[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SUPPORT THE STATE DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZATION BILL

  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the State Department 
authorization bill which we will be voting on this morning, and I ask 
our colleagues to note that this bill, H.R. 1757, contains no foreign 
aid and no U.N. arrearages. These matters will be taken up later in 
separate legislation.
  This bill before us carries out the promise we made to the American 
people to reform our international affairs bureaucracies designed to 
fight the cold war. The bill will consolidate two Federal agencies, 
USIA and ACDA, into the State Department.
  The bill also contains other important features, including provisions 
to tighten the economic squeeze on Cuba's Castro, provisions to nail 
deadbeat diplomats, provisions to apply the MacBride employment 
principles in Northern Ireland, and provisions to implement the 
construction of our United States Embassy in Jerusalem.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge our colleagues to support this State 
Department authorization bill that will be before the House later on 
this morning.

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