[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1136]]
DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED 
                   AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JULIAN C. DIXON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 26, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4690) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and 
     State, the Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes:

  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Chairman, I requested that the Rules Committee waive 
points of order against my amendment to increase appropriations for the 
Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) account. 
While I had few illusions that the Rules Committee would do so, it is 
important that Members understand what we are doing to the UN and our 
own foreign policy in the bill. My amendment would increase the account 
by $241 million, up to the President's request of $739 million. That 
level would allow the United States to pay its anticipated Fiscal Year 
2001 assessments for United Nations Peacekeeping. Full funding includes 
the four missions in Africa that the current funding level and language 
in the Committee report restrict--Sierra Leone, Congo, Ethiopia/
Eritrea, and Western Sahara. Unfortunately, the Rules Committee failed 
to protect the amendment.


                    BILL IMPAIRS U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

  The CIPA account enables the United States to meet its treaty 
obligation to pay its assessed share of UN peacekeeping missions. The 
severe underfunding of CIPA in the bill impairs the conduct of American 
foreign policy in four important areas: (1) it restricts our foreign 
policy options; (2) It threatens to create new United Nations arrears; 
(3) It undermines our efforts to reform the United Nations; and (4) it 
sends the unfortunate message that Africa doesn't matter to this body.
  The bill freezes CIPA funding at last year's level of $498 million. 
International peacekeeping cannot and should not be dictated by an 
arbitrary freeze level. History shows that the account fluctuates 
dramatically in response to world events. It was over $1 billion in FY 
1994, but only $210 million in FY 1998. Rather than provide the 
flexibility to respond to unpredictable foreign affairs, the Committee 
asserts control of the United States' vote at the UN Security Council.


           COMMITTEE ASSERTS CONTROL OF SECURITY COUNCIL VOTE

  Two mechanisms in the legislation hamstring our actions in the 
Security Council:
  (1) The Committee report directs the State Department to ``live 
within'' the arbitrary $498 million funding level and to ``take no 
action to extend existing missions, or create new missions for which 
funding is not available.'' (2) The report spells out the missions for 
which funding is not available--the four UN peacekeeping missions in 
Africa: Sierra Leone, Congo, Ethiopia/Eritrea, and Western Sahara.
  The funding level and report language could well have the effect of 
directing U.S. vetoes in the Security Council. The State Department 
would have to veto the missions listed, as well as any other unforeseen 
missions that are considered by the UN Security Council.


                   BILL LIMITS FOREIGN POLICY OPTIONS

  This bill handicaps our nation's ability to respond to international 
crisis by removing United Nations multilateral action as a policy 
option. In many cases such a multilateral response is the most 
attractive option. We only pay 25 percent of the cost of UN 
peacekeeping missions. And we have no troops involved in the four 
missions in Africa blocked by this bill. Without the multilateral 
option, our policy makers are left to choose between unilateral action 
and inaction.


                         IMPACTS ON UN ARREARS

  The underfunding of CIPA in this bill compounds fiscal year 2000 
shortfalls and threatens to create new UN peacekeeping arrears. The 
Committee currently has requests pending from the State Department--
some from August of last year--to reprogram CIPA funds to pay our 
assessments. This is not new money; State is only asking to shift 
existing funds. The Committee's failure to approve the $225 million in 
reprogrammings is preventing the payment of $93 million in bills the 
United States has already received.
  So while the Committee blocks the payment of $93 million in current 
bills for UN missions in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Congo, we now 
propose to underfund CIPA by $240 million in FY 2001. The resulting 
shortfalls in peacekeeping funds will require a peacekeeping 
supplemental early next year. In light of the Committee's failure to 
fund this year's peacekeeping supplemental, this bill is one step in 
creating a new arrears problem.


                       BILL UNDERMINES UN REFORM

  The timing for these shortfalls could not be worse. Our 
representatives to the UN are attempting to negotiate reductions in our 
United Nations assessment rate. Those reductions require other nations 
to increase their own assessments. The accrual of new arrears will 
severely undermine our negotiating position at a critical time.


                               CONCLUSION

  Mr. Chairman, it is crucial to our foreign policy in general, and 
specifically toward Africa, that we fully fund our obligations to 
United Nations Peacekeeping missions. As this legislation advances in 
the process, I will continue to work to meet those obligations and to 
remove the restrictions on missions in Africa.

                          ____________________