[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3548-S3549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     UNACCEPTABLE AND OUTRAGEOUS CUTS TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUDGET

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am very concerned about the 
drastic cuts the Republican budget makes to our foreign affairs budget. 
In his budget request, President Clinton asked for $21.3 billion in 
funding for foreign affairs. The budget before us cuts $3.2 billion 
from that request.
  U.S. leadership around the world requires adequate resources both for 
embassy security and for international programs. As a member of the 
Foreign

[[Page S3549]]

Relations Committee and the Ranking Member of the International 
Operations Subcommittee, I have heard many times that our embassies 
abroad are in dire need of security upgrades.
  We should not forget the terrible tragedy that took place last year 
when over 100 people died in the embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya and 
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was a stark reminder that the men and women 
who conduct our diplomacy abroad put their lives on the line to promote 
U.S. interests throughout the world. We have the obligation to ensure 
their safety in every way possible.
  These cuts to the State Department budget are so deep that Secretary 
Albright called them ``outrageous and unacceptable.''
  Let me outline some of the important programs that will have to be 
eliminated from the budget under the Republican budget. A $24 million 
anti-narcotics initiative and programs to fight money laundering and 
trafficking in women could not be realized. The new Expanded Threat 
Reduction Program to reduce the proliferation of weapons of mass 
destruction in the former Soviet Union could not be implemented. And, 
the U.S. request of $500 million to support the Wye Implementation 
accord would not be achievable under the Senate Budget Resolution.
  I cannot believe that my colleagues would chose to undermine our 
efforts to fight the international war on drugs, control the 
proliferation of nuclear weapons, and support the peace process in the 
Middle East, in Ireland and in Bosnia.
  We live in a very dangerous world, and this budget puts us at greater 
risk. We must find the resources to fix this problem and properly fund 
the international affairs budget.

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