[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18179-S18180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REFORMATION OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS APPARATUS

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, it is not exactly a secret that I 
introduced legislation many months ago to reform the foreign affairs 
apparatus of the United States by abolishing three wasteful, 
anachronistic Federal bureaucracies--the Agency for International 
Development, which we call AID around this place; the Arms Control and 
Disarmament Agency, which is called ACDA; and the U.S. Information 
Agency, USIA--and folding their functions into the State Department, 
thus saving billions of dollars.
  Senators know the history of what has transpired since that day early 
this year when I offered that bill. There has been one delay after 
another. But I am hopeful that late this afternoon Senator Kerry and I 
will complete an agreement that will lead to a consummation of the 
activities so that we can have some ambassadors confirmed and some 
other things accomplished by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 
the U.S. Senate, which could have been done months ago had it not been 
for the objection to our having a vote on my bill.
  That is all I ever asked. I did not ask that there be a victory or 
that the bill be passed. I asked only that there be a vote. But that 
was denied me. And the media, of course, do not make that clear. That 
is all right with me if it is all right with them. They are not very 
accurate about many things anyhow.
  Many Senators are aware that Vice President Gore has been one of the 
most vigorous opponents of my proposal to abolish the Agency for 
International Development as an independent entity and place it 
directly under the purview of the Secretary of State--a proposal, I 
might add for emphasis, that has been supported from the very beginning 
by a majority in the U.S. Senate and endorsed by five former U.S. 
Secretaries of State.
  As I understand it, Vice President Gore is in South Africa today. And 
while Al Gore, as we called him when he was a Senator, is there, I do 
hope that he will take the time to visit the South African mission of 
the Agency for International Development.
  Let me point out that the Agency for International Development was 
created more than three decades ago as one of those temporary Federal 
agencies--temporary, don't you know.
  Well, Ronald Reagan used to say that there is nothing in this world 
so near eternal life as a ``temporary'' Federal agency. And AID, the 
Agency for International Development, is one of them.
  Let me get down to business. I have before me documented information 
disclosing that the Agency for International Development's inspector 
general has just completed an extensive investigation into abuses in 
U.S. foreign aid programs in South Africa involving millions upon 
millions of dollars of the American taxpayers' money. This 
investigation raises, obviously, serious questions about the 
contracting and hiring practices within the Agency for International 
Development's mission in South Africa, as well as the headquarters here 
in Washington, DC.
  These questions range from whether AID officials unlawfully awarded 
multimillion-dollar Federal contracts to politically connected U.S. 
organizations, and they range from that point to whether AID also 
attempted to hire personnel on a basis other than the question, were 
the persons being hired qualified for the job?
  This is not Jesse Helms talking. This is the inspector general of the 
Agency for International Development.
  Whether the laws have been broken will be decided after careful 
review of information that led the inspector general of the Agency for 
International Development to request the Department of Justice and the 
Office of Management and Budget to review the many, many pages of 
information already transmitted to the Justice Department and to OMB.
  I will add, Mr. President, that this matter will be carefully 
examined by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the earliest 
practicable time.
  Interestingly enough, the Agency for International Development 
operation in South Africa has been extolled and praised by Mr. Brian 
Atwood, whom President Clinton appointed to head the Agency for 
International Development. Now, Mr. Atwood calls the operation in South 
Africa AID's flagship program in Africa--a program that has spent, I 
might add, Mr. President, more than $450 million of the U.S. taxpayers' 
money in the past 5 years.
  All right. Now, Mr. Atwood, in defending his agency explains that AID 
employees were simply overtaken with ``enthusiasm''--and that is his 
word--in awarding contracts in South Africa. And AID management 
suggests that this multimillion-dollar problem can be solved simply by 
giving a little ``sensitivity'' training to AID employees in South 
Africa.
  That is Mr. Atwood's, and AID's, position as of now, as I understand 
it to be. It remains to be seen, of course, whether the American public 
will buy that explanation.
  My own view is that the American people have a right to know exactly 
what is going on with AID's giveaway program in South Africa. Congress 
has an obligation to get to the bottom of it, and I for that reason 
have asked the distinguished Senator from Kansas, Mrs. Kassebaum, who 
chairs the African Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, of which I am chairman, to schedule a hearing on this matter 
on December 14 at 2 p.m. Senator Kassebaum has indicated that she 
shares my concern about the inspector general's report, and she has 
readily agreed to schedule such a hearing. We will request the presence 
of members of AID's South Africa management as well as AID officials in 
Washington who directly oversee the South Africa program in order to 
give them an opportunity to explain to the Senate and to the American 
people precisely what has been going on in South Africa.
  Mr. President, I thank the Chair and I yield the floor.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska. 
  
[[Page S 18180]]

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I believe there has been a unanimous- 
consent request that has been acted upon relative to the continued 
business of this body. I wonder if I may ask unanimous consent that I 
may make a statement not lasting more than 5 or 6 minutes on section 
609 which I think is the issue before this body.

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, 10 minutes has been reserved for the 
distinguished majority leader and also 10 minutes for the distinguished 
Senator from West Virginia. So within that framework, I would not 
object.
  Mr. BYRD. How much time does the Senator need?
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Five minutes will suffice.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes of my time to the Senator.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. I thank my friend, the senior Senator from West 
Virginia.

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