WASHINGTON — Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., resigned as chair of the U.S.-Vietnam Caucus in protest of Vietnam’s recent convictions of democracy activists.
“This most recent round of rounding up pro-democracy activists, for me, just was the last straw,” Blumenauer said in an interview today. “It’s the most extensive they’ve done. And it’s coming at a time when hopefully we’d like to see things getting better, not worse.”
Congressional caucuses are groups of legislators who share a common interest, such as fighting the spread of meth or improving policies for the technology industry. Caucuses do not have as much power as committees, which are the first stop for legislation. But members use caucuses to advocate for issues.
“I consider myself a friend of the Vietnamese people,” Blumenauer said. “I care deeply about the relationship between the two countries. But in good conscience I cannot chair the U.S.-Vietnam Caucus when they’re doing stuff like that. I thought in some small way this might get the point across, because I’ve worked hard on this relationship since came here.”
Blumenauer visited Vietnam with President Clinton in 2000. Today Blumenauer introduced a resolution condemning the convictions. http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics/2007/05/blumenauer_resigns_as_chair_of.html