Congressman Suozzi becomes Congressional Friend of Irish National Caucus
Posted By: November 09, 2019
CAPITOL HILL. Friday, November 8, 2019— Congressman Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY) is a new rising star in the Irish-American galaxy—those Members of Congress demonstrating commendable concern for equality, justice and peace in Ireland (with an end to all anti-Catholic discrimination in Northern Ireland).
Although only a Member of Congress since January 3, 2017, the Congressman for NY’s Third District is making strong impact.
He recently authored a bipartisan resolution before the House Foreign Affairs Committee defending the Good Friday Agreement against Brexit threats. House Resolution 585 was passed and will now appear before the full House of Representatives. Of course, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee is the excellent Congressman Eliot Engle (D-NY),who has a long record of concern for human rights in Northern Ireland—in the grand tradition of another previous Jewish-American chairman, the late great Congressman Ben Gilman (R-NY).
Congressman Suozzi’s latest significant move on the Irish issue came on Thursday, November 7—he became one of the many Congressional Friends of the Irish National Caucus —announcing he “would be honored to become a Congressional Friend of the Irish National Caucus.”
Although only a Member of Congress since January 3, 2017, the Congressman for NY’s Third District is making strong impact.
He recently authored a bipartisan resolution before the House Foreign Affairs Committee defending the Good Friday Agreement against Brexit threats. House Resolution 585 was passed and will now appear before the full House of Representatives. Of course, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee is the excellent Congressman Eliot Engle (D-NY),who has a long record of concern for human rights in Northern Ireland—in the grand tradition of another previous Jewish-American chairman, the late great Congressman Ben Gilman (R-NY).
Congressman Suozzi’s latest significant move on the Irish issue came on Thursday, November 7—he became one of the many Congressional Friends of the Irish National Caucus —announcing he “would be honored to become a Congressional Friend of the Irish National Caucus.”
Fr. Sean Mc Manus—president of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus said:”We are delighted Congressman Suozzi has become a Congressional Friend. We are very impressed by his demonstrated commitment to justice and peace in Ireland, his support for the Good Friday Agreement, and his Resolution aimed at ensuring the Brexit will not harm that crucial Agreement. I know our many members and supporters in the Third District and throughout NY, and, indeed, the throughout the United States will be very pleased.”
Note on Congressional Friends
A note on the history of the Congressional Friends appears in the just released new edition of Fr. Mc Manus’ Memoirs: My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland [Third U.S. Edition. 2019]. Fr. McManus writes:”I should explain here that in 1982, we began the practice of listing on our letterhead the names of the senators and representatives who had become Congressional Friends of the Irish National Caucus—those who sent us a signed written statement confirming their support of our nonviolent work for justice and peace in Ireland. The list had to be updated every two years because of the elections for the House of Representatives. And the list got so long that we had to put the names on both the front and the back of our stationery. Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives and Liberals wanted their names to be proudly displayed—from Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), commonly seen as the most liberal, to Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC), commonly seen as the most conservative.
Since 1982, we have had scores and scores of Members of Congress, House and Senate, sign up as Congressional Friends of the Irish National Caucus. Now, in 2019, some of them have become Chairs of key House Committees. For example, Eliot L. Engel (D-NY) is the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs; Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) is the Chairwoman of Committee on Appropriations; Richard E. Neal (D-MA) is the Chairman of Ways and Means Committee; Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) is the Chairman of the Committee on The Judiciary; the late Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) was the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Alcee L. Hastings(D-FL) is the Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission); Jim McGovern (D–MA) is the Chairman of the House Rules Committee; and Ted Deutch (D–FL) is the Chairman of the House Ethics Committee.” END.
Note on Congressional Friends
A note on the history of the Congressional Friends appears in the just released new edition of Fr. Mc Manus’ Memoirs: My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland [Third U.S. Edition. 2019]. Fr. McManus writes:”I should explain here that in 1982, we began the practice of listing on our letterhead the names of the senators and representatives who had become Congressional Friends of the Irish National Caucus—those who sent us a signed written statement confirming their support of our nonviolent work for justice and peace in Ireland. The list had to be updated every two years because of the elections for the House of Representatives. And the list got so long that we had to put the names on both the front and the back of our stationery. Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives and Liberals wanted their names to be proudly displayed—from Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), commonly seen as the most liberal, to Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC), commonly seen as the most conservative.
Since 1982, we have had scores and scores of Members of Congress, House and Senate, sign up as Congressional Friends of the Irish National Caucus. Now, in 2019, some of them have become Chairs of key House Committees. For example, Eliot L. Engel (D-NY) is the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs; Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) is the Chairwoman of Committee on Appropriations; Richard E. Neal (D-MA) is the Chairman of Ways and Means Committee; Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) is the Chairman of the Committee on The Judiciary; the late Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) was the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Alcee L. Hastings(D-FL) is the Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission); Jim McGovern (D–MA) is the Chairman of the House Rules Committee; and Ted Deutch (D–FL) is the Chairman of the House Ethics Committee.” END.
