[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 92 (Wednesday, June 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         H.R. 1561: NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL IN FOREIGN POLICY

  (Mr. HORN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important bills to come before 
this Congress is the American Overseas Interests Act of 1995, H.R. 
1561.
  For the first time in nearly half a century, it will provide focus on 
American foreign policy instead of the fragmentation which is provided 
by a separate United States Agency for International Development, the 
United States Information Service--including cultural affairs, and the 
United States Agency for Arms Control and Disarmament. At last, these 
agencies will clearly be directly responsible to the Secretary of State 
of the United States, the President's first Cabinet officer, the person 
who needs to advise the President on various aspects of foreign 
affairs.
  This legislation will save over $3 billion in the next 2 years. It 
will provide focus not only in organization. It will eliminate 23 
assistant secretaries. It will provide less money and more direction. 
This legislation is long overdue and much-needed.
  Vote for the American Overseas Interests Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I am including a summary of the key features of H.R. 
1561, as follows:

       The American Overseas Interests Act, the first Republican 
     foreign policy bill in over 40 years, changes ``business as 
     usual'' five ways:
       1. Three Major Agencies Killed.--AID, USIA, ACDA folded 
     into State Department, eliminating hundreds of jobs, 
     including 23 at the level of Assistant Secretary or higher.
       2. Cuts Spending.--Cuts nearly $1 billion from FY95 
     appropriated levels in FY96, over $2 billion in FY97. Cuts 
     more than $21 billion from International Affairs spending 
     below the FY95 baseline over seven year ``glide path'' to 
     balanced budget. With Brownback Amendment, bill fully meets 
     Budget Resolution.
       3. Kills Dozens of Lower-Priority Programs.--Housing 
     Guarantee Program, PL-480 Title III food aid program, U.S. 
     funding for over a dozen international agencies. Development 
     assistance, though important, is cut by $750 million in FY96 
     and $998 million in FY97.
       4. Focuses on Vital U.S. Interests.--Funds antiterrorism 
     assistance, Russian disarmament-related programs, NATO 
     expansion aid, antinarcotics assistance, aid to Israel and 
     Egypt (Camp David Accords).
       5. Punishes Adversaries.--Cuts off aid to countries that 
     provide weapons to terrorist states, give aid to Cuba, or 
     vote against us in the U.N.
     

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