Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for passage of S. 1635.

     A highly skilled group of Foreign Service Officers—about fifteen thousand strong—are deployed worldwide to promote peace, human rights, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad. 

     For most, posting overseas requires serious personal sacrifice. 

     For some, deployment entails serious danger—from disease, crime and terrorism.

     After the American embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi were attacked by terrorists in August of 1998, I chaired hearings on embassy security in my subcommittee and authored the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Act for 2000 and 2001— to significantly boost embassy security including  reconfigured  embassies,  “setbacks” and additional diplomatic security personnel.  The bill—dubbed the Embassy Security Act—passed the House in 1999, never even got a vote in the Senate, but after much lobbying my bill was included in its entirety in the FY 2000 appropriations omnibus.

     In 2005 Congress enacted into law another bill I sponsored—the Department of State's Authorities (P.L. 109-140) that among other things boosted danger pay.

     Today, Senator Corker’s and Mr. Royce’s bill authorizes $4.8 billion for embassy security.  It continues the all-important work of ensuring the most effective security possible for our Foreign Service and Americans abroad by directing joint State/DOD contingency plans—including rapid deployment of armed forces—designation of high-risk, high-threat posts with adequate funding and training commensurate with the danger,  and utilization of “best value” contracting.

     S. 1635 provides numerous enhancements of personnel issues for our men and women in the Foreign Service—from promotion opportunities to updated cost-of-living adjustments to improved care for the children of Foreign Service officers with autism spectrum disorders.

     During markup, I sponsored an amendment that was approved that recognizes applied behavioral analysis (ABA) as proven evidence-based intervention for autistic children and that the Secretary of State should ensure coverage of and access to ABA for dependents with ASD of overseas employees.

     Mr. Speaker, our government contributes approximately 22% of the funding for UN operations – more than half a billion dollars annually. We have a duty to ensure that those funds are not only spent wisely, but also do not unwittingly support those peacekeepers who abuse the very people they are deployed to protect, which unfortunately happens all too often.

     Since the 1990s, allegations of rape and sexual abuse and exploitation have been made against foreign troops in UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan, as well as others.  Such cases of abuse last year included the rape of a 12-year-old girl in the Central African Republic.

     I’ve chaired numerous hearing on this abuse of women and young girls—pushing zero tolerance for this cruelty and exploitation.

     S. 1635 strengthens oversight and accountability of UN peacekeeping personnel.

    S. 1635 bars troop or police contributing countries with poor records from participating in future peacekeeping operations—resulting in a loss of funds and prestige.