Transcript [PDF] - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

27
over a third of the population of Ireland. That was genocide against
my people.
Or we could talk about condemning today’s contemporary Russian
Government about the depredations of the Stalinist past in
the 1920s and 1930s. Why not do that Or the Spanish Government
for the genocide that occurred with indigenous populations
throughout the Americas and especially in the Caribbean where
they were fully wiped out.
We could go on and on under this logic and with this justification
and all of it would be true. We have to look at the consequences
of our actions. We have to at some point as Americans who are concerned
with American diplomacy and American interests to move
on.
I want to see reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey. I want
to see us close this tragic chapter in the past, but I don’t want to
do it this way and I am not sure at all—in fact, I am sure that
the wrong way to do it is for Congress frankly to pontificate on this
issue and act as if there will be no consequences when we do.
I hate having this vote because it implies that one is unconcerned
about what did happen in the past and about history, and
nothing could be further from the truth. This vote is not about the
past. This vote is about the future, the future of our relationship
with a strong ally. That is how I frame this issue and I hope that
is how my colleagues do, and that is why I will be voting no in this
resolution. I yield back.
Chairman BERMAN. The gentleman has yielded back the balance
of his time. The chair notes that there will be votes most likely at
1 o’clock.
It would be for the chair’s purposes ideal if we could vote before
we go for those votes, so I would just remind members that, number
one, their statements can be put into the record in full and,
second, to the extent that they can shorten their remarks—it is
their decision—as the gentleman from Virginia just did, it would
help make that possible.
The gentleman from California, ranking member of the International
Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight Subcommittee,
Mr. Rohrabacher
Mr. ROHRABACHER. I move to strike the last word.
Chairman BERMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Let me disagree respectfully with my colleague.
This is about the past. It is not about the future. It is about
the past. Let me note that I personally would have preferred that
this resolution not be brought up. It is about events that took place
almost 100 years ago.
It is about a crime committed by a government of a country, the
Ottoman Empire, that hasn’t existed for nearly 100 years. It is
about a crime in which the perpetrators and the victims are all
dead with a few rare exceptions, three of whom are with us today.
Furthermore, it is an issue that has little or nothing to do with the
United States.
With that said, this legislation before us, I have looked into the
history of this legislation and the historic events that it comments
upon, and let us note there was an Armenian uprising in an attempt
to gain independence from the Ottoman rule. In that upris-
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