| Dear Friends,
Like many of you, I have been closely following the ongoing labor negotiations between the ports and the dockworkers. Despite the fact that talks started way back in October, it appears that both sides are no closer to reaching a compromise and a shipping shutdown of 29 West Coast ports is imminent if an agreement isn’t reached. This would include the local ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, two of our nation's busiest and most productive shipping hubs.
With tens of thousands of longshore, clerk, and foreman workers up and down the California coast, ports along our shore make up a cornerstone of our state's economy. An even temporary shutdown will have negative ramifications for many California workers, both at the ports and at the businesses that rely on goods imported and exported through shipping. A great deal of economic activity in California's 39th Congressional District is dependent on access to shipments through these ports, including dairy farmers waiting on feed for their stock and aerospace manufacturers in need of production parts on their assembly lines.
On behalf of our district, I have contacted both the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association to urge both parties to quickly resolve their differences so a break in shipping is avoided. As trade supports over 38 million jobs across the United States, a shutdown of our nation's most productive ports will have a far-reaching ripple effect at a time when the economy is still shaky. Preventing that from happening is not a partisan issue, and I'm glad to be joined by both Democrats and Republicans from California to do what we can to see the situation resolved.
Sincerely,
Ed Royce
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News for Jan. 30 - Feb. 06, 2015
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Chairman Royce Introduces Legislation to Tackle Growing North Korea Threat
This week, Rep. Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act (H.R. 757), legislation that strengthens U.S. sanctions against North Korea. Similar legislation passed the House last year, but was not acted on by the Senate.
In the wake of the state-sponsored cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, the bipartisan legislation targets North Korea’s access to the hard currency and other goods that help keep the regime in power. Additionally, it presses the Administration to use all available tools to impose sanctions against North Korea and on countries and companies that assist North Korea in bolstering its nuclear weapons program. The legislation also has an important human rights focus as a recent U.N. report found that the regime’s abuses have no “parallel in the contemporary world.”
On the legislation’s introduction, Chairman Royce said: “North Korea continues to threaten the United States and our close allies with its nuclear, missile, and now cyber capabilities. I am pleased to join Ranking Member Engel in introducing legislation to step up the targeting of those financial institutions in Asia and beyond that are supporting this brutal and dangerous regime. By shutting down North Korea’s illicit activities, we deprive the Kim regime of the money it needs to pay the generals and to conduct nuclear weapons research. I appreciate that humanitarian groups around the world are strongly supporting this bipartisan legislation."
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Rep. Royce Meets with Biola University President & Students
Rep. Royce had the pleasure of meeting with Biola University President Barry Corey alongside several Biola students visiting Washington, D.C. They discussed the latest in foreign affairs and how Rep. Royce can continue to assist Biola University and its student body.
Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in La Mirada, California. A significant number of students and alumni reside in California's 39th Congressional District.
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| Lawmakers Slam Obama's Secret Cuba Talks |
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Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said President Obama left members of Congress and most of his administration in the dark when negotiating the plan to normalize relations with Cuba, and they criticized the deal struck between the U.S. and Havana.
“Instead of dismantling a 50-year-old failed policy, as it claims, the administration may have given a 50-year-old failed regime a new lease on life to continue its repression at home and militant support for Marxist regimes abroad,” committee chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said during a committee hearing Wednesday.
Had Obama consulted his staff, Royce said, he would have learned that Havana is at risk of losing its Venezuelan oil subsidies. At a time when the U.S. could have asserted leverage, he said, the U.S. offered a lifeline.
“Pro-democracy and human rights activists have lamented that human rights weren’t part of these secret negotiations,” Royce said. “We have no indication that the Cuban government intends to give ground.”
The Obama administration issued regulations earlier this month that allow travelers who qualify under a dozen broad categories of authorized travel to visit the country without applying for a license.
Those categories include visiting family, conducting business, journalism, government meetings, research, education, religious purposes, public performances, athletic competitions and humanitarian projects. But Americans are still not allowed to travel to Cuba for tourism.
The policy change will also ease banking and export restrictions.
But Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) said he doesn’t see how the president’s actions will help the Cuban people.
Read more
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| Royce Office Hosts Military Academy Night in March |
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Every year, Rep. Royce has the privilege of nominating high school students from California's 39th Congressional District to our nation's prestigious military academies.
This March, his staff will host a "Military Academy Night" that will serve as an informational session for students and parents interested in learning more about the application and nomination process. Past graduates from the academies and official liaison officers will also be on hand. Event details are below:
Date: Monday, March 16th
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: Buena Park City Hall
6650 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park, CA 90622
For more details or to RSVP, contact Stephanie Hu at:
(626) 964-5123 or Stephanie.Hu@mail.house.gov.
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