Every day, events around the world, such as the recent outbreak of violence in Sudan, emphasize how fragile peace can be. As an internal power struggles between rival military leaders erupted into lethal clashes, American diplomats have been evacuated and hundreds of thousands of refugees have been displaced. Sadly, this – along with the ongoing war in Ukraine – brings into sharp focus the importance and challenge of achieving security through peaceful means on the international stage.
I was encouraged by my recent meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. There is strong bipartisan support across the U.S. government for ensuring longstanding freedom and security in Taiwan, as well as their role in regional security, and I thank Speaker McCarthy for spearheading the meeting.
Security, both in East Asia and around the world, relies heavily on effective cooperation among friends and allies. I was pleased to attend South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s address to a joint session of Congress on April 27. His calls to increase cooperation, stand up to the forces of totalitarianism, and shed light on the humanitarian crisis in North Korea were met with bipartisan applause. The threat of nuclear aggression from multiple adversaries including North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran has never been greater, which makes clear the need for the United States to stand up for freedom from a position of strength and resolve.
I’m pleased the House is acting in a strategic and bipartisan way to address the ongoing threat posed by China. In the House Ways and Means Committee, we are partnering with the Select Committee on China, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and other committees to put forward a strong domestic and foreign policy agenda. Recently, the House passed a resolution calling on China to release American Mark Swidan who has been held by the Chinese Communist Party since 2012 and was sentenced to death in 2019 under unjust charges.
The House also passed a bipartisan resolution to block President Biden’s moratorium on solar panels imported from several Southeast Asian countries through companies owned by China. The Senate has since passed this resolution as well. I am disappointed the president has refused to support it.
Supply chain issues are integral to homeland security and combatting China, especially when it comes to energy, and American energy dominance remains one of my number top concerns in Congress. As the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Trade, I see enormous potential for the U.S. and other nations to step up and fill many of the gaps left by rogue states. This is why we must be proactive to strengthen ties and trade relationships as we build our own domestic manufacturing capabilities.
As we think about our allies around the world, we cannot ignore one of our most important relationships – our partnership with Israel. The House recently passed a resolution commemorating May 14, 2023, as the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel and affirming support for the advancement in Middle Eastern regional security achieved by the historic Abraham Accords. Mediated by the Trump administration, the accords were ratified September 15, 2020, and signed as a commitment to strengthen peace and prosperity between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. We have no greater friend to freedom in the Middle East than Israel, and we must make our support clear to those who wish to destroy them.
While recent actions by our adversaries and antagonists of our allies have raised serious concerns, promoting global security is of critical importance. Armed conflict and the use of nuclear weapons is an outcome we must work hard to prevent. Through determined leadership, global security can be advanced as we strengthen freedom around the world through robust support for our allies and like-minded nations. It’s more important than ever the United States to unite with our allies in support of freedom around the world.