Date: 2007-07-30
Speaker: STENY HOYER (democrat)
Chamber: H

for making stire that our caucus works in a bipartisan fashion to keep this issue alive. Thirteen years ago. the world stood by as nearly 1 million people were slaughtered in the genocide in Rwanda. and- the best our country could do then was to apologize for failing to act after the fact. Many of us swore that another Rwanda would never again take place on our watch. but it is happening again. Three years ago last week. on July 22. 2004. under the leadership of our good friend Congressman DON PAYNE. Congress finally formally declared the genocide was taking place in Darfur. Today. the genocide is getting worse. I have witnessed this horror on three occasions in Darfur. and let me tell you. it is getting worse. Mr. Speaker. many of us in a bipartisan effort have spoken out repeatedly on the floor over the last three years in condemnation of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. These efforts have only intensified as we have sought to use each: and every tool at our disposal to bring this genocide to an end. In April. we passed a resolution urging our friends in the League of Arab States to exert their influence on the Government of Sudan. In May. we called on the Defense Department to examine the rehabilitation of the Abeche airfield in Chad to support expanded humanitarian operations in Darfur. . And in June we passed another resolution urging the Chinese to leverage their very unique influence with Sudan to help end the genocide. Today. we take another very important step forward by passing H.R. 180. This is bipartisan legislation which would support the growing grassroots movement to divest from companies doing business in Sudan. Organizations led by young people like STAND and the Save Darfur Coalition have been in the forefront of successful student divestment campaigns across the country to pressure the Khartoum regime to end the genocide in Darfur. and we do owe them a debt of gratitude. To date. over 54 universities. 19 States and 9 cities have passed divestment legislation to pull State and local funds out of companies that conduct business with Sudan. Throughout our country. our constituents are standing up and demand-. ing that their hardearned money not be used to support a pariah government that is killing its own people. My bill would authorize and support States. local governments. universities. mutual funds and pension plans that choose to divest from companies - doing business in Sudan. At the same time. we would prohibit the Federal Government from renewing or signing contracts with multinational companies doing business with Sudan. These businesses and industries are in the mineral and oil and military equipment industries. We want them to stop propping up this genocidal regime. As we pursue divestment. we must also continue to support the rapid and unconditional deployment of the United Nations and African Union forces. along with free and unfettered access for groups providing humanitarian assistance. And we must continue to urge all parties to lay down their arms and come to the table to negotiate a political solution. Every day we wait. killings. the rapes. the starvation. the dislocation. they all continue. This genocide is happening on our watch. But this time. working together in a bipartisan coalition. we have the will and determination and the wherewithal to stop it. It worked with the racist apartheid regime in South Africa. and it can work with the genocidal regime in Sudan. Not on our watch. Save Darfur. as the Save Darfur Coalition so passionately has said. and. today. I hope that the House of Representatives will say the same thing by passing H.R. 180. Again. I want to thank the Financial Services Committee. and I must thank again Congressman FRANK for really making sure that what we intend to do we will do. And I want to thank Congressman FRANK again for making this a much stronger bill. Weve worked on this for a couple of years. and I tell you working together in a bipartisan fashion we will end this horrific genocide in Darfur.