Representative Adriano Espaillat Applauds Passage of EAGLE Act, Hails Inclusion of Key Priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement applauding the passage of the Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement (EAGLE) Act out of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that includes two key bills he authored:

The Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA) and The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Authorization Act of 2021.

The legislation calls for the revitalization of American diplomacy, leadership, and investments globally in response to the policy challenges posed by the People's Republic of China. Rep.Espaillat's included provisions will curb the flow of electronic waste (e-waste) to China, and will also strengthen the United States' standing on the world stage by authorizing appropriations to the Green Climate Fund, an independent, multilateral fund established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to help developing countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

"The committee's passage of the EAGLE Act is a momentous first step: both towards finally holding China, the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, accountable for their role in combating the existential threat of climate change and towards strengthening the United States' standing on the world stage as we seek to combat the global climate crisis," said Espaillat. "I applaud Chairman Meeks for his leadership in guiding this bill out of committee and thank him for working with me to include both of my bills in the vital piece legislation."

"SEERA mitigates the damaging effects on the environment caused by China's unchecked recycling of e-scrap, which contains toxic materials like lead, PCBs, mercury and more – so it's inclusion in the EAGLE Act is monumental," Espaillat continued. "It's simple: our nation's e-waste exports to China directly threaten our national security, and it is incumbent on us to end our supply to Chinese counterfeiters and to promote domestic green job growth.

"The GCF Authorization Act is also vital because the climate crisis, too, is a matter of national security. For too long we have sat idly while marginalized communities across the world are forced to pay the price for our contributions to climate change – and by supporting the Green Climate Fund, the United States will once again be a global leader in environmental justice," Espaillat concluded.

The EAGLE Act will also reinforce our American values by imposing costs on China for their human rights violations and offering refugee status to qualifying Hong Kongers. It also strengthens and reaffirms the United States as a global leader while simultaneously empowering American workers and businesses to grow and thrive.

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government's vital activities. He is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at /.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov