[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 60 (Thursday, April 29, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H2474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       U.S. ROLE IN KOSOVO TURNED INTO PARTISAN POLITICAL CONTEST

  (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam Speaker, yesterday Republicans turned the 
question of ethnic cleansing, NATO's future and America's role in the 
world into a partisan political contest. Well over 30 Republican 
Members switched their votes from supporting the air strikes to ending 
the conflict yesterday so that they could vote against President 
Clinton.
  Now, after having voted in a way that is totally inconsistent and 
having voted, some of them actually voted to not only not withdraw the 
troops in Campbell I and then not to declare war and then they voted at 
the end not to support the President's air campaign to end the ethnic 
cleansing, to end the genocide, they want to load the appropriations 
bill that the President proposes to try to sustain our troops in the 
field and take it from $6 billion to $12 billion, all of it coming from 
Social Security.
  It is inconceivable to be spending twice the amount the President 
asked for when you are not even willing to vote to stop the ethnic 
cleansing in Kosovo. It is outrageous and it cannot be tolerated.

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