Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) today issued the following statement regarding a House of Representatives vote on House Resolution 11: "I believe an ultimate and lasting peace will come through direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I also believe a one-sided placement of blame isn’t constructive. I urged President Obama to veto the U.N. Security Council Resolution because it was a one-sided attempt to place all of the blame on Israel for a lack of progress toward a tw...
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Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) today issued the following statement regarding an expected United Nations Security Council vote calling for an end to Israeli settlements. "While I have serious concerns about the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, I believe the conditions for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians can only come about through direct negotiations between the two parties. I urge President Obama to veto the possible United Nations Security Council resoluti...
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Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) today issued the following statement on the selection by President-elect Trump of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency: “Now, more than ever, Americans understand that the consequences for our families will be severe if the Environmental Protection Agency walks away from its role of upholding our fundamental U.S. environmental laws that protect the health and safety of our communities. “This is why I oppose the appointment of Scott Pruitt as...
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Congressmen Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Steve Chabot (OH-01) today issued the following joint bipartisan statement on the formal exile of Mr. Sam Rainsy by the Cambodian government: As co-chairs of the Congressional Cambodia Caucus, we are deeply troubled by reports that the government of Cambodia has officially banned opposition leader Sam Rainsy from entering the country. We disagree with this action in the strongest possible terms. The right of the Cambodian people to freely and fairly choose ...
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Congressmen Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Ed Royce (CA-39) today urged Secretary of State John Kerry to exercise his authority under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to return Vietnam to the list of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPC) because of government moves to restrict religious freedom. In a letter, Congressmen Lowenthal and Royce point out that Vietnam was removed from this list in November 2006 because of supposed government progress on increasing religious freedom for th...
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Congressman Alan Lowenthal released the following statement on the passing of former President and Prime Minister of Israel Shimon Peres: I am honored to be a part of President Obama’s official delegation to Israel to attend the state funeral of former President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres. President Obama’s bipartisan delegation—composed of nearly 20 members of Congress, as well as former President Bill Clinton and current members of the President’s cabinet and administration—only highlight...
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Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) today, along with 68 of his House colleagues, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urging the State Department to put strengthening the rule of law and defense of human rights at the top of the U.S. bilateral agenda with Mexico. The letter expresses concern over the 27,000 unresolved cases of people who have disappeared in Mexico since 2007, and the slow pace of reform in the Mexican military, law enforcement, and justice sectors. Also highlighte...
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Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Congressman Steve Chabot (OH-01) today announced the creation of a bipartisan Congressional Cambodia Caucus to bring together Members of Congress interested in both Cambodia’s difficult political situation and the broader U.S. relationship with the Southeast Asian nation. Congressmen Lowenthal and Chabot will serve as the co-chairs of the new Cambodia Caucus. Congressman Lowenthal, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Subcommittee on Asia and...
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Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on the recent Syrian cease-fire agreement: “I have always supported peace over violence. While the Russians and the Assad regime will need to prove their commitment to the cease-fire through direct, immediate, and sustained action, I sincerely hope that this agreement will lead to a solution for the Syrian people. In the short term, I am optimistic that this respite will give aid w...
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Congressman Alan Lowenthal today introduced a House Resolution honoring Human Rights Day and the 67th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Championed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and adopted in 1948, the UDHR represents the first comprehensive international agreement about the specific rights and freedoms of all human beings. Today, the UDHR is the world’s most translated document, with over 416 different translations. “The rights enshrined in the UDHR uphold the ...
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