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- As Delivered -
WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today delivered the following remarks in the House of Representatives in support of a resolution supporting the goal of ensuring that all Holocaust victims live with dignity, comfort, and security in their remaining years (S.Con.Res. 46):
“I want to thank the Chairman, as always, for being so cooperative and important in passing this legislation. I want to thank my friends from Florida, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and Mr. Deutch, who introduced the House companion to this resolution, which I was proud to cosponsor and which passed the House in June.
“Mr. Speaker, there are roughly a half million survivors of the Holocaust alive today. Many people think it’s not that much, but it is. A half million, all over the world.
“Many of these men and women are now reaching their 80s and 90s, and some even older. These individuals, of course, lived through the darkest chapter in human history. They endured unspeakable horrors and many still suffer the physical and emotional trauma stemming from that experience.
“So it’s absolutely tragic that so many survivors today are forced to live in poverty, with inadequate health care, food, access to transportation. It’s unconscionable that at the end of their lives, these people find themselves without adequate support.
“Now, the government of Germany accepts responsibility to support these survivors and over the decades has done a great deal. But even their officials acknowledge that more needs to be done.
“This resolution calls on the authorities in Germany to make sure every Holocaust survivor has the support and resources they need to live in dignity. We know it’s never easy for a government to dig deeper, but in the case of this generation of survivors, there should not be any question. They should be able to live out their lives without worrying over how to pay the medical bills or the grocery bills.
“It’s important that we do this, and I am glad to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
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