[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 12, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          SUPPORTING H.R. 1868

                                 ______


                           HON. CHAKA FATTAH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 11, 1995
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to make it a matter of the official 
record of this body that I strongly support the policy established in 
H.R. 1868 of continuing full financial support to Israel and the Middle 
East. I voted against this legislation, however, because it contains 
deplorable and unjust provisions affecting the poorest countries in the 
world.
  The total appropriation under H.R. 1868 is $12 billion for fiscal 
year 1996. This is $1.6 billion less than was appropriated fiscal year 
1995, and nearly 50 percent of this reduction was taken from funds for 
Africa. This bill follows the Republican tradition of taking funds from 
those who can least afford it, and who have the fewest options.
  Adding insult to injury, the bill gratuitously undermines the 
fledgling Haitian democracy by placing conditions on the distribution 
of funds to Haiti which assume that its democracy will not succeed. The 
bill is profoundly isolationist in that it reduces funds for bilateral 
and multilateral development assistance by one-third, and reduces 
support for international financial institutions by 40 percent. These 
funds encourage many of the world's poorest countries to adopt open 
market reforms, promote private sector development, and focus on 
poverty reduction. Development banks like the IDA help create jobs and 
economic security in the United States by making the world's 5.5 
billion people better customers for our exports. Cutting funds to these 
programs will only serve to isolate us from a world in political and 
economic transition.
  I understand that there are people in my district who are strong 
supporters of aid to Israel and the Middle East. But many of these same 
people support aid to Africa, and I could not, in the best interest of 
my constituents, vote for legislation which so disproportionately 
slashes aid to Africa. I will follow the progress of this legislation 
as it moves through the Senate, and I look forward to the opportunity 
to vote for a better bill as it emerges from the House and Senate 
conference committee.


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