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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 682 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 682

Recognizing the devastating explosion that rocked the Port of Beirut on 
  August 4, 2020, and expressing solidarity with the Lebanese people.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            August 13, 2020

  Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Rubio, Mr. 
    Warner, Mr. Romney, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Portman) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Recognizing the devastating explosion that rocked the Port of Beirut on 
  August 4, 2020, and expressing solidarity with the Lebanese people.

Whereas, on August 4, 2020, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate detonated at the Port 
        of Beirut, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands more;
Whereas the dangerous and highly explosive material was unsafely stored at the 
        Port of Beirut since 2014, despite repeated warnings over the threat the 
        stockpile posed to the surrounding civilian population;
Whereas the Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross was quoted as saying, 
        ``What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe.'';
Whereas the blast destroyed vast swaths of infrastructure across Beirut and 
        displaced up to 300,000 people;
Whereas the blast destroyed or damaged the entire port of Beirut, through which 
        Lebanon imports the bulk of its food, including the destruction of 
        approximately 120,000 metric tons of desperately needed food stocks, 
        according to the United Nations;
Whereas, prior to the blast, nearly 1,000,000 people in the Beirut metropolitan 
        area, including more than 500,000 children, did not have the means to 
        buy basic essentials, including food;
Whereas Lebanon already struggles to support the largest per-capita population 
        of refugees in the world, including nearly 1,000,000 Syrian refugees 
        currently registered with the United Nations;
Whereas the governor of Beirut predicted that the full cost of recovery and 
        relief could be between $3,000,000,000 and $5,000,000,000;
Whereas several Beirut hospitals, already struggling to procure medical 
        equipment and pay medical staff amid the spread of COVID-19, have 
        sustained too much blast damage to admit new patients;
Whereas the blasts coincides with a period of protracted political crisis in 
        Lebanon;
Whereas, after months of political deadlock, Lebanon formed a government in 
        January of this year with the backing of Hezbollah, a United States-
        designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and its allies;
Whereas endemic corruption and Hezbollah's mismanagement has led Lebanon to the 
        brink of economic collapse, including an 80 percent currency devaluation 
        since 2019, one of the highest rates of public debt, food insecurity, 
        and hyperinflation;
Whereas the United States Government has longstanding concerns about Hezbollah's 
        use of and influence over the Beirut port as a transit and storage point 
        for its terrorist enterprise;
Whereas the people of Lebanon across the political spectrum have renewed demands 
        for a meaningful change in Lebanon's political leadership, government 
        accountability, and transparency;
Whereas, following the explosion and public outcry from the Lebanese people, 
        Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on August 10, 2020, that he and his 
        government would step down;
Whereas international donors, including the United States, have pledged 
        $297,000,000 in aid to Lebanon at a virtual summit hosted by French 
        President Emanuel Macron;
Whereas the United States, through the United States Agency for International 
        Development, announced on August 7, 2020, that it would provide more 
        than $15,000,000 in humanitarian assistance to aid the people of Lebanon 
        following the explosions at the Port of Beirut, and that these funds 
        would support life-saving medical responses and relief for the immediate 
        needs of people facing this tragedy, including food aid for 50,000 
        people for three months and medical and pharmaceutical support for up to 
        60,000 people for three months; and
Whereas a stable Lebanon with a credible, transparent government free from 
        Iranian and Hezbollah interference is in the broader national security 
        interests of the United States and United States partners and allies: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) extends its heartfelt condolences to, and stands with, 
        the people of Lebanon;
            (2) supports United States Government efforts to provide 
        emergency humanitarian relief in concert with other governments 
        and international partners;
            (3) affirms that United States assistance, led by the 
        United States Agency for International Development, should be 
        delivered directly to the Lebanese people through properly 
        vetted channels, organizations, and individuals;
            (4) calls on the Government of Lebanon to conduct a 
        credible, impartial, and transparent investigation into the 
        cause of, and responsibility for, the explosion, and include 
        impartial international experts as part of the investigation 
        team;
            (5) calls on the investigation team to evaluate and 
        determine the root causes of instability and economic 
        mismanagement that have impacted the people of Lebanon; and
            (6) further calls on the Government of Lebanon to restore 
        faith and confidence by prioritizing policies and programs that 
        advance the interests of the people of Lebanon.
                                 <all>
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