Issues - Foreign Affairs

"I firmly believe that the best way to protect America is by enacting a budget that invests in all dimensions of our national security.  That means a budget that supports our conventional military forces, invests in our counter-terrorism efforts, and – just as importantly – protects our economic security by reining in needless or excessive spending." – Rush Holt

In this section:

• Afghanistan
• Israel
• Protecting Human Rights
• Congressional Leadership

Afghanistan

Rep. Holt voted for the authorization for the use of force in 2001 in order to find and bring to justice the al Qaeda leaders who organized the 9/11 attacks against our country. Now that the U.S. has successfully eliminated bin Laden, Rep. Holt believes that every day we remain in Afghanistan subjects our troops to needless peril and increases our national debt. He has voted against additional funding for President Obama’s escalation of the forces in Afghanistan, and he has voted to prohibit the establishment of permanent bases in Afghanistan.

Rep. Holt has also taken several actions to try to compel President Obama to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan more quickly.  In May and July 2012, Holt voted for amendments to the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Department Appropriations bill, respectively, that would speed the return of our forces from Afghanistan.  Rep.Holt is also a cosponsor of Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act, which would make funds available only for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. personnel.

Israel

Rep. Holt is a lifelong supporter of the State of Israel who has visited the country on numerous occasions. He believes that a strong relationship with Israel is necessary both for ensuring that Israel remains a democratic outpost in the Middle East and for ensuring stability in the region. Israel, like all nations in the world, has the right and responsibility to respond in self-defense. The United States has a responsibility to stand with Israel, and Rep. Holt continues to support military and foreign assistance for Israel.

Rep. Holt also believes that the United States has a vital role to play in brokering an enduring and peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United States must recommit itself to bringing Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.  The future security of the Middle East depends on negotiating a just, permanent, and peaceful settlement between Israelis and Palestinians that both guarantees Israel's security and establishes a Palestinian state.

Protecting Human Rights

Rep. Holt has been recognized as a leader in Congress in the fight for human rights. In 2008, he introduced a resolution on Burma, which the House passed unanimously, condemning the Burmese regime’s undemocratic constitution and the scheduled sham referendum to legitimize the constitution and their military rule. The resolution demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as those Buddhist monks and political prisoners detained during the 2007 anti-government protests.

As a supporter of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people, Rep. Holt sponsored a House-passed resolution that urged the government of the People’s Republic of China to “respond to the Dalai Lama’s initiatives to find a lasting solution to the Tibetan issue,” and called upon the Obama Administration to recommit a sustained effort to press the People’s Republic of China to respect the Tibetans’ human rights.

To lift millions around the world out of poverty, Rep. Holt has led efforts in Congress to support microfinance programs. Microfinance programs have the power to transform the lives of the world’s poorest by providing access to small amounts of money (often less than $150) to start self-sustaining businesses. Because the global financial and economic crisis have deeply hurt the world’s poor, Rep. Holt has urged the World Bank to expand microfinance efforts. 

Congressional Leadership

Holt is a member of the following Congressional caucuses:

• Armenian Caucus
• Taiwan Caucus
• Bangladesh Caucus
• Pakistan Caucus
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• International Worker Rights Caucus
• Hellenic Caucus
• Tom Lantos Human Rights Caucus
• India/Indian American Caucus
• Sudan Caucus
• Sri Lanka Caucus
• Turkish Caucus
• The Congressional Study Group on Turkey
• Polish Caucus
• International Religious Freedom Caucus
• Friends of Sweden Caucus