Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she would begin an accelerated impeachment investigation last week, and consequently, several globally important developments went largely unnoticed. Here’s the news Americans may have missed – but should know:

 

1.) The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee without objection from Republicans and Democrats. Click here for a two minute video by the Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans explaining why this bill is so important. Lead Republican McCaul penned the below op-ed in Fox News about how this bill matters for pro-democracy activists around the world. 

Leaders of the Chinese Communist Party called out Lead Republican McCaul for supporting Hong Kongers. His response:

2.)  173 Members of Congress, including Lead Republican McCaul, urged the Administration to prioritize Austin Tice’s safe return from Syria. Austin Tice is an American journalist from Texas who has been held captive since August 14, 2012. Lead Republican McCaul met with his parents in Washington, D.C. last week and pledged his full support in helping bring Austin home. Additionally, he co-led a bipartisan letter to President Trump to prioritize Austin’s safe return.

Pictured above: Lead Republican McCaul with parents of Austin Tice in his Washington, D.C. office.

3.) The United States cannot cede its leadership at the United Nations to China, Lead Republican McCaul wrote in a Foreign Policy op-ed. He made the case that the Chinese Communist Party is using their positions of leadership at the United Nations to advance their malign agenda, and the United States’ friends and allies should join in resisting this corruption and work to counter it. Read below:

4.) The United Kingdom, Germany, and France announced Iran is responsible for the recent attack on Saudi oil infrastructure and “the time has come for Iran to accept negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear programme as well as on issues related to regional security, including its missiles programme and other means of delivery.” Lead Republican McCaul has said for weeks – including during this Fox News interview – that our allies need to join the maximum pressure campaign to counter Iran’s aggression.

5.) The Administration will begin restricting entry into the United States for senior Iranian government officials and their families. Lead Republican McCaul made the following statement:

“The Iranian regime is responsible for taking hundreds of American lives, holding our citizens hostage, enabling terrorism around the world, assassinations in Europe, and attacking our allies. The Iranian regime should not be allowed to enter the United States or benefit from our free democracy, particularly when it’s denied to their own people. Period. I applaud the Administration for taking action this week to block senior Iranian officials and their families from doing so. Iran needs to behave like a normal country. The United States will continue to increase our maximum pressure until they do so.”

6.) The United States and Japan reached a trade deal on agricultural tariffs, industrial tariffs, and digital trade. As a result, Japan will gradually lower or eliminate tariffs and quotas on approximately $7 billion of U.S. agricultural products, including beef, pork, and wheat. The agreement is expected to take effect on January 1, 2020.

7.) Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) announced it surpassed it’s initial goal of $500 million to support women around the globe. Lead Republican McCaul joined Ivanka Trump, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green, and OPIC CEO David Bohigian in Côte d’Ivoire earlier this year to launch the White House-led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP).

Pictured above: Earlier this year, Lead Republican McCaul and the delegation participated in the World Bank Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WeFi) and discussed the importance of ensuring women have equal opportunities and access to finance.

8.) The Administration certified that the Assad regime used chemical weapons in a May 2019 attack. Lead Republican McCaul issued the following statement:

9.) Bipartisan congressional leaders met with a unified delegation of political and social leaders from Nicaragua to express their continued support for Nicaraguans’ efforts to restore democracy in their country. Lead Republican McCaul and the delegation reiterated their calls for President Daniel Ortega to cease his repression against peaceful protesters, social leaders, and the political opposition. Click here to view their statement.

10.) Lead Republican McCaul and Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY) issued a joint statement about ongoing protests in Egypt and reports of arbitrary detention of protestors and journalists:

 

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