Congressman Keith Self Secures 15 Wins in Department of State Reauthorization Bill

Congressman Keith Self (TX-03), Chairman of the Europe Subcommittee and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement after the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed its comprehensive bipartisan package to reauthorize the Department of State. 

“The Department of State grew into a massive bureaucracy where nearly 80% of the agency has been operating without proper Congressional authorization. Under Chairman Mast's bold leadership, Congress is once again asserting its responsibility over the reauthorization of the Department of State,” said Congressman Self. “These important measures will streamline the Department and empower Secretary Rubio to operate more effectively and help give President Trump the necessary tools to assert peace through strength.”

Rep. Self’s wins in the State Reauthorization package include:

1.    Passage of H.R. 5247, which is Title IV of the State Reauthorization package (along with the accompanying Title IV Manager’s Amendment). Included in this legislation is the creation of the Under Secretary for International Security Affairs and several relevant security-oriented bureaus, known together as the T-Family. The Under Secretary for International Security Affairs represents the tip of the spear for State Department’s leadership in addressing international security challenges from our foreign adversaries like the People’s Republic of China.

2.    Language in the base text of H.R. 5300, the committee’s central policy bill for the State Reauthorization markup, addressing the build-up of Russian military forces and other potential hostilities in the Baltic Region. The language also encourages the Department to diplomatically engage with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to prioritize the safety and security of the Baltic region.

3.    Congressman Self’s H.R.4263 - 123 GO Act – included in the base text of H.R. 5300, which would enhance the Department of State’s mission in making the United States the leader in the civil nuclear industry.

4.    An Amendment establishing a sense of Congress that the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry (GHM) is untrustworthy, unreliable, and a propaganda tool of Hamas. The sense of Congress recognizes that the ministry deliberately refuses to differentiate between civilians and terrorists with respect to its casualty reports. This is critical as mainstream media outlets and officials continue to rely on the GHM for casualty reports in Hamas’s war of terror against Israel.

5.    An Amendment directing the Department to consider and report their findings to Congress as to why they decide not to implement the recommendations by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to designate certain countries as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). The CPC designation would give the U.S. government tools to sanction and pressure countries that engage in or tolerate particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

6.    An Amendment mandating a GAO report into the implementation of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 in an effort to strengthen enforcement of the law against global violators of religious freedom.

7.    An Amendment to ensure the Secretary of State takes necessary actions to prioritize the appointment of a U.S. Ambassador to Moldova. This is critical as Russia attempts to project and expand its influence in Europe.

8.    Congressman Jefferson Shreve’s amendment, co-led by Rep. Self, to prohibit U.S. Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). UNRWA has deep ties to Palestinian acts of terrorism, especially since the onset of Hamas’s war of terror against Israel.

9.    Language in the Chairman’s manager’s amendment to the State Authorization policy bill authorizing a comprehensive plan to restore stability to the Western Balkans. The Western Balkans is the most unstable region in Europe after Ukraine.

10.    An Amendment to prohibit funds to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. These courts have a documented pattern of unfairly targeting Israel, undermining peace efforts, and U.S. interests in the Middle East.

11.    An Amendment taking Congressman Self’s bill, H.R.3998 - Firearms Congressional Notification Modernization Act, which would streamline the process for exports of firearms to our allies. This amendment offers long-overdue reform to a burdensome bureaucratic process of foreign military sales and direct commercial sales, a major obstacle to the military readiness of the United States and our allies.

12.    An Amendment that would add Turkey to the process of ensuring Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) when considering arms sales and exports to Ankara. This legislation is vitally important as Turkey has demonstrated a startling level of support and even facilitation of support for Palestinian terrorism against Israel.

13.    An Amendment to protect sanity and truth at the Department of State by prohibiting the use of gender pronouns on professional identity elements at the Department of State, including business cards and email signatures.

14.    An Amendment to prohibit any funds at the Department of State from being used to provide abortions.

15.    An Amendment striking a section of the big policy bill reauthorizing a dormant global small business grants program in an effort to DOGE unnecessary government programs.
 

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