WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union:

"The people of the United Kingdom have spoken and their decision must be respected. I sincerely hope that Britain's leaders will do whatever it takes to ease the U.K.'s departure from the E.U. and help minimize any possible negative repercussions.

"Regardless of the course the U.K. takes, the special relationship between our countries will endure. Our cooperation through NATO will remain the cornerstone of transatlantic security, and our cultural and economic ties will continue to thrive.

"And even though the results are in, I remain deeply concerned by some of the xenophobic and divisive rhetoric heard in the lead-up to yesterday's vote. These are some of the same notes being intoned by the Republican standard bearer in our own Presidential campaign. While democracy demands open and robust debate, there can never be a place for hatred, bigotry, or violence. I hope the path forward for the British people will be marked by unity, cooperation, and a commitment to the democratic values that have bound our countries together for so long."

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