and vital assistance for all those negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

As ranking member of the Committee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, I want to tell you, this bill provides critical funding for our national security. This includes $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing for Israel and robust support to combat transnational crime and the flow of illegal drugs.

The bill is also tough on China, as it commits serious resources behind our Indo-Pacific strategy. This includes exposing the censorship and propaganda wielded by the Chinese Communist Party and countering Beijing's debt-trap diplomacy through well-funded, open, and transparent U.S. development by the Development Finance Corporation and the Countering Chinese Influence Fund.

This bill also protects our core values. It maintains all pro-life protections from last year and rejects efforts to undo the President's historic policies that protect the sanctity of life.

This bill is also great for my district in Kentucky, if I can be parochial. It provides the resources we need to continue to fight the opioid epidemic, which is now more important than ever.

It fully funds my AML pilot program, which is truly breathing life back into my southern and eastern Kentucky communities. It helps our small businesses and so many Kentuckians who are fighting tooth and nail to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

This package does not have everything that we wanted, but it is a good bill, and I think a fair compromise.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues' support.

Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source