Engel Elected Chairman of House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Today, Congressman Eliot L. Engel was unanimously elected the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. With his ascension to the chairmanship, Engel now becomes the top Democratic voice on foreign affairs matters in the House of Representatives. He released the following statement:
“I’m honored that my colleagues have unanimously elected me chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Congress has an important role to play in foreign policy, and I’m committed to making sure we live up to those responsibilities.
“Diplomacy and development are critical to our national security. These efforts help advance our interests, strengthen friendships and alliances, and stop conflicts before they start. We must do all we can to support the public servants carrying out this work, including making an annual State Department authorization a central part of the Committee’s activity.
“As Chairman, I’ll ensure the Committee places a renewed emphasis on America’s overseas alliances—particularly NATO. We’ll work to underscore the importance of American values—human rights, democracy, and the rule of law—as pillars of our foreign policy. And, we will bring a new focus to issues including climate change and the root causes of migration.
“It’s also well past due for the House to grapple with questions of how, when, and where American armed forces are engaged around the world. Successive administrations have acted as though they have a blank check to send our service members into harm’s way, when in fact that is a matter for Congress to decide.
“Thorough and fair oversight is also an essential part of Congress’s role as a coequal branch of government. In the days ahead, the Committee will push the Administration for answers about the way it has crafted policy dealing with some of the world’s most important hotspots, from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, to Venezuela, to Syria, to Russia, to North Korea. I’m confident the Committee can do this work in a way that puts politics to the side and gets to the facts about matters pivotal to our security.
“In the years I served as the Committee’s ranking member, I was proud of the bipartisan record of accomplishment we built. I’m hopeful we can continue on this course, and I look forward to working with Ranking Member McCaul and all our members to advance our country’s interests and values.”
Dems Introduce H.R. 1 Featuring Key Voting Reform Concepts From Rep. Engel’s Proposed Constitutional Amendment
Today, Congressman Eliot L. Engel cosponsored H.R. 1, the For the People Act, Democrats’ first legislative priority for the 116th Congress. The For the People Act is a broad anti-corruption and democracy reform package that will expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules at all levels of the government. The bill includes several key concepts from Rep. Engel’s comprehensive Constitutional Amendment to reform our voting and electoral system, which he also reintroduced yesterday (H.J.Res. 9).
“For far too long, our political system has not reflected the needs of all Americans,” Engel said. “We’ve seen gerrymandered districts drawn to favor partisan elected officials, increasing voter suppression, and an unprecedented flood of money from special interests. With Democrats now in the majority in the House, we are committed to restoring transparency, ethics, and accountability to Washington.
“I believe that our democracy can only function when all Americans have a seat at the table. That’s why yesterday, I reintroduced a comprehensive Constitutional Amendment to fix our country’s broken electoral system. I’m pleased that the ‘For the People Act’ includes many concepts from my Constitutional Amendment, including instituting automatic voter registration, making Election Day a federal holiday, prohibiting voter ID requirements, and ensuring that failure to vote is not grounds for removing registered voters. It also bans partisan gerrymandering and reaffirms that Congress should have the authority to regulate money in politics, pushing back on Citizens United.
“Protecting the integrity of our electoral system from special interests and interference is critical and I am pleased the Democratic Caucus has made it an early priority.”
H.R. 1 also strengthens the ethics laws and expands oversight, ensuring integrity from all levels of government. In addition, the bill would extend the current conflict of interest laws to include the President and Vice President, requiring the release of their tax returns, while closing the revolving-door loophole for members of Congress.
