IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 400 

Supporting efforts to strengthen democracy in Hungary and its alliance with 

the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2019 

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. HASTINGS, and 

Ms. KAPTUR) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 

the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting efforts to strengthen democracy in Hungary and 

its alliance with the United States. 

Whereas 2019 is the 70th anniversary of the founding of the 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the 

30th anniversary of historic transitions in Hungary, including the dismantling of the one-party Communist regime and the barbed wire fences that separated Hungary 

from its neighbors; 

Whereas 2019 is also the 75th anniversary of the deportation 

by Hungarian authorities of 437,402 Hungarian Jews on 

147 trains in just 56 days between May 15 and July 9, 

1944, which was preceded by the passage of anti-Jewish 


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laws beginning in 1920 and the deportation of more than 

20,000 Jews in 1941; 

Whereas the United States and Hungary have a shared history dating to the times of 19th century Hungarian 

statesman Lajos Kossuth, whose bust graces the halls of 

the United States Congress, and Hungarians have immigrated to the United States since its founding, enriching 

the national fabric of the United States; 

Whereas, in the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the 

United States and Hungary committed ‘‘to build, consolidate and strengthen democracy as the only system of 

government of our nations’’; 

Whereas Hungary joined the visa waiver program in 2008, 

enabling Hungarians to visit the United States without 

a visa, further strengthening ties between the two countries; 

Whereas Hungarians voted in a national referendum in 1997 

to join NATO, and the United States supported Hungary’s accession to NATO, building the common alliance 

between the two countries; 

Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty states that all members 

of NATO ‘‘are determined to safeguard the freedom, 

common heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and 

the rule of law’’; 

Whereas NATO member states have collectively identified 

corruption and poor governance, including within member 

states, as ‘‘security challenges which undermine democracy, the rule of law and economic development’’, demonstrating a shared understanding of the link between 

democratic values and international security; 


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Whereas democracies with transparent governments, the rule 

of law, free media, and engaged citizens are more naturally resistant to malign influence by the Russian Federation; 

Whereas the Government of Hungary has rehabilitated fascist-era ideologies, facilitated or amplified anti-Semitic 

messages, and trivialized the Holocaust; 

Whereas according to the Department of State’s Country Report on Human Rights Practices, Hungary has passed a 

series of laws modifying the judicial system, restricting 

the Constitutional Court, altering the rules for electing 

Constitutional Court justices, and vesting the President 

of the National Office for the Judiciary, a position appointed by the Parliament, with significant decisionmaking power; 

Whereas the Organization on Security and Cooperation in 

Europe’s (OSCE) Election Observation Missions to Hungary’s 2014 and 2018 elections concluded that the governing party enjoyed an undue advantage because of restrictive campaign regulations, biased media coverage and 

campaign activities that blurred the separation between 

political party and the state; 

Whereas, in 2014, at least six Hungarian officials were determined to be ineligible for visas to visit the United States 

because of suspected corruption, while fraud and corruption has enabled at least 85 criminals to obtain Hungarian passports and enter or attempt to enter the 

United States, and Hungary has given refuge to some individuals convicted of corruption in other countries; 

Whereas, in 2017, Hungary adopted a law on nongovernmental organizations that, according to the Department 


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of State, ‘‘unfairly burdens a targeted group of Hungarian civil society organizations, many of which focus on 

fighting corruption and protecting human rights and civil 

liberties’’; 

Whereas, in 2018, more than 400 media publications, 

websites, television channels, and radio stations in Hungary, already concentrated in the hands of a few owners, 

were donated, without compensation, by their owners to 

a central holding company which, according to a subsequently passed law, is exempt from competition oversight; 

Whereas, in 2018, the Department of State expressed disappointment that the Government of Hungary did not 

conclude an agreement that would allow Central European University (CEU) to continue its United States-accredited programs and stated that the United States values the role that CEU and other American educational 

institutions play in building connections between the 

Hungarian and American people and strengthening the 

transatlantic bond; 

Whereas, in 2018, Hungary adopted a law to establish new 

administrative courts with jurisdiction over elections and 

corruption overseen by a politically appointed minister; 

and 

Whereas the Government of Hungary has announced a decision to grant diplomatic immunity to representatives of 

the International Investment Bank, a bank with ties to 

Russian intelligence services, and allow the bank to open 

a headquarters in Hungary: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses deep concern that the Government 

3 of Hungary has taken steps to weaken democratic 


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1 institutions, undermine free elections, and limit civil 

2 society and a free press in Hungary, to the det3 riment of the Hungarian people and United States4 Hungary relations; 

5 (2) expresses deep concern that the decision by 

6 the Government of Hungary to allow the Inter7 national Investment Bank to open a headquarters in 

8 Hungary would provide the Government of the Rus9 sian Federation an additional platform to conduct 

10 malign influence operations within the North Atlan11 tic Treaty Organization; 

12 (3) urges the Secretary of State to bolster ef13 forts in Hungary to combat corruption, counter ma14 lign influence by the Russian Federation, strengthen 

15 independent media, encourage a vibrant civil society 

16 and utilize fully the annual Country Report on 

17 Human Rights Practices as a vehicle to identify 

18 challenges in this area; 

19 (4) urges the Secretary of State to support edu20 cational and cultural exchange programs with civil 

21 society leaders and youth in Hungary in order to in22 spire and equip the next generation of democratic 

23 leaders; 

24 (5) urges the Secretary of Homeland Security 

25 to review Hungary’s travel document security in 


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1 order to ensure the integrity of the United States 

2 visa waiver program; and 

3 (6) expresses its support for the shared prin4 ciples of democracy and collective security to which 

5 the United States and Hungary have committed in 

6 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Or7 ganization on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 

8 and notes that the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza9 tion is an alliance meant above all to safeguard basic 

10 freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law. 

Æ 


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