Peace and Human Rights
As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and longtime human rights advocate, I am committed to fighting for civil and human rights for all people at home and abroad. Throughout my career I have worked to ensure that peace, justice and respect for human rights are central to United States foreign policy because I know that what we do abroad doesn't just matter "over there;" it has impacts at home too, whether contributing to the fight against climate change, the rights of working people, migration flows, human rights, the treatment of U.S. citizens abroad or where taxpayer dollars are spent. I will continue working towards a more peaceful world in the 117th Congress.
Perhaps my proudest moment in 2021, and throughout my tenure in Congress, was welcoming home journalist and Huntington Woods native Danny Fenster after he was released from Insein Prison in Burma after nearly six months of unjust detention. I worked day in, day out to #BringDannyHome and appreciate deeply the huge number of people who reached out to support the Fenster family and our efforts to free Danny.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, I believe strongly that the U.S. must partner with our neighbors across the globe to maintain national security and peace, fight infectious disease and tackle injustice. We must keep our commitments and continue to invest in foreign assistance, without which we cannot hope to achieve a more peaceful and prosperous world. And we must choose diplomacy and engagement over saber-rattling and war.
Asia
Standing up for human rights and against ethnic cleansing and genocide has been a key component of my work on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation.
I am deeply concerned about the coup in Burma, ongoing repression of ethnic minorities there. My first trip abroad as a member of Congress was to Bangladesh, where I met with Rohingya refugees, as well as garment workers around Dhaka. I heard how desperately Rohingya refugees wished to return to their homes in Burma. Democracy in Burma existed only briefly and only for some, not for disenfranchised and oppressed minorities like the Rohingya, Kachin and Karen people. I reject the notion that democracy is a step-by-step process wherein it is OK for some human rights to be honored but not others, or for the ethnic majority to exercise voice and power but not minority groups.
Following the February 2021 coup, the House overwhelmingly passed my bipartisan resolution, H.Res.134, condemning the coup and the Burmese military's detention of civilian leaders, calling for the release of all those detained and for those elected to serve in Parliament to resume their duties, and for other purposes. I also believe the United States must be clear that the persecution of the Rohingya constitutes a genocide, which is why I sponsored H.R. 8755, a bill to require a genocide determination from the executive branch. The United States must take action to protect democracy and the safety of the ethnic groups who are even more vulnerable because of this coup. I will continue to monitor this issue closely and work to ensure that all Burmese people receive the support they need.
This is perhaps the most troubling time for human rights in China in recent decades. I am committed to doing all that I can to hold the Chinese government and any complicit corporations accountable for the forced labor and genocide of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. That's why I cosponsored and voted to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law on December 23, 2021. This bipartisan and bicameral bill shows that the United States will stand up for human rights and take bold action against these abuses.
In Tibet, what the Chinese government is doing is not simply repression of individuals, but a slow extinction of a whole culture through infiltration, surveillance and starving it out of existence. We simply can't let that happen. I was grateful to see the president appoint a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues after a letter we sent to the administration urging him to do so. I also supported the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, which authorizes funding for the Office of the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, for activities that preserve Tibet's cultural traditions and language, and other projects. It also instructs the State Department to work to establish a consulate in Lhasa and would bar China from establishing any new consulates in our country until that happens.
Western Hemisphere
During my time in Congress, I have worked hard to protect human rights throughout the Western Hemisphere. Having engaged in Haitian human rights work for more than three decades, including as a Human Rights Watch investigator, I am determined to help craft a foreign policy towards Haiti that is centered on the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people. In May 2021, I founded and co-chair the House Haiti Caucus to organize our efforts in pursuit of a more just U.S. foreign policy that — as we would expect of the policies of our own government — puts the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people first. Over just the past few months, Haiti has battled crises of governance and a presidential assassination, a devastating hurricane and earthquake, migration and COVID-19 vaccine inequities. This is followed by decades of U.S. interventions in Haiti that have undermined the people while propping up the interests of the elite few. Alongside the caucus co-chairs, I have uplifted and listened to the Haitian voices on the ground working to shape a true democratic future for Haiti.
Supporting foreign assistance to our allies in Latin America is also critical. In 2021, I joined 113 of my colleagues to urge the Biden administration to prioritize the well-being of the Cuban people by removing restrictions on travel and remittances and loosening barriers to humanitarian assistance. When the Trump State Department suspended approximately $450 million in foreign assistance that Congress had approved for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, I joined 100 of my colleagues to write to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to restore this critical funding.
Throughout the 116th Congress, I fought back against the Trump administration's militaristic belligerence around the globe. I was a proud original cosponsor of the Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act, which would forbid a President from authorizing the use of military force against Venezuela without Congress's approval, and I spoke out against the militaristic posturing of the Trump administration towards Venezuela repeatedly. It is up to Congress to decide how, when and where the U.S. military is engaged around the world, and I believe American military intervention in Venezuela is not an option. I also remain gravely concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. We must ensure that U.S. aid is there to ease the suffering of the Venezuelan people—not turn them into political pawns.
Middle East
In 2021, we witnessed horrific violence erupt between Israel and Gaza, killing and injuring hundreds, destroying homes and critical infrastructure, and worsening Gaza's humanitarian crisis. This war, sadly, was the latest in a cycle of violence that has now continued for decades and followed a U.S. presidency that pushed peace even further out of reach. The United States has, under Democratic and Republican administrations since 2002, supported a two-state solution. In the wake of last year's deadly conflict, we must move beyond professing support for such a solution—we must act to make it so. Only a two-state solution can both ensure Israel's survival as a democratic state and a national home for the Jewish people and fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own. In September 2021, I introduced my Two-State Solution Act which defines the United States' role in making meaningful progress towards peace in Israel and Palestine and discourages steps that push this out of reach. This bill helps both parties move down the path of peace and coexistence.
I have used my position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to advocate for diplomacy and avoid more needless war. When it became clear that the Trump administration was considering a war with Iran, I introduced the bipartisan Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) Clarification Act, a bill to reaffirm that the Trump administration would have to receive an explicit authorization from Congress before engaging in military action against Iran. At the same time, I have been a vocal proponent of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—often called the Iran nuclear deal – to ensure that Iran cannot build nuclear weapons. Former President Trump's decision to abandon that deal has brought Iran closer to a nuclear weapon and made a military confrontation more likely. I strongly support the Biden administration's efforts to reconstitute the JCPOA, a step that would promote not just U.S. and Israeli security, but global security.
The Saudi-led war in Yemen has led to a staggering crisis, and it's happening on our watch. Yemen's health infrastructure has crumbled, leaving many without access to life-saving medicine. It is past time to bring all U.S. military involvement in this calamity to an end, and in hearings held by the House Foreign Affairs Committee I challenged Trump administration officials who argued it was justifiable to continue arms sales to Saudi Arabia given the horrific Saudi-led war in Yemen. I proudly cosponsored and voted for H.J.Res.37, a resolution directing the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. I have spoken out against further arms sales to Saudi Arabia, proposed by the Biden administration, which would only further prolong this conflict.
Armenia
As a member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, I was pleased to write to the Biden administration in February 2021 to express my strong support for closer U.S.-Armenia relations and urge aid to Artsakh. In the 116th Congress, I was an original cosponsor of H.Res.1165, which condemned Azerbaijan's military operation in Artsakh and denounced Turkish interference in the conflict. I was also an original cosponsor of H.Res 296, a resolution affirming the United States record on the Armenian genocide.
Ukraine
I am also a strong supporter of Ukraine and its independence and sovereignty and am a proud and active member of the Ukraine Caucus. In the face of increased Russian aggression beginning in late 2021, I joined my colleagues in calling on the Biden administration to provide additional defensive assistance to the Ukrainian government. I have urged parties to find a diplomatic solution and to avoid further civilian suffering.
Foreign Aid
Foreign assistance is an important tool for peace-oriented U.S. foreign policy. As we have seen with the global public health and economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have an obligation to help vulnerable populations not only at home but also abroad, because global health security is crucial for our national security. That's why we must partner with our neighbors—on a bilateral and multilateral basis—to maintain national security and peace, fight infectious diseases and tackle injustice.
In the 117th Congress, I have worked to ensure that U.S. sanctions do not undermine the provision of life-saving foreign aid to vulnerable populations. I proudly partnered with Senator Ed Markey to reintroduce H.R. 1504, the Enhancing North Korea Humanitarian Assistance Act, to allow aid workers to provide vital humanitarian assistance to the North Korean people and ensure sanctions are not standing in the way of their work.
In the 116th Congress, I vocally opposed former President Trump's proposed cuts to the foreign assistance budget and will continue to support critical programs that help us ensure a safer, more prosperous world, an issue near to many of the hearts of the new Americans who call Oakland and Macomb Counties home.
Immigration
There is no doubt that our immigration system needs comprehensive reform that strengthens our economy, keeps families together and enhances safety for all of our communities. I began fighting for immigrants and refugees way back in the 1980s, when as a union organizer, I co-founded a new nonprofit to help local unions negotiate contract language to protect their undocumented members from exploitation. When I was a law student, I coordinated the Harvard Immigration Clinic's work to assist scores of Haitians seeking asylum in the U.S. after the overthrow of Haiti's first democratically elected president in 1991.
This is deeply personal to me, as my great-grandparents came to Oakland County, Michigan in the late 1800s from places where Jews fled to escape persecution. Simply stated, those who enter our country in search of safety, security and a brighter future deserve an empathetic, not militarized or carceral, response.
Immigrants in our communities also deserve not to be treated as a monolith, but to have their cases heard individually in immigration courts. That is why I introduced the bipartisan Deferred Removal for Iraqi Nationals Including Minorities Act to protect Iraqi nationals—including Chaldean Christians—who will face persecution for their religion, ethnicity or ties to America if they are forced back to Iraq against their will.
Death Penalty
I support abolishing the death penalty and believe it to be both a racial justice and human rights issue. The modern death penalty has startling remnants of the practices of slavery wherein capital punishment was used to instill fear in Black people and curb potential slave rebellions. Furthermore, people of color have accounted for a disproportionate 43 percent of executions since 1976 and 55 percent of those currently awaiting execution. It is my sincere belief that the death penalty is a barbaric punishment that strips rehabilitated citizens of dignity, humanity and a chance to reintegrate into society, and must be abolished. I am a strong supporter of the Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act, which would abolish the death penalty under federal law. In the 117th Congress, I will continue to work collaboratively with my colleagues in the House to ensure the Biden administration sees through its promise to end the death penalty.
Pentagon Spending
We are still grappling with a pandemic and economic upheaval that has shaken our country to its core. I support having by far the strongest military in the world and the good-paying defense jobs in my district, but I cannot support ever-increasing military spending in the face of so much human need across our country. Proponents of more a higher Pentagon budget argue that the burden of cuts would fall on servicemembers and their families. That is simply and definitively untrue. In fact, far too many of our rank-and-file active duty servicemembers qualify for SNAP benefits because their salaries are too low. The bloat in military involves not wages and benefits for our troops but unnecessary weapons systems, nuclear expansionism, and waste, fraud and abuse. In the 117th Congress, I voted against the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, which supports a topline of $778 billion in military spending. By comparison, the estimated cost to fund 12 weeks of paid family leave for one year is $22.5 billion, which would enable all American workers to manage the demands of their jobs while also caring for their families and their personal health — like all other developed nations. Yet, 12 weeks paid leave has been deemed too costly by Republicans and conservative Democrats and was whittled down to four weeks in the Build Back Better Act passed by the House on November 19, 2021.
My number one priority—during this pandemic and throughout my tenure in the House—is to raise the standard of living for the working people of Oakland and Macomb Counties. To do that, we must invest in solutions to the urgent problems facing working families today while avoiding investments that cause undue harm to people abroad and at home. I will continue to push for a responsible Pentagon budget that elevates diplomacy and peace, not war.