House Passes Key Foreign Affairs Resolutions
Salute: Kaywin Feldman, First Female Director of the National Gallery of Art
“115th Congress set a high standard”
Worth a read: 'I'm not a hero. It's the boys that crashed,' says 101 year-old Army Air Force Veteran

House Passes Key Foreign Affairs Resolutions

This week, in some of the final actions of the 115^th Congress, the House of Representatives approved a number of critical resolutions expressing our steadfast support for critical allies, as well as, freedom and democracy around the globe.

First, the House passed, with my strong support, H. Res. 1149, which recognizes that the United States-Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance serves as a linchpin of regional stability and bilateral security, and exemplifies the broad and deep military, diplomatic, economic and cultural ties shared between the U.S. and the ROK.  South Korea is one of the United States' most important strategic and economic partners. The U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1953 at the end of the Korean War, is imperative to protecting our nation and stabilizing the region, particularly from North Korea and today, we have approximately 30,000 men and women of our armed forces serving in the ROK.

The House also passed H. Res. 1165, which condemns the Assad regime and its backers for their continued support of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. For seven years, we have watched the brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad inflict untold suffering on the Syrian people. Since the outbreak of the conflict, half a million people have been killed and 13 million – including women and children – remain in dire need of basic humanitarian assistance in Syria. The Assad regime and its allies, including the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, have used chemical warfare, barrel bombed civilians, and used starvation as a weapon against the Syrian people. This resolution represents broad, bipartisan agreement that there will be no peace in Syria as long as the Assad regime remains in power, and as long as Russia and Iran continue their entrenchment in that country.

Next, H. Res. 1162  was approved, which renews calls for Russia to end hostilities that violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and reaffirms the House’s commitment to Ukraine’s independence and security, and urges the president to hold Russia accountable for its aggressive behavior. Passage of the resolution comes in the wake of Russia’s seizure last month of Ukrainian ships and crew in the Azov Sea. I have long considered Russian aggression against Ukraine’s sovereign territory and its people to be a serious threat against the West.  I have taken a leadership role to ensure the United States provides significant assistance to Ukraine and its people!

Finally, in an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 394 to 1, the U.S. House approved H. Res. 1091, declaring crimes against Burma’s Rohingya Muslim minority to be genocide. The Burmese military and security forces have unleashed a targeted campaign against the Rohingya people – killing unarmed civilians, raping women and children, burning down villages, and planting landmines along border areas transited by refugees fleeing for their lives. It is imperative that the persecuted Rohingya know that the U.S. stands with them and recognizes the terrible crimes that are committed against them. Further, the legislation calls for additional sanctions on senior members of the Burmese military and security forces who are responsible for genocide and human rights abuses.

Salute: Kaywin Feldman, First Female Director of the National Gallery of Art

This week, the National Gallery of Art Board of Trustees elected Kaywin Feldman as its fifth director, and the first women to lead the institution. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Kaywin Feldman currently serves as the Nivin and Duncan MacMillan Director and President of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and will take over at the Gallery in March.

You can read more about this historic announcement in Peggy McGlone’s Washington Post Article.

I would also like to congratulate the outgoing Director of the Gallery, Earl A. “Rusty” Powell III.  Under Rusty’s 26 years of leadership, every division at the Gallery has experienced tremendous growth and contributed to art historical scholarship, conservation, and museology at the highest standard of excellence. Since Powell's first year as director in 1992, the Gallery has welcomed more than 122 million visitors.

With more than 150,000 works of art, from the Middles Ages to the present day, the National Gallery of Art is a “must see” when you are in Washington D.C. For more information on visiting the Gallery please visit here.

“115th Congress set a high standard”

As a lifetime member of the American Legion, I was extremely pleased to read National Commander Brett P. Reistad latest column, “115th Congress set a high standard”, praising the bipartisan work of this Congress to improve the lives of the men and women who have served our nation.

We have no greater responsibility than to ensure our veterans have the benefits and care they were promised.  In the 115^th Congress, through my role as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I have worked to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has the resources to deliver on this promise. Under my leadership drafting our annual spending bills, the VA has received historic funding to support the timely and efficient delivery of health care and benefits.

Specifically, in the FY 2019 Milcon/VA bill, which was approved by Congress and signed into law in September, the VA was provided $86.5 billion in discretionary, full-year funding, an increase of $5 billion from FY 2018. This funding will support care at VA Medical Centers at Lyons and East Orange and the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Morris Township and Newton.

To read Commander Reistad’s entire column please visit here.

Worth a Read: Jai Agnish’s article in the Daily Record on WWII veteran’s Steve Bolcar and Bob Grenz, who recently shared remarkable stories about their service and sacrifice in U.S. Army Air Forces!