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Legislative Round-Up: Week Ending 3/4/11

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APN Legislative Round-Up
     for the week ending
      March 4, 2011
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1.  Bills & Resolutions
2.  Secretary Clinton on the Hill
3.  Ros-Lehtinen Keeps Her Sights on the UN (and UNRWA)
4.  CENTCOM Commander Articulates "Linkage" at SASC Hearing
5. HFAC/MESA Subcommittee Hearing 3/10/11 on the Middle East   
6.  Pro-Peace Funding Letter Circulating in House
7.  Weiner Picks a Fight with the State Department Over Jerusalem
8.  Gohmert - At It Again (another incomprehensible rant)
9.  Odds & Ends



1.  Bills & Resolutions

(IRAN) S. Res. 80: Introduced 3/1/11 by Kirk (R-IL) and 1 cosponsor, "A resolution condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights."  Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

(IRAN) H. Res. 134:  Introduced 3/1/11 by Rep. Dold (R-IL) and 3 cosponsors, "Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights."  Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

2.  Secretary Clinton on the Hill

This was a busy week for Secretary of State Clinton, who has been all over the Hill testifying in support of the Administration's FY12 State Department Budget.  On 3/1/11 she testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee (Clinton testimony; video of the hearing here).  On 3/2/11 she testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Clinton testimony) and the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (Clinton testimony).   In all the hearings Secretary Clinton (unsurprisingly) used pretty much the same language to defend Middle East funding, noting:

"This budget also strengthens our allies and partners. It trains Mexican police to take on violent cartels and secure our southern border. It provides nearly $3.1 billion for Israel and supports Jordan and the Palestinians. It helps Egypt and Tunisia build stable and credible democracies. And it supports security assistance to over 130 nations. Over the years, these funds have created valuable ties with foreign militaries and, for example, trained a generation of Egyptian officers who refused to fire on their own people. Across the board, we are working to ensure that all who share the benefits of our spending also share the burdens of addressing common challenges. ..."  [this excerpt taken from her testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee].

In her opening statement on 3/1, Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) slammed the Obama Administration's support for the government of Lebanon, its cooperation with the Mubarak government, and the UN Security Council.  She stated:

"We must maintain firm ties with our allies, and enemies must remain clearly identified. I hope this Administration can tell who's who.  In Lebanon, we have witnessed the conquest of the country by the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis. The U.S. should never have been supporting a government with Hezbollah. Now, with Hezbollah in control, what is the justification for continued U.S. taxpayer investment? In Egypt and elsewhere, successive U.S. administrations failed to move beyond the status quo and prepare for the future. We should not associate the protests in Jordan and Bahrain with events transpiring in Tripoli, Cairo and Beirut.  

"There is one constant: We have failed to effectively use our resources to help build strong, accountable institutions that protect basic human rights.  This Administration's prior decision to cut support to pro-democracy civil society groups in Egypt, and to only fund groups pre-cleared with the Mubarak government, is a mistake we must never repeat...

"...another UN entity, the Security Council, did find time just weeks ago to target our democratic ally, Israel. The United States needs to condition its funding for the UN on real reforms. Just as Administration officials talk about 'smart power' and 'smart sanctions,' when it comes to the UN, we need smart withholding." (see below for more on Ros-Lehtinen and the UN).

In his opening statement on 3/1, Ranking Member Berman (D-CA) focused on recent developments in the Middle East, Iran, and the recent U.S. veto of a UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlement policy.  He noted:  

"Madam Secretary, over the past month, we have witnessed a stirring series of popular revolutions across the greater Middle East.  As Americans, we are inspired to see the people of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other countries rise up to fight for the universal values that all of us hold dear - freedom, democracy and human rights.  We all hope that the upheaval in the Middle East will lead to a brighter future for the people of the region. But we must also guard against the possibility that these movements for change will be hijacked by those determined to restore an autocratic form of government -- or by forces hostile to the United States and our allies in the region.

"Madam Secretary, as we all know, the Iranian regime is continuing its efforts to develop a nuclear weapons capability - and this remains one of the most pressing foreign policy challenges facing our nation and the international community.  When you testified before this body two years ago, you pledged that the Administration would pursue 'crippling sanctions' against Iran. And we have certainly moved in that direction. Last year, the Obama Administration had unprecedented success in building diplomatic support for tougher sanctions on Iran at the U.N. Security Council.  And Congress followed by passing the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act - the most rigorous sanctions ever imposed on Iran. That legislation - which was signed into law eight months ago today - helped galvanize international opinion on Iran's nuclear weapons program, and lay the groundwork for other countries to impose their own national sanctions.

"Madam Secretary, we appreciate the fact that you have pursued the Iranian nuclear threat with great urgency, and look forward to working with you to ensure that our sanctions laws are fully implemented - including against Chinese firms that, as you have indicated, continue to engage in sanctionable activity.  My concern is this: We have not yet sanctioned any non-Iranian bank or energy company, even though we know several are engaged in sanctionable activities. Companies need to know that there are consequences for these types of activities. So far, no company has any reason to think there are such consequences.

"Finally, I would like to express my appreciation for the Administration's recent veto of a Security Council resolution targeted at Israel, which was a powerful re-affirmation of your support for Israel and for direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, leading to two states living side by side and a permanent Israeli-Palestinian peace."

Iran was a theme that came up in all of the hearings.  For reporting on Clinton's comments and questions/comments of Members of Congress on Iran-related issues, see this report by NIAC.

3.  Ros-Lehtinen Keeps Her Sights on the UN (and UNRWA)

At a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on 3/3/11 (entitled "Reforming the United Nations: Lessons Learned"), HFAC Chair Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) went after UNRWA in her opening statement, implying that it is a "bad" program and suggesting that "bad" programs should not be funded on the coattails of good ones.  She argued that instead the U.S. should fund only those UN programs that pass muster, and reiterated her intention to introduce far-reaching UN reform legislation.  She stated, "Some of the U.N.'s defenders like to cite some good U.N. activities to gain support for funding bad ones. However, we're not here to play 'Let's Make a Deal'. Each U.N. office, activity, program, and sub-program, must be justified on its own merits, and funded voluntarily. UNICEF aid to starving children cannot excuse UNRWA having members of Hamas on its payroll.  To incorporate lessons learned, I will soon introduce a revised version of the United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act, which I first introduced in 2007. Its fundamental principle will be 'reform first, pay later.'  I hope that my colleagues will join me in lending strong, bipartisan support to this bill."

In his opening statement, Ranking Member Berman (D-CA) argued that "Any honest assessment of the United Nations would have to conclude that the organization, very far from perfect, plays an important and often essential role in supporting U.S. foreign policy and national security interests."  He noted that recent Republican congressional efforts to bar the use of any funds to pay U.S. assessed dues to the UN was tantamount to calling for the U.S. to withdraw from the UN altogether.  While taking aim at the UN's Human Rights Council and its "obsession with and biased treatment of Israel," he also noted that "even Hillel Neur of UN Watch, one of the strongest and most informed critics of the Human Rights Council, and a witness called by the Majority at our previous hearing, does not support withdrawing from or withholding dues to the Council."

4.  CENTCOM Commander Articulates "Linkage" at SASC Hearing

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee 3/1/11, Gen. James Mattis, Commander, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spoke at length about the Middle East (video of the hearing can be viewed here).  In his prepared testimony he noted that among a host of external influences on the CENTCOM area of operations, the "most significant" include issues related to Middle East Peace (or the lack of progress toward it).  Not only did Gen. Mattis explicitly make this linkage, but Middle East Peace was FIRST on his list of external influences.  

Specifically, General Mattis testified (emphasis added):

"Lack of progress in achieving comprehensive Middle East peace affects U.S. and CENTCOM security interests in the region. It is one of many issues that is exploited by our adversaries in the region and is used as a recruiting tool for extremist groups. The lack of progress also creates friction with regional partners and creates political challenges for advancing our interests by marginalizing moderate voices in the region.

"As Secretary Gates noted in July 2010, 'the lack of progress in the peace process has provided political ammunition to our adversaries in the Middle East and in the region, and...progress in this arena will enable us not only to perhaps get others to support the peace process, but also support us in our efforts to try and impose effective sanctions against Iran.' In December 2010, Secretary Clinton observed 'the conflict between Israel and Palestine and between Israel and its Arab neighbors is a source of tension and an obstacle to prosperity and opportunity for all of the people in the region.'

"By contrast, substantive progress on Middle East peace would improve CENTCOM's opportunities to work with our regional partners and support multilateral security efforts.

"Speaking about the need for Middle East peace at the Manama Dialogue in December 2010, King Abdullah of Jordan observed 'Our region will not enjoy security and stability unless we solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and Arabs and Israelis find peace. The stakes are high. As a solution continues to elude us, faith in negotiations, as the only path to peace and justice, is eroding. And if hope is killed, radical forces will prevail. The region will sink into more vicious warfare and instability...threatening security far beyond the borders of the Middle East.'"

5. HFAC/MESA Subcomittee Hearing 3/10/11 on the Middle East 

On 3/10/11 the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia will hold a hearing entitled "Assessing U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Needs Amidst Economic Challenges in the Middle East."  Witnesses (as of now) will be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeff Feltman and USAID Special Assistant for the Middle East George Laudato.

6.  Pro-Peace Funding Letter Circulating in House

Reps. Schakowsky (D-IL) and Eshoo (D-OH) are circulating a Dear Colleague urging members to sign onto a letter to President Obama supporting U.S. funding that supports Middle East peace.  The letter, which will reportedly remain open for signatures until the end of next week, is being strongly supported by J Street, which brought hundreds of supporters to the Hill on 3/1/11 for a lobby day.  The text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Mr. President:

We write in the wake of historic events in the Middle East over the past month, recognizing that these are critical times for the people of the Arab world, for us as Americans, and for our ally Israel.


We support your effort to shape American policy in the region in ways that promote democracy, more open societies, strong economies and lasting security - all of which are essential to the long-term interests of the United States, Israel, and the people of the Middle East. The United States, as the global champion of democracy and freedom, must stand with people across the region who are advocating peacefully for their rights and freedoms and to improve their lives.

In this context, we support your administration's efforts to prevent reductions in foreign aid that advance U.S. interests in the Middle East and to forestall efforts to separate aid to Israel from other assistance. We are committed to working in Congress toward continuing this important aid and appreciate your support for these efforts. We also write to express our support for your administration's active promotion of a stable and secure future for the region, in part by continuing to work with the parties and other regional actors toward a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We also strongly support your budget request providing $3.075 billion in assistance to Israel as agreed upon in the 2007 Memorandum of Understanding between Israel and the United States. Israel faces very real challenges to its security, and reducing or otherwise endangering aid to Israel by removing it from the broader foreign aid package would be unproductive. At the exact moment Israel is being asked to take significant steps for peace, Israelis should know that the United States remains fully committed to their security.

We also encourage consistent aid to the Palestinian Authority. Your request for continued strong funding to strengthen institution and state-building efforts in the West Bank, to grow the economy, meet basic needs, and reduce the risk of terror aimed at Israel will greatly benefit the peace process. Moreover, a viable and stable PA is essential to achieving a negotiated, peaceful solution with Israel.

This moment in the Middle East represents an important opportunity to reaffirm the United States' leadership, vital to achieving a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that establishes two states for two people living side by side in peace and security. We offer our support for your efforts to make a better future in the Middle East a reality.

Sincerely,

7.  Weiner Picks a Fight with the State Department Over Jerusalem

On 2/24/11 Rep. Weiner (D-NY) circulated a Dear Colleague urging members to join him in signing an amicus brief in a case of a U.S. citizen (child) whose parents have gone to court to try to force the State Department to list his place of birth in his passport as "Jerusalem, Israel."  Similar cases have (repeatedly) been thrown out of court, with the courts ruling that the status of Jerusalem is nonjusticiable (see here and here for examples).  Weiner has made clear that he rejects these rulings, with, for example an op-ed last October and now this amicus brief.  In his Dear Colleague (which was co-signed by Rep. Schilling, R-IL), Weiner suggest that the root of the problem is the "bias of the State Department" -- a not-so-veiled reference, it would appear, to the so-called State Department "Arabists," who for years have been maligned as anti-Israel and anti-Semitic (notwithstanding the fact that for decades now, many of the diplomats working on these issues are Jewish).

8.  Gohmert - At It Again (another incomprehensible rant)

On 3/3/11 Rep. Gohmert (R-TX) once again took to the House floor to deliver a very very long, rambling rant linking the killing of four Americans by pirates off the coast of Somalia to everything from the persecution of Christians in Iraq and Afghanistan, to Iran, Egypt, Barbary Pirates, the Iran hostage crisis, the bombing of the marine barracks in Lebanon, etc.  He appeared to by trying to argue that the common thread in all of this was the loss of respect for America in the world and particular among Muslim extremists.  One portion of his rant drifted (as a non-sequitor that brought him back to a couple of favorite points - opposing foreign aid and bashing the UN) into current developments in Egypt and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, seemingly linking aid to Mubarak and the Palestinians to the hijacking of Americans at sea:

"...of course I filed, in all three Congresses I've been a part of--and this Congress will be no different--my U.N. voting accountability bill that basically says if you vote against the United States more than half the time in the U.N. in any year, you will receive not one dime of financial assistance from the U.S. in the subsequent year. Now some say, gee, that seems so heartless. Well, the fact is we have been paying money to prop up regimes like Mubarak's. Is it any wonder that the report is he has billions of dollars in the bank when we've been paying Egypt billions of dollars that doesn't appear to have really gotten to the people and helped them? We're doing it all over the world. We're paying tyrants who hate us and would like to see our way of life destroyed with American treasure. It doesn't buy love, it doesn't buy happiness, it buys contempt. And as I've said repeatedly, you don't have to pay people to hate you, they'll do it for free.

"In a time when the United States is struggling so with economic issues of just staying afloat, why should we be paying tyrants that hate us and paying people who have not helped their people? I mean, you look at the money that we poured into the Palestinian group and see how much of the money we paid in to help the homeless Palestinians has been paid toward building homes. It should be a no-brainer. Palestinians, so many of them, hate the Israelis because they have no homes. So they're told, well, blame the Israelis. So they do, and they grow up hating them. Well, why not, with the billions and billions of dollars we've paid out of this country to the Palestinians, why have they not used it to build homes so those people won't continue to hate Israelis and hate Americans?

"It's no secret, we're not buying affection with the billions of dollars we're spending overseas. It makes no sense to these countries who hate us that we keep giving them money, but they figure if we're that stupid, sure, they'll take our money, and all the while the dollar gets weaker and weaker and you have more and more claims from people we're giving money to to get rid of the dollar as a reserve currency. And when that happens--if it ever happens--then our economy is in for just the fastest spiral down anyone could possibly imagine. Dollars are required to buy much of the oil in the world. We keep showing this kind of stupidity in our foreign policies and there will be consequences. There were consequences for four Americans who were hijacked and then killed..."

9.  Odds & Ends

Congress.org (CQ/Roll Call) 3/3/11: Democracy funding may be squeezed
Excerpt:  "Democrats in Congress have begun a push for additional programs and aid for Arab pro-democracy movements as a way to establish relations with a new generation of leaders in the region. But with federal spending under assault, those lawmakers face a difficult challenge in persuading colleagues to back new initiatives. .."

JTA 2/24/11: GOP House newcomers sign on to Israel aid
Excerpt:  "The majority of new Republican representatives in Congress have signed on to a letter committing to current levels of defense assistance to Israel.  Among the 87 first-year members, 65 have signed the letter initiated by Reps. Robert Dold (R-Ill.) and Austin Scott (R-Ga.) to the party's House leadership. 'As Israel faces threats from escalating instability in Egypt, Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon, Hamas terrorists in Gaza and the existential danger posed by Iran's nuclear program, full U.S. security assistance to Israel, including supporting Israel's acquisition of the Iron Dome defense system, has never been more important for our own national security interests,' said the letter, which was still accruing signatures as of Feb. 22. The appeal -- and the support it garnered -- is significant because it answers questions pro-Israel groups had about the 2011 class of GOP freshmen, many of them spurred to office by the tea party movement, which has cost cutting as its central focus..."

World Tribune 2/23/11: Obama requests $1.3 billion in military aid to post-Mubarak Egypt
Excerpt:  "The United States has approved the launch of its first military project in Egypt in wake of the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.  The contract was announced on Feb. 18, one week after Mubarak was forced out of office by the military. Within days, the administration of President Barack Obama requested from Congress an allocation of $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid for fiscal 2012.  The Defense Department has approved a project to maintain U.S.-origin equipment in the Egyptian military. The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin a $19.8 million contract to supply the Egyptian government with unspecified systems..."