I have strong concerns about the ongoing crisis in Sudan, and the Darfur region in particular. It is estimated that over the past four years hundreds of thousands have died and another 2.5 million have been uprooted from their homes and livelihoods due to ethnic cleansing and genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Moreover, Sudan’s 21-year civil war has remained a major contributing factor to the nation’s persistent humanitarian crisis and further complicates relief efforts in the region.

I continue to believe that greater action in Sudan is urgently needed. To that end, I have consistently pressed the Bush Administration and other parties to actively engage in the issue. I have also long been a supporter of U.S. funding for efforts to provide aid to the region.

You may also be interested to know that I am a cosponsor of the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (H.R. 180), which would support state, city, and university efforts to divest funds from, or restrict investments in, companies that conduct business operations in Sudan. H.R. 180 was considered on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on July 31, 2007. I was proud to vote in favor of the measure, which passed by a vote of 418-1 and now awaits consideration by the U.S. Senate.

Additionally, as the Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, one of my first actions was to organize a hearing to activate the international community to address the atrocities in Darfur. As you may be aware, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games are expected to take place in Beijing, China. Many experts are concerned about the relationship between the Sudan and China, as China is Sudan’s top trading partner and one of its top weapons suppliers. To that end, China is well situated in the world community to provide leverage on the Sudanese government. Accordingly, our hearing discussed the steps that China, the United States, and a united world can take to end the horrific, ongoing tragedy in Darfur by further pressuring the Sudanese government to allow a full deployment of the hybrid African Union/UN forces in the region and bringing all parties of the Darfur conflict together to craft a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement.

At the hearing, we invited two Massachusetts high school students who started an online pledge drive and raised over $300,000 to help Darfuri refugees to speak about their work. We also heard testimony from two Olympic athlete/activists, a Darfuri refugee who was captured and tortured in Darfur while interpreting for a Chicago Tribune reporter, and foreign policy and humanitarian crisis experts. Recently, I led the effort resulting in letters signed by a number of members of Congress addressed to CEO’s of Olympic sponsoring companies imploring them to use their influence to persuade Chinese officials to intensify China’s efforts to move Sudan’s agreement to take action.

For more information on the hearing, I invite you to visit my Subcommittee website. 

Be assured I will continue to work with my like-minded colleagues to press this critical matter. My efforts in this area are ongoing and aggressive.