,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #djj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bc1 #bjai,mr4 ,engel 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,hastings1 and ,ms4 ,kaptur7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,resolution ,supporting efforts to strengthen democracy in ,hungary and its alliance with the ,united ,states4 ,whereas #bjai is the #gjth anniversary of the founding of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 and the #cjth anniversary of historic transitions in ,hungary1 including the dismantling of the one-party ,communist regime and the barbed wire fences that separated ,hungary from its neighbors2 ,whereas #bjai is also the #geth anniversary of the deportation by ,hungarian authorities of #dcg1djb ,hungarian ,jews on #adg trains in just #ef days between ,may #ae and ,july #i1 #aidd1 which was preceded by the passage of anti-,jewish laws beginning in #aibj and the deportation of more than #bj1jjj ,jews in #aida2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and ,hungary have a shared history dating to the times of #aith century ,hungarian statesman ,lajos ,kossuth1 whose bust graces the halls of the ,united ,states ,congress1 and ,hungarians have immigrated to the ,united ,states since its founding1 enriching the national fabric of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 in the #aiij ,charter of ,paris for a ,new ,europe1 the ,united ,states and ,hungary committed to build1 consolidate and strengthen democracy as the only system of government of our nations2 ,whereas ,hungary joined the visa waiver program in #bjjh1 enabling ,hungarians to visit the ,united ,states without a visa1 further strengthening ties between the two countries2 ,whereas ,hungarians voted in a national referendum in #aiig to join ,,nato1 and the ,united ,states supported ,hungary's accession to ,,nato1 building the common alliance between the two countries2 ,whereas the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty states that all members of ,,nato are determined to safeguard the freedom1 common heritage and civilisation of their peoples1 founded on the principles of democracy1 individual liberty and the rule of law2 ,whereas ,,nato member states have collectively identified corruption and poor governance1 including within member states1 as security challenges which undermine democracy1 the rule of law and economic development1 demonstrating a shared understanding of the link between democratic values and international security2 ,whereas democracies with transparent governments1 the rule of law1 free media1 and engaged citizens are more naturally resistant to malign influence by the ,russian ,federation2 ,whereas the ,government of ,hungary has rehabilitated fascist-era ideologies1 facilitated or amplified anti-,semitic messages1 and trivialized the ,holocaust2 ,whereas according to the ,department of ,state's ,country ,report on ,human ,rights ,practices1 ,hungary has passed a series of laws modifying the judicial system1 restricting the ,constitutional ,court1 altering the rules for electing ,constitutional ,court justices1 and vesting the ,president of the ,national ,office for the ,judiciary1 a position appointed by the ,parliament1 with significant decisionmaking power2 ,whereas the ,organization on ,security and ,cooperation in ,europe's 7,,osce7 ,election ,observation ,missions to ,hungary's #bjad and #bjah elections concluded that the governing party enjoyed an undue advantage because of restrictive campaign regulations1 biased media coverage and campaign activities that blurred the separation between political party and the state2 ,whereas1 in #bjad1 at least six ,hungarian officials were determined to be ineligible for visas to visit the ,united ,states because of suspected corruption1 while fraud and corruption has enabled at least #he criminals to obtain ,hungarian passports and enter or attempt to enter the ,united ,states1 and ,hungary has given refuge to some individuals convicted of corruption in other countries2 ,whereas1 in #bjag1 ,hungary adopted a law on nongovernmental organizations that1 according to the ,department of ,state1 unfairly burdens a targeted group of ,hungarian civil society organizations1 many of which focus on fighting corruption and protecting human rights and civil liberties2 ,whereas1 in #bjah1 more than #djj media publications1 websites1 television channels1 and radio stations in ,hungary1 already concentrated in the hands of a few owners1 were donated1 without compensation1 by their owners to a central holding company which1 according to a subsequently passed law1 is exempt from competition oversight2 ,whereas1 in #bjah1 the ,department of ,state expressed disappointment that the ,government of ,hungary did not conclude an agreement that would allow ,central ,european ,university 7,,ceu7 to continue its ,united ,states-accredited programs and stated that the ,united ,states values the role that ,,ceu and other ,american educational institutions play in building connections between the ,hungarian and ,american people and strengthening the transatlantic bond2 ,whereas1 in #bjah1 ,hungary adopted a law to establish new administrative courts with jurisdiction over elections and corruption overseen by a politically appointed minister2 and ,whereas the ,government of ,hungary has announced a decision to grant diplomatic immunity to representatives of the ,international ,investment ,bank1 a bank with ties to ,russian intelligence services1 and allow the bank to open a headquarters in ,hungary3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 expresses deep concern that the ,government of ,hungary has taken steps to weaken democratic institutions1 undermine free elections1 and limit civil society and a free press in ,hungary1 to the detriment of the ,hungarian people and ,united ,states-,hungary relations2 7#b7 expresses deep concern that the decision by the ,government of ,hungary to allow the ,international ,investment ,bank to open a headquarters in ,hungary would provide the ,government of the ,russian ,federation an additional platform to conduct malign influence operations within the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization2 7#c7 urges the ,secretary of ,state to bolster efforts in ,hungary to combat corruption1 counter malign influence by the ,russian ,federation1 strengthen independent media1 encourage a vibrant civil society and utilize fully the annual ,country ,report on ,human ,rights ,practices as a vehicle to identify challenges in this area2 7#d7 urges the ,secretary of ,state to support educational and cultural exchange programs with civil society leaders and youth in ,hungary in order to inspire and equip the next generation of democratic leaders2 7#e7 urges the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security to review ,hungary's travel document security in order to ensure the integrity of the ,united ,states visa waiver program2 and 7#f7 expresses its support for the shared principles of democracy and collective security to which the ,united ,states and ,hungary have committed in the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization and the ,organization on ,security and ,cooperation in ,europe1 and notes that the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization is an alliance meant above all to safeguard basic freedoms1 democracy1 and the rule of law4