Bringing Real Accountability Via Enforcement in Burma Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the opportunity to speak on my bill, H.R. 3190, the BRAVE Burma Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill and ask for its immediate consideration.

Burma is a country in profound crisis. In February of 2021, a military-led junta toppled a democratically elected government and plunged the country into civil war. These actions, coupled with the March 2025 earthquake, created a humanitarian crisis that has left tens of thousands of Burmese dead or detained, while approximately 3.6 million people, nearly 6 percent of the population, is now displaced from their homes.

In response to the calls for action from the Burmese diaspora in the United States and in my district, I introduced H.R. 3190, the BRAVE Burma Act.

As I have mentioned many times before, issues involving Burma are near and dear to my heart, as well as to those of many of my Burmese constituents and members at the Battle Creek Burma Center in southwest Michigan. It was there that I first heard the stories about their families and friends in horrific situations in Burma and the lack of mainstream media attention given to these issues.

However, we have an opportunity today to send a message. We have an opportunity today to stand with the current residents of Burma and to remind them that they have not been forgotten. The BRAVE Burma Act is intentional in its action, targeting the heart of the junta's revenues, which it uses to purchase advanced weaponry from abroad.

Specifically, this bill requires the President to impose full blocking sanctions on, first, the state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, also known as MOGE. This is the junta's single largest source of foreign revenue, reportedly generating over $1 billion annually.

Second, the bill requires sanctions on the state-owned Myanma Economic Bank, also known as the MEB, which is operated by junta cronies and processes weapons transactions that are contrary to those sanctions.

Third, the bill requires sanctions on any person operating in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy. The jet fuel industry in Burma is a key and important target for sanctions because it directly enables the junta's unlawful airstrikes against civilians, places of worship, villages, hospitals, IDP camps, and schools.

Depleting the government's ability to control and profit from aviation fuel imports and distribution will inhibit the junta's ability to sustain violence and commit war crimes using airpower.

Mr. Speaker, the urgency to act has never been greater. Last month, it was reported that Iran had become the sole source of jet fuel to Burma. These secret shipments had not only given Iran much-needed cash and a new market, but it allowed the Burmese military leaders to circumvent Western sanctions.

The deliveries of jet fuel have powered an expansive bombing campaign by the junta that has struck more than 1,000 civilian locations, including Christian churches.

While the military ruling class pledged open and fair elections, the sham process that took place last month should be viewed as a rigged farce and nothing more. Make no mistake, these mass atrocities will not stop until the current regime is crippled.

With the support of the Trump administration, which has continued to turn up the pressure, Congress can shape the future of Burma by leveraging sanctions and financial oversight.

The BRAVE Burma Act will strengthen U.S. efforts to disrupt authoritarian regimes, support democratic movements, and protect vulnerable populations.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Betty McCollum, my co-chair of the Congressional Burma Caucus and an original cosponsor of this particular legislation, as well as Representatives Ann Wagner and Seth Moulton, who helped to make this a truly bipartisan effort.

Mr. Speaker, let me end with this. Since the 2021 coup, nearly 3 million Burmese have been driven from their homes; more than 75,000 people have been killed; and the military has swept up more than 30,000 political prisoners into detention, silencing those who oppose them.

The Burmese military has left a trail of devastation, damaging or destroying at least 343 Christian churches and numerous other religious buildings, according to the Burma Research Institute.

The people of Burma can no longer afford for Congress to sit idly by, and the Trump administration must adopt a unified strategy for Burma, as both the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury have done. It is time for the Department of Homeland Security to come to the same conclusion. Democracy in Burma needs America's help.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill that will have a lasting impact.

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