During remarks on the House floor Thursday, Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) spoke about Biden policy regarding diplomatic engagements between US officials and Taiwanese counterparts.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. Speaker I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk will designate the amendment.
00:03Amendment number 67 printed in part B of House report number 118-559
00:09offered by Mr. Tiffany of Wisconsin.
00:11House resolution 1316 the gentleman from Wisconsin Mr. Tiffany and a member
00:16opposed each will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from
00:20Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker my amendment would prevent the enforcement of arbitrary
00:25self-imposed State Department rules that limit communication between U.S.
00:29officials and their counterparts in Taiwan. In essence these guidelines are
00:33designed to prevent high-level coordination between our two countries.
00:36That isn't just bad policy it is in direct conflict with existing laws that
00:41call for expanding bilateral cooperation such as the Taiwan Travel Act. These
00:46rules inhibit the ability of high-ranking U.S. defense officials to
00:50work with military planners in Taipei. They impose degrading and embarrassing
00:55restrictions that serve no reasonable purpose such as a ban on displaying
00:59Taiwan's flag and the playing of Taiwan's national anthem at functions
01:04held on U.S. government property. The even police language warning American
01:09officials not to refer to Taiwan as a country or to elected leaders as a
01:14government. These directives do not help the United States and they do not help
01:18Taiwan but they do help the Chinese Communist Party and that is why former
01:23President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got rid of them.
01:27Unfortunately the Biden administration quietly reinstated to them in 1920 or
01:32excuse me in 2021 and that is why I'm offering this amendment today. Mr.
01:38Speaker it makes no sense that a State Department memo supersedes the laws we
01:42pass. America should not have to ask China for a permission slip to talk to
01:48our friends and allies in Taiwan or anywhere else. My amendment will make
01:53sure we don't by scrapping these so-called guidelines. I ask for a yes
01:58vote on the amendment and I reserve. The gentleman reserves. For what purpose does
02:03the gentlewoman from California seek recognition? Mr. Chairman I claim the
02:07time in opposition. The gentlelady from California is recognized. Mr. Chairman I
02:12rise in opposition to this amendment. The executive branch has the ability to
02:16determine how the United States engages and manages our relationship with Taiwan.
02:22This is because Congress has left it to the executive branch to conduct
02:27diplomacy and the recognition of non-recognition or non-recognition of
02:32foreign states and governments in this case. If you wish to legislate how the
02:38executive branch should engage with Taiwan then mark up a separate bill in
02:44the Foreign Affairs Committee that deals with just that. But in the absence
02:49of that the executive branch needs to determine how to handle diplomatic
02:54engagements abroad. It's their job to weigh multiple equities and balance
03:00delicate factors that are simply not considered by this amendment today. The
03:06amendment sponsor knows that Taiwan is a sensitive geopolitical subject with
03:12respect to our relations with the PRC. That's why we have a select committee in
03:18the House on it and I think this is something that they could examine. Much
03:24more appropriate. But there's too much at stake to have this amendment decide what
03:29the guidelines for engagement will be. I urge my colleagues to oppose this
03:33amendment. I reserve the balance of my time. Gentleman reserves. Gentleman's
03:37recognized. Mr. Speaker let's go back to 1979. The executive branch sometimes does
03:45not get it right as we saw with President Jimmy Carter who adopted the
03:52one China policy here and Congress had to step in with the Taiwan Relations Act
03:58in order to make sure that Taiwan was identified as a country. And that's what
04:03we've seen in the ensuing time since approximately 1980. So it is
04:11appropriate for Congress to step in in a situation like this when we see an
04:17administration that shows weakness towards China and we've seen the impacts
04:21of that weakness across the globe. Congress will stand with Taiwan and I
04:28hope all of Congress will stand with Taiwan. I reserve. Gentleman reserves.
04:34Gentlelady from California is recognized. Once again Mr. Chairman let me just
04:39reiterate that this is an authorization issue. It's not an issue for the
04:45Appropriations Committee. I urge a no vote and I yield back. Gentlelady yields.
04:50Gentleman from Wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Speaker I urge a yes vote on this
04:54resolution and I yield. Gentleman yields. Question is on the amendment offered by
04:58the gentleman from Wisconsin. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed say no. In
05:05the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to.
05:21It is now in order to consider amendment number 68 printed in part B of the House
05:26Report 118559. For what purpose does the gentleman from Wisconsin seek
05:31recognition? Mr. Speaker I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will
05:36designate the amendment. Amendment number 68 printed in part B of House Report
05:40number 118-559 offered by Mr. Tiffany of Wisconsin.
05:45Pursuant to House Resolution 1316 the gentleman from Wisconsin Mr. Tiffany and
05:50a member of the opposed each will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the
05:53gentleman from Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker my amendment would withhold U.S.
05:57contributions from the corrupt and scandal plague United Nations. It's about
06:02time. Despite making up less than 5% of the world's population Americans remain
06:07the largest single state contributor to the UN footing around one quarter of its
06:11multi-billion dollar budget. In other words we pick up the lion's share of the
06:15tab while unaccountable international bureaucrats make the rules. What have our
06:21donations financed? Decades of mismanagement, waste, fraud, and abuse.
06:26Endless anti-semitic Israel bashing. More than a dozen UNRWA employees
06:33participating directly in the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel and
06:38potentially 1,000 more with links to Hamas. Seats on the UN so-called Human
06:44Rights Council for the notorious rulers of countries like communist China, Russia,
06:49Cuba, and Venezuela. Incompetent UN agencies like the World Health
06:55Organization which ignored Taiwan's early warnings about the dangerous Wuhan
07:00virus and chose instead to run interference for Beijing. But Mr. Speaker
07:07the know-it-alls at the UN don't limit themselves to headline-grabbing matters
07:11of international concern. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization recently cooked
07:17up a plan to take on backyard barbecues, burgers, and brats demanding that
07:23Americans eat less beef, less pork, less poultry to reduce emissions. This
07:30meat-headed move is just the latest half-baked scheme on the UN's menu of
07:34dumb ideas. Mr. Speaker it's time to put the UN's bloated bureaucracy on a diet
07:40and stop outsourcing our sovereignty to the shady transnational organization.
07:47I ask for a yes vote on the amendment and I reserve.
07:49Gentleman reserves. For what purpose does a gentleman from California seek
07:52recognition? Mr. Chairman I claim the time in opposition. Gentleman's recognized.
07:57I rise in strong opposition to this amendment as one who knows the UN pretty
08:03well. I'm shocked that once again Republicans are trying to defund it. The
08:11world is a better place because of the United Nations. As I've said the bill
08:16as it stands already cuts 83% of the contributions to international
08:23organization accounts compared to fiscal 2024 and excludes funding for the
08:29majority of the United Nations organizations that we traditionally fund
08:33even those that we have treaty obligations to. We have watched the PRC
08:38challenges the United States at the United Nations and other multilateral
08:43institutions working to insert their values their perspective their policies
08:48of authoritarianism and disrespect for human rights but cutting all by cutting
08:53all funding to the United Nations and its agencies this bill leaves a void for
08:58our adversaries to fail. The PRC is already the second largest financial
09:04contributor to the United Nations regular budget and UN peacekeeping and
09:08is happy to point out that the United States is an unreliable partner. Our
09:14ambassador to the United Nations has called this China favorite talking point.
09:20Humanitarian response in Sudan exposure of Russia's human rights violations in
09:25Ukraine and international norms on everything from how we receive mail
09:30internationally to how planes fly across international borders is touched by the
09:36United Nations system. This amendment makes America less safe less prosperous
09:42and more isolated once again we are attempting to just withdraw from the
09:48world and become more a more isolationist country and I reserve the
09:53balance of my time and urge a no vote.
09:57Mr. Speaker I'm being whipsawed here we looked at the previous amendment that I
10:01offered and with a chance to stand up against the PRC in reference to Taiwan
10:07and we hear a no vote is urged and now we're being told that all the PRC are
10:13going to take over the United Nations it's time to start looking out for
10:17Americans interests in particular I've authored a resolution that I hope to see
10:23in July in regards to the World Health Organization which stood with Beijing
10:27rather than the people the world and we saw the devastation of what was done as
10:32a result of the virus that came from a lab in Wuhan almost certainly came from
10:37a lab in Wuhan and devastated our world so I urge a yes vote on this it is time
10:45to take care of America first. I reserve.
10:49Gentleman reserves gentlelady is recognized. Mr. Chairman first of all to
10:54stand against the PRC or any adversary we must be in the room doubling down at
11:00the United Nations is not going to make us the United States excel in our global
11:09leadership as we should continue to do as it relates to peace and security
11:14withdrawing standing by the sidelines doing nothing gives our adversaries the
11:22opening that they're just waiting on and this amendment would accomplish that
11:27so I urge a no vote on this and I yield back the balance of my time.
11:33Yields back gentleman is recognized. Join us and let's making America first I urge a yes
11:39vote and I yield back Mr. Speaker. Gentleman yields. Question is on the
11:43amendment offered by Mr. Tiffany from Wisconsin those in favor say aye those
11:48opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. Amendment is
11:52agreed to. Mr. Chairman I request a recorded vote. Pursuant to Clause 6 of
11:57Rule 18 for the proceedings of this amendment on the amendment offered by
12:00the gentleman from Wisconsin will be postponed.