Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), passed five bipartisan measures.  A summary of the committee action, including adopted amendments, will be available HERE.

On passage of H. Res. 354, which condemns the violence against peaceful protests outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence on May 16, 2017, Chairman Royce said: “Armed members of President Erdogan’s security detail savagely beat, choked and kicked protesters in an unprovoked assault aimed at silencing these American citizens’ right to free speech and assembly.  This timely resolution sends a clear signal to the Turkish government that we will not allow any foreign government to stifle the rights of our citizens.”

On passage of H. Res. 355, which condemns the terrorist attack in Manchester on May 22, 2017, Chairman Royce said: “This attack claimed the lives of at least 22 innocent people, many of them children, leaving a concert on what should have been a joyful and carefree occasion.  This resolution rightly condemns this heinous attack, and pledges our unwavering support for the United Kingdom.”

On passage of H. Res. 351 as amended, which condemns the violence and persecution in Chechnya, Chairman Royce said:  “The Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov is waging a brutal campaign against gay men – including their abduction, detention, and torture.  There needs to be a serious investigation and a stop to this medieval violence.  Russia cannot tolerate such intolerable brutality and also purport to be worthy of participating on the global stage.”

On passage of H.R. 2484, which requires the U.S. to develop a comprehensive strategy to increase and strengthen women’s participation in peace negotiations and conflict prevention, Chairman Royce said:  “Peace agreements are more likely to be reached, and last, when women are involved.  So promoting women’s participation represents a real opportunity for improving U.S. efforts to resolve conflicts, improve peacekeeping missions, and counter human trafficking.”

On passage of S. 371 as amended, which makes technical corrections to the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017, Chairman Royce said:  “This measure ensures that the authorizing and appropriations committees of the House and Senate continue to work closely together on oversight of the Department of State and Foreign Operations accounts.”

A summary of the committee action, including adopted amendments, will be available HERE.

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