National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of En Bloc 5 to H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which includes my two final amendments to this legislation. These additional provisions will strengthen how we enforce U.S. sanctions and provide the Congress with vital information about the China-Afghan economic relationship.

Amendment No. 561 establishes the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Exchange within OFAC. This voluntary public-private partnership would advance information sharing between law enforcement agencies, national security agencies, financial institutions, and OFAC. It would facilitate sanctions administration and enforcement that target foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, and other threats to national security, foreign policy, or the U.S. economy. This collaboration will allow for U.S. economic and trade sanctions to be better administered and enforced, and, ultimately, make them more effective.

Amendment No. 562 would require the Secretary of the Treasury to brief the Congress on the identification and analysis of Chinese economic, commercial, and financial connections to Afghanistan which fuel both Chinese and Taliban interests, to include illicit financial networks involved in narcotics trafficking, illicit financial transactions, official corruption, natural resources exploitation, and terrorist networks. Earlier this year, China, among other nations, pledged to deepen its economic and trade ties with Afghanistan through the so-called ``Tunxi Initiative.'' However, China has a history of seeking to increase its influence through development and economic assistance that completely ignores, or even undermines, rule of law, independent civil society, and protection of human rights. After all that the United States has invested and sacrificed in Afghanistan, it is vital that Congress understand the extent of China's connections, and intentions, in Afghanistan so we can respond accordingly.

Once again I would like to express my sincerest thanks to Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, Ranking Member Mike Rogers, and their staffs for including my amendments in this last En Bloc. I would urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of this final En Bloc.

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