The Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act passed the House today, moving the bill to the White House. The bipartisan legislation, authored in the House by Chairman Ed Royce and Rep. Lois Frankel, Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, will help break down gender-related barriers to economic growth and supports women-led enterprises in developing countries.
“In too many places, women are still barred from participating in their econ...omies,” Chairman Royce said. “Millions of women in developing countries are shut out of the financial system. They don’t have access to savings, credit, insurance or basic property rights. This legislation will help break down barriers, and empower more women to start their own businesses and take advantage of other opportunities. I thank all who’ve worked to get this bill into law.”
“The WEEE Act recognizes there is an undeniable link between women’s economic success and global prosperity,” Rep. Frankel said. “When women and girls are educated, free from violence, and have access to tools to support their families, their communities are safer, stronger, and more peaceful.”
Under Chairman Royce’s leadership, the Foreign Affairs Committee has passed numerous bills and held a series of public hearings to help leverage U.S. investments in diplomacy, development and security to empower women and girls around the world.
Chairman Ed Royce today released an oversight report outlining failures in management at the U.S. Agency for Global Media - USAGM that led to repeated violations of the Smith-Mundt Act.
This report is the product of a three-month investigation launched after a July The New York Times piece exposing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Facebook ads that illegally targeted audiences in the United States. The review by the Chairman and his committee staff found that insuffic...ient management and devolved operating structures for digital advertising at RFE/RL and Voice of America - VOA allowed for repeated violations of the Smith-Mundt Act, which prohibits domestic dissemination of content developed by the State Department and U.S.-funded entities. An examination of six VOA language services found at least 860 Smith-Mundt violations over a two-year period. Violations continued even after the New York Times report, and the launch of a USAGM task force designed to address the issue.
“I strongly support the USAGM mission of providing objective, accurate and timely news to people in countries where a free press does not exist,” Chairman Royce said. “As terrorists and repressive regimes in Russia, Iran and North Korea increasingly weaponize information to undermine our democratic values, the U.S. needs strong, agile and independent-minded international broadcasting to stand up for freedom and truth.
“Reforms to empower a CEO at USAGM have produced progress, but there is still more work to be done. As this report details, failures in management and structure at RFE/RL and VOA produced repeated digital ads that violated U.S. law. Management of digital operations must be strengthened not only to ensure compliance with the law, but to produce more effective digital content.
“I hope the next Chair and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee will continue to work closely with USAGM to hold our broadcasters to the highest professional standards. That is what they want, and what our country needs. We’re faced with a misinformation onslaught, and we’ve got to get this right.”
The report, entitled “U.S. International Broadcasting in the Digital Age: Getting Advertising Right” is available for download here: https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/…/chairman-royce-releases-…
