Rep. Henry Waxman - Issues and Legislation

Foreign Affairs - Darfur

As a member of the Congressional Sudan Caucus, Rep. Waxman is committed to ending the genocide in Darfur. He has staunchly supported legislation to condemn the Sudanese government, to increase aid to the more than 2 million people displaced by the conflict, and to urge the United Nations to send a robust peacekeeping force to protect civilians and aid workers providing relief. Rep. Waxman has also campaigned for diplomatic pressure against Sudan and economic pressure through divestment.

Chronology

February 12, 2008
Rep. Waxman signs a letter to Hu Jintao, Premier of China, regarding China's action in Darfur.
Letter

February 8, 2008
Rep. Waxman signs a letter to President Bush regarding the genocide in Darfur.
Letter

January 4, 2007
Rep. Waxman cosponsors H.Res. 7, Calling on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan and to step up their efforts to stop the genocide in Darfur.
Bill Text

January 4, 2007
Rep. Waxman cosponsors H.R. 180, the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007, which would direct the Securities and Exchange Commission to identify all firms with business operations in Sudan and block the United States government from contracting with those firms.
Bill Text

December 6, 2006
Rep. Waxman and his colleagues urge the Los Angeles Board of Administrators of the Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System to support a "targeted" divestment policy.
Letter

October 6, 2006
The Congressional Human Rights Caucus urges the Arab League to pressure Sudan to end its military activities and to accept UN peacekeepers in Darfur.
Letter

September 27, 2006
Rep. Waxman cosponsors H.R. 6140, the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2006. Reintroduced as H.R. 180 in the 110th Congress.
Bill Text

September 26, 2006
House passes H.Res. 992, urging the President to appoint a Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan.
Bill Text

September 26, 2006
House passes H. Res. 723, calling on the President to take immediate steps to help improve the security situation in Darfur, Sudan.
Bill Text

September 25, 2006
Rep. Waxman joins more than 80 Democrats in a letter challenging Sudanese President Hassan al-Bashir's assertion that the deaths in Darfur are "fictions" spread by Jewish organizations.
Letter

June 15, 2006
Rep. Waxman urges the United Nations to avoid a cut in food rations to Darfur.
Letter

April 5, 2006
Rep. Waxman cosponsors and strongly supports the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (Public Law 109-344).
Statement

February 15, 2006
The Sudan Caucus urges President Bush to push for a U.N. Peacekeeping force and to increase pressure on the Sudanese Government.
Letter

November 30, 2005
Rep. Waxman urges the University of California Board of Regents to develop a plan for divestment from Sudan.
Letter

December 23, 2004
The President signs the Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act (P . L . 108-497), which supports the implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement that applies to all regions of Sudan, including Darfur, and addresses the humanitarian and human rights crisis by authorizing appropriations and sanctions.
Bill Text

July 24, 2004
The House of Representatives declares the atrocities in Darfur genocide and calls on the Administration to lead an international effort to end the genocide.
Bill Text

Recent Appropriations

H.R. 4939, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which passed the House of Representatives on March 16, 2006, contains $290 million for relief and peacekeeping efforts in Darfur.

H.R. 5522, the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, passed by the House on June 9, 2006, provides $205,825,000 for assistance over $450 million for Sudan with over $40 million dedicated to peacekeeping operations and 441,873 for the U.N. Mission over $130 million specifically targeted to the population in Sudan, Darfur.

Background

A report from the Congressional Research Service on the crisis in Darfur
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