Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 105 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 105 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 143 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, JUNE 23, 1997 No. 89 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. and was status to China is not just about trade, Furthermore, the Chinese Govern- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- it is about human rights. We in the ment maintains a policy of forced abor- pore (Mr. PEASE). United States place great value on our tions and sterilizations. The govern- f freedoms. The freedom of speech and ment is not only killing supporters of the freedom to practice religion are freedom and religion, it is killing inno- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO ideals on which our country was found- cent babies. TEMPORE ed. As a man of deep religious faith and The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- The United States is the greatest, as a citizen of the United States, I can- fore the House the following commu- freest nation in the world. We enjoy not stand for this. By continuing to nication from the Speaker: the status, and yet we continue to sup- grant most-favored-nation status to WASHINGTON, DC, port the oppressive Chinese Govern- China, the United States is bolstering June 23, 1997. ment through trade. This is not right. an oppressive government that is con- I hereby designate the Honorable EDWARD The Government of the People's Re- stantly violating the basic human A. PEASE to act as Speaker pro tempore on public of China is one of the most op- rights of its people. this day. pressive governments in the world. We NEWT GINGRICH, Most-favored-nation status for China have all seen footage of the terrible also bolsters a government that works Speaker of the House of Representatives. massacre in Tiananmen Square. Unfor- against America's national security in- f tunately, such massacres are hardly terests. Evidence suggests that the MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE rare occurrences in China. The Chinese people suffer horrible Chinese Government is heavily in- A message from the Senate by Ms. violations of their basic human rights volved in missile and weapons tech- McDevitt, one of its clerks, announced every day. Citizens have been arrested nology transfers to Iran, one of our en- that the Senate had passed without for crimes such as signing petitions to emies. This is not a practice that the amendment a bill of the House of the protect human rights and speaking out United States should support in any following title: peacefully in favor of democracy. way. H.R. 363. An act to amend section 2118 of Thousands of those arrested for sup- A recent Louis Harris poll shows that the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to extend the porting democracy or human rights be- 67 percent of Americans are opposed to Electric and Magnetic Fields Research and come political prisoners in Chinese renewing China's MFN status. Let me Public Information Dissemination Program. jails where they are beaten and tor- repeat that, Mr. Speaker. A recent f tured. Louis Harris poll shows that 67 percent of the American people are opposed to MORNING HOUR DEBATES To make matters worse, Mr. Speaker, China's human rights violations extend renewing China's MFN status. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- well beyond the political realm. The As representatives of the people, I be- ant to the order of the House of Janu- Chinese people are often arrested as lieve that Congress should follow the ary 21, 1997, the Chair will now recog- criminals simply for holding religious will of the people and revoke this sta- nize Members from lists submitted by beliefs. The government continues to tus. It is high time that we follow the the majority and minority leaders for increase its persecution of will of the people of America and send morning hour debates. The Chair will evangelicals, Protestants, Buddhists, a real message to the Chinese Govern- alternate recognition between the par- and Roman Catholics who choose to ment. For the sake of democracy, reli- ties, with each party limited to not to worship independently from the gov- gious freedom, the lives of the good exceed 30 minutes, and each Member ernment-controlled church, a church people of China, and America's na- except the majority and minority lead- that does not recognize the Pope. tional security, I urge my colleagues to er limited to not to exceed 5 minutes. Hundreds of Protestants and Roman vote against renewing most-favored- The Chair recognizes the gentleman Catholics were detained last year for nation status for the oppressive Chi- from North Carolina [Mr. JONES] for 5 practicing their faith. Forty Roman nese Government. minutes. Catholics, for example, were arrested f f by police officers during Easter cele- brations, and many of them were beat- B±2 BOMBER NECESSARY FOR MOST-FAVORED-NATION STATUS en. The police in China have conducted NATION'S DEFENSE FOR CHINA NOT DESERVED raids on nunneries and monasteries, de- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, the debate taining and torturing many of these the Speaker's announced policy of Jan- about granting most-favored-nation people of God. uary 21, 1997, the gentleman from b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H4137 H4138 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE June 23, 1997 Washington [Mr. DICKS] is recognized So, Mr. Speaker, I would just say with an ill-defined mission. A well-de- during morning hour debates for 5 min- again today, I think this vote this fined exit strategy based on the utes. afternoon is critically important. Gen- achievement of a set of tactical goals Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, today the eral Scowcroft is a person who I have has been lacking from the start. Now House will be taking up a very impor- enormous respect for, who was national the President, after breaking his prom- tant issue, the B±2 bomber, and I want security adviser to President Ford and ise to have them out by the end of the to read a letter that was just sent to to President Bush. His group also with year, has extended the deployment at the gentleman from California [Mr. General Burpee and others have come least 18 months from the promised 1- HUNTER] from General Brent Scow- forward with a devastating criticism of year deadline. croft, who has just done an independ- this administration's long-range bomb- Two amendments that will be de- ent bomber force review: er policy. bated today are consistent with the You requested my colleagues and I provide I would say of all the weapons we are policy of previous Congresses. your committee with an independent look at buying today, none has more conven- the adequacy of the Nation's heavy bomber The Fiscal Year 1994 Department of force. This is an important issue as we move tional military potential than the B± Defense Appropriation Act, Public Law into the new security era and we greatly ap- 2's. When combined with smart conven- 103±139, section 8158(a), stated: It is the preciate the opportunity to offer our counsel tional weapons, like JDAM's at $13,000 sense of Congress that none of the to you and your committee. per weapon, it gives us an ability to at- funds appropriated or otherwise made In our review, we first examined the tack an enemy who is invading, stop planned future of the bomber force, its role available by this act should be avail- the invasion, destroy his army in the able for the purposes of deploying the in supporting U.S. national security, and the field, and also attack his national secu- potential offered by the B±2's. We then exam- United States Armed Forces to partici- ined the sources of Pentagon opposition to rity leadership, and his operational and pate in the implementation of a peace additional B±2's production and the recent tactical targets as well. It gives the op- settlement in Bosnia-Hercegovina un- series of studies the Department of Defense portunity for simultaneous warfare less previously authorized by Congress. has sent to Congress regarding the bomber with a plane that can operate autono- Further, Fiscal Year 1994 Department force. mously without a huge package of sup- We reached two fundamental conclusions. of Defense Appropriation Act, section porting conventional aircraft. 8151, cut off funds for the military op- First, long-range air power will be more im- I think this is a crucial issue. I think portant than ever in the decades ahead. Con- eration in Somalia after March 31, 1994. this administration has made a ter- sequently, we do not believe that the This is similar to the proposals pre- rible, tragic mistake in not rec- planned force of 21 B±2's will satisfy foresee- sented by the amendments today. Con- ommending to the Congress to keep able gress is using its constitutional power this program going, especially now U.S. national security requirements. to not provide for the authorization of with the line open out there in Second, Pentagon opposition to further funds. Palmdale, CA. We can get these bomb- B±2's production is shortsighted and Mr. Speaker, the time for Congress to parochial. It reflects a consensus ers today at the cheapest price possible because the line is still open.