[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 89 (Wednesday, July 12, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H5932-H5953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 546 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill,
H.R. 4811.
{time} 2245
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of
the bill (H.R. 4811) making appropriations for foreign operations,
export financing, and related programs for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2001, and for other purposes, with Mr. Thornberry in the
chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIRMAN. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier today,
[[Page H5933]]
a request for a recorded vote on the amendment by the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Waters) had been postponed and the bill was open for
amendment from page 2, line 22, to page 3, line 17.
Pursuant to the order of the House of today, no further amendment to
the bill shall be in order except pro forma amendments offered by the
chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations or their
designees for the purpose of debate and the following additional
amendments, which may be offered only by the Member designated in the
order of the House or a designee, or the Member who caused it to be
printed or a designee, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for
the time specified, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and
an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be
subject to a demand for a division of the question:
(1) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for
60 minutes:
One of either the amendment printed in the Congressional Record and
numbered 11 or the amendment numbered 15; and amendment by Ms. Lee,
regarding child survival and disease program fund.
(2) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for
30 minutes:
The amendment printed in the Congressional Record and numbered 28;
and the amendment by Mr. Payne, regarding development assistance.
(3) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for
20 minutes:
One, one of either the amendment printed in the Congressional Record
and numbered 5 or the amendment numbered 6; two, Ms. Jackson-Lee of
Texas, regarding conscription under the age of 18; and, three, the
amendment printed in the Congressional Record and numbered 18.
(4) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for
10 minutes:
The amendment by Mr. Bereuter regarding North Korea; Mr. Baker
regarding Panama; Mr. Smith of Michigan regarding biotechnology
research; Mr. Brown of Ohio regarding child survival and disease
program fund; Mr. Brown of Ohio regarding the Tariff Act; Ms. Jackson-
Lee of Texas regarding peacekeeping operations; Ms. Jackson-Lee of
Texas regarding Economic Support Fund; Mr. Payne regarding Congo; Mr.
Payne regarding sanctions against Angola; Mr. Payne regarding
peacekeeping operations; Mr. Payne regarding Sudan; Mr. Payne
regarding restrictions on assistance to governments destabilizing
Angola; Mr. Menendez regarding Peru; Mr. Filner regarding Economic
Support Fund; Mr. Conyers regarding section 558; Mr. Capuano regarding
Armenia-Azerbaijan peace and democracy initiative; Mr. Capuano
regarding termination of unilateral agricultural or medical sanctions;
Mr. Nadler regarding honor crimes; Mr. Jackson of Illinois regarding
the African Development Bank; Mr. Latham regarding international
financial institution loans; Ms. Kaptur regarding the Ukraine; Mr.
Sherman regarding child survival; and the amendments printed in the
Congressional Record and numbered 7, 9, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25,
and 26.
Are there further amendments to this portion of the bill?
If not, the Clerk will read.
The Clerk read as follows:
administrative expenses
For administrative expenses to carry out the direct and
guaranteed loan and insurance programs (to be computed on an
accrual basis), including hire of passenger motor vehicles
and services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, and not to
exceed $30,000 for official reception and representation
expenses for members of the Board of Directors, $62,000,000:
Provided, That necessary expenses (including special services
performed on a contract or fee basis, but not including other
personal services) in connection with the collection of
moneys owed the Export-Import Bank, repossession or sale of
pledged collateral or other assets acquired by the Export-
Import Bank in satisfaction of moneys owed the Export-Import
Bank, or the investigation or appraisal of any property, or
the evaluation of the legal or technical aspects of any
transaction for which an application for a loan, guarantee or
insurance commitment has been made, shall be considered
nonadministrative expenses for the purposes of this heading:
Provided further, That, notwithstanding subsection (b) of
section 117 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1992, subsection
(a) thereof shall remain in effect until October 1, 2001.
overseas private investment corporation
noncredit account
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation is authorized
to make, without regard to fiscal year limitations, as
provided by 31 U.S.C. 9104, such expenditures and commitments
within the limits of funds available to it and in accordance
with law as may be necessary: Provided, That the amount
available for administrative expenses to carry out the credit
and insurance programs (including an amount for official
reception and representation expenses which shall not exceed
$35,000) shall not exceed $37,000,000: Provided further, That
project-specific transaction costs, including direct and
indirect costs incurred in claims settlements, and other
direct costs associated with services provided to specific
investors or potential investors pursuant to section 234 of
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, shall not be considered
administrative expenses for the purposes of this heading.
program account
For the cost of direct and guaranteed loans, $24,000,000,
as authorized by section 234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961 to be derived by transfer from the Overseas Private
Investment Corporation noncredit account: Provided, That such
costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be
as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974: Provided further, That such sums shall be available for
direct loan obligations and loan guaranty commitments
incurred or made during fiscal years 2001 and 2002: Provided
further, That such sums shall remain available through fiscal
year 2010 for the disbursement of direct and guaranteed loans
obligated in fiscal years 2001 and 2002: Provided further,
That in addition, such sums as may be necessary for
administrative expenses to carry out the credit program may
be derived from amounts available for administrative expenses
to carry out the credit and insurance programs in the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation Noncredit Account and
merged with said account: Provided further, That funds made
available under this heading or in prior appropriations Acts
that are available for the cost of financing under section
234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, shall be available
for purposes of section 234(g) of such Act, to remain
available until expended.
Funds Appropriated to the President
trade and development agency
For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of
section 661 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961,
$46,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2002.
TITLE II--BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
Funds Appropriated to the President
For expenses necessary to enable the President to carry out
the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and for
other purposes, to remain available until September 30, 2001,
unless otherwise specified herein, as follows:
agency for international development
child survival and disease programs fund
For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of
chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961, for child survival, basic education, assistance to
combat tropical and other infectious diseases, and related
activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such
purposes, $834,000,000, to remain available until expended:
Provided, That this amount shall be made available for such
activities as: (1) immunization programs; (2) oral
rehydration programs; (3) health and nutrition programs, and
related education programs, which address the needs of
mothers and children; (4) water and sanitation programs; (5)
assistance for displaced and orphaned children; (6) programs
for the prevention, treatment, and control of, and research
on, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, polio, malaria and other
infectious diseases; and (7) basic education programs for
children: Provided further, That none of the funds
appropriated under this heading may be made available for
nonproject assistance, except that funds may be made
available for such assistance for ongoing health programs:
Provided further, of the funds appropriated under this
heading, not to exceed $125,000, in addition to funds
otherwise available for such purposes, may be used to monitor
and provide oversight of child survival, maternal health, and
infectious disease programs: Provided further, That the
following amounts should be allocated as follows:
$290,000,000 for child survival and maternal health;
$30,000,000 for vulnerable children; $202,000,000 for HIV/
AIDS; $99,000,000 for other infectious diseases; $103,000,000
for children's basic education; and $110,000,000 for UNICEF:
Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this
heading, up to $37,500,000 may be made available for a United
States contribution to the Global Fund for Children's
Vaccines.
Amendment Offered by Ms. Lee
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Ms. Lee:
Page 6, line 25, after the dollar amount insert
(``increased by $42,000,000).
Page 7, line 21, after the first dollar amount insert
``(increased by $42,000,000)''.
[[Page H5934]]
Page 34, line 21, after the dollar amount insert
``(decreased by $42,000,000)''.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and a Member opposed each will
control 30 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama reserves a point of order.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) for 30
minutes on her amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This amendment adds $40 million to the child survival and disease
fund to the amounts allocated in that account for HIV/AIDS and really
derives that funding from the FMF account.
Mr. Chairman, I had the privilege to be part of the official United
States delegation at the 13th International Conference on AIDS in
Durban, South Africa. I returned yesterday with an even more sense of
urgency regarding the HIV/AIDS pandemic throughout the world and
especially in sub-Saharan Africa. There are over 10,000 people in
Durban, South Africa breaking the silence on HIV/AIDS about the
devastation of the AIDS pandemic this week. Our United States
delegation is led by our very able Surgeon General, Dr. Satcher, and
Sandy Thurman, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy.
Can you imagine that in several countries now, life expectancy has
been reduced from 70 years of age to 30 years of age because of this
killer disease? This means also that many 13-year-old girls and boys
will not live beyond 30 years of age because they will die from AIDS.
This also means that years of development and progress have been really
wiped from the face of the earth.
Also, can you imagine now that there are over 12 million orphans in
Africa? These children's fate lay unknown because their parents have
died. And by the year 2010, there will be 40 million orphans in Africa.
This is the number of children in America's public schools. Also,
believe it or not, it is mind-boggling to know this, but in Durban, we
talked about this and documented this and discussed this, that in many
countries 20 to 38 percent of the country's populations have HIV/AIDS.
This further cripples Africa because it does move to threaten
economic stability which is a security threat as well, not only in
terms of African security but in terms of our own national security.
Can you imagine that this is really only the beginning? It is only the
tip of the iceberg. India has nearly 7 million people infected with
HIV/AIDS. This epidemic is spreading and it is spreading very rapidly.
The conference in Durban, which is continuing this week, is really
helping us break the silence with regard to the devastation of this
pandemic. We must listen to what is coming out of that conference. We
all have a sense of urgency about this, but many of us do not know what
to do. But we do know that there is a state of emergency in sub-Saharan
Africa.
So the administration requested $244 million, minimal request, for
HIV/AIDS this year, and we only have $202 million in this budget
request. All this amendment does is add $42 million to bring to the
level of the administration's request the AIDS funding to address this
pandemic. This is not nearly enough. The United Nations has estimated
that we need approximately $3 billion a year just to begin with the
crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. So, Mr. Chairman, adding $42 million to
this account is a mere pittance.
I ask for your consideration. I ask for your real commitment to
ensure that the United States of America goes on record tonight and
passes this amendment to do the right thing and to send a message to
the Durban conference and to those who are working so desperately to
save lives in Africa that we are stepping up to our moral obligation,
and we do want to restore this mere $42 million to our account.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs.
Meek).
(Mrs. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and
extend her remarks.)
Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank my dear colleague who has
spearheaded this strong effort for yielding this time.
As we are becoming a more global community, we must become more
concerned about what is going on with our national borders as well as
the people we know are now suffering from AIDS throughout this world.
It just does not take very much unless you understand man's inhumanity
to man to think that in a country as rich as ours we have not placed
the amount of money on the prevention and treatment of AIDS as we
should. Now it is reaching catastrophic dimensions and we must realize
that it is now an epidemic that is an impediment to our national
security.
A study by the National Security Council prepared in January
projected that a quarter of South Africa's population is likely to die
of AIDS. I have only 1 minute, 60 seconds' worth of distance run to say
to you that to place money in an AIDS prevention and treatment program
in Africa will be money well spent. If not, we are on a disastrous
course. It is time now to place money where we can help man and his
humanity.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for calling this special order
to highlight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
As our world becomes more of a global community, we must become more
concerned about what's going on beyond our national borders. As the
Washington Post aptly described, the global spread of AIDS is reaching
catastrophic dimensions and is now seen as a threat to our own national
security.
A study by the National Security Council prepared in January
projected that a quarter of southern Africa's population is likely to
die of AIDS and that the number of people dying of the disease will
rise for a decade before there is much prospect of improvement.
Further, based on current trends, that disastrous course could be
repeated, perhaps exceeded, in south Asia and the former Soviet Union.
50 million people--1% of the world's population--have become infected
with HIV.
Sub-Saharan Africa has been by-far more severely affected by AIDs,
than any other part of the world. Africans make up 10% of the worlds
population, but nearly 70% of the worldwide total HIV/AIDS cases.
In many African countries 35% of all adults are infected with HIV/
AIDS, and it is estimated that half of today's teenage population in
parts of Africa will die of AIDS.
In Africa, as in the case throughout the world, young girls are most
infected.
In a study of eleven African countries, the rate of infection in
teenage girls was more than five times higher than in boys of the same
age. Each day more than 15,000 people become infected. 1,600 of them
are children, infected during or shortly after birth.
Infection rates in the Caribbean are also high.
There is an epidemic in Asia with more than 6 million people
infected, and the potential for millions more.
Fortunately, we now have the opportunity for a much more effective
response to the HIV epidemic.
We now know how to prevent the spread of HIV and provide care for
those infected. The tools are complex and imperfect. But we know that
when used correctly, these tools can help slow the epidemic, relieve
suffering and enable millions of people to have additional years of
quality life.
Yet, with opportunity comes responsibility and challenge. There are
no more excuses. The millions who are infected and the hundreds of
millions who are at risk will not forgive us if we do not take
advantage of the opportunities for action that exist today.
No one constituency can act alone to change the face of this
epidemic, and America must step up to play a leadership role in
reducing the global spread of HIV/AIDS. Wherever there is inequity,
conflict or lack of mutual respect, the virus feeds on our
divisiveness.
It is distressing what is happening in the world with this pandemic,
particularly when we have found interventions that work--interventions
that can reduce HIV incidence by up to 80%.
Yet, we have not seen any systematic action to reduce the global
spread of HIV/AIDS because all too often we have been short-sighted and
refused to take action outside of our borders to help ease the
suffering and loss of life which is taking place with respect to this
pandemic in Africa and throughout the world.
This isolationists' mentality must stop. If America is to remain a
global leader we ought to act like one and take the lead on helping to
reduce the global spread of HIV/AIDS.
On this issue, we can't claim the high horse, and then take the low
road.
More than ever, we need to unite with the nations of the world and
exert our leadership in responding to the destruction to society that
has been wrought by HIV.
Here at home, and throughout the world, the consequences of HIV/AIDS
are clear, HIV affects more people than it infects. It makes
[[Page H5935]]
families poor as they try to meet the costs of health care and
funerals: they become poorer as they cope with the loss of income
following the death of a breadwinner.
Miami-Dade County, Florida has the third highest incidence of HIV/
AIDS cases in the United States. With 24,000 reported AIDS cases,
Miami-Dade County has more cases than all but four states. A
disproportionate number of these cases tend to be comprised of racial
or ethnic minorities.
With strong prevention initiatives, we have helped slow the rate of
new HIV infections in the U.S. And, we have made widely available new
medications and treatment to those who are infected.
As a world leader, we have a responsibility to help other nations
reduce infections and treat those who are ill, and to act locally and
globally toward a cure for this dreaded disease.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) seek to
claim the time in opposition?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis).
(Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlewoman
for yielding me this time. We have heard the information. We understand
the ravages of this tremendous disease running rampant throughout the
continent. And so we know what action is needed. We know that we need
resources. We know that we need to add additional money so that there
can be health education information, so that there can be medicine and
supplies, and so that individuals who are greatly in need of assistance
can receive it. I simply want to commend the gentlewoman for this
amendment, pledge undying, unstinting support for it, and urge all
Members of this House to vote in favor of the Lee amendment.
{time} 2300
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Lowey).
(Mrs. LOWEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this amendment
which would make a critical investment in combatting HIV-AIDS around
the world. When one looks at the numbers, it is astonishing. More than
16.3 million people across the globe have died of AIDS. More than 33.6
million are currently living with the disease. Over the course of the
year, approximately 5.6 million more people will become infected with
AIDS.
This is a pandemic of immense proportions, and if we hold back on
investing and finding solutions to the world's AIDS crisis now, there
will be consequences, both domestically and internationally later on.
The AIDS crisis has disproportionately affected the developing world.
Sub-Saharan Africa has been particularly hard hit. Already 13.7 million
Africans have died of HIV-AIDS, leaving behind social and economic
devastation that will affect the nature and pace of African development
for years to come.
AIDS is hurting Africa. It is crippling Africa's viability as a
destination for business. I urge my colleagues to support this
amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in strong support
of the amendment of my colleague and friend, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Lee), and I urge everyone to support this amendment,
because it is really a moral issue that we are talking about tonight.
The devastation caused by this pandemic has been most severe in sub-
Saharan Africa where over 23 million people are infected with HIV, and
nearly 14 million Africans have already died from AIDS. This is indeed,
my friends, a moral issue, and we have an obligation and a
responsibility to heed the warning here.
The funding, $42 million, is not a cure-all for HIV-AIDS, but it is
an urgent and necessary step in the right direction. This AIDS epidemic
has also drastically decreased life expectancy in Africa, and I urge
everyone within the sound of my voice to know that our children are
being left as orphans because of the death of their parents.
I urge Members to support the Lee amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, let me thank the
gentlewoman for presenting this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I hope we are listening. I really do hope that we are
not going to close our eyes and turn our ears off and ignore this
problem. Let us try to listen to this one more time. A total of 5.4
million people globally became newly infected with HIV in 1999. A total
of 34.3 million people globally are living with HIV-AIDS.
We cannot sit here and allow this to happen without some kind of
intervention. There have been a total of 18.8 million global AIDS-
related deaths since the beginning of this epidemic. A total of 13.2
million children globally have become orphaned since the AIDS epidemic.
There are 34.3 million adults and children living with AIDS in the
world.
We have to act now. This is an emergency. Experience shows that the
right approach, applied quickly enough with courage and resolve, can
and does result in lower HIV infection rates and less suffering for
those affected by this epidemic. An ever-growing AIDS epidemic is not
inevitable; yet unless action against this epidemic is scaled up
drastically, the damage is going to be done.
We have got to act now. We have got to eradicate this ugly disease.
The time is now. It is urgent. Support my colleague's amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Waxman).
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. As the only major
power in the world and one that takes its moral responsibilities
seriously, this is a small step, but one we must take. I also supported
the Waters debt-relief amendment for the very same reason.
I found it offensive that the manager of this bill would suggest that
the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus), or anyone else, was anti-
Israel for supporting debt relief. I think that was factually
incorrect, and this deficient foreign aid bill makes me think now it
was designed in a way to try to drive wedges between people and divide
us; and that should have no place on issues as serious as AIDS and debt
relief.
Mr. Chairman, I am going to vote for the Waters amendment, and I am
going to vote for the Lee amendment; and I am very seriously thinking
that this bill ought to be defeated.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Meeks).
Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Chairman, I wonder, where is this
compassion we often hear talked about? Compassion. You know, where I
come from, they have this saying; they say that talk is cheap. Put your
money where your mouth is.
When we talk about HIV-AIDS, we can talk about it and talk about how
bad it is and talk about how awful it is, but you know what? That talk
means nothing.
We need to put our money where our mouth is. Until we do that, we are
doing nothing but whistling Dixie. It is time for us to reverse that,
to understand that this world is much smaller than it was just 10 years
ago. If you do not believe it, let us not put our money where our
mouths are. You think the epidemic is over there; but you know what,
there is a boomerang, and what goes around will come around.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve my point of order.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton).
(Mrs. CLAYTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Chairman, the Lee amendment deserves our
enthusiastic support. This amendment provides $42 million for our
effort against AIDS abroad. We can be thankful, Mr. Chairman, that many
people in America today are living longer and more comfortable lives
with AIDS. Not so in Africa. We can be grateful that the life
expectancy of a person in the United
[[Page H5936]]
States afflicted by AIDS has increased significantly since this Nation
began paying attention to this disease some 20 years ago. Not so in
Africa.
AIDS has lowered the life expectancy in some places in Africa almost
20 years in just the last 10 years. In America, the number of new AIDS
cases in recent years has declined, or at least has leveled off. Not so
in Africa. In Africa, in some places, up to 35 percent of all adults
are inflicted by the HIV-AIDS. The survival rate of women and children
affected by AIDS in the United States is steadily increasing. Not so in
Africa.
In some parts of Africa, half of all the pregnant women are infected,
and 15 percent of the children have been left as orphans due to AIDS.
Drug therapy in response to AIDS is almost $20,000 annually. There is
no money to pay. In fact, they commit less than $10.
Every day, in Africa, more than 5,000 people die from AIDS--18
million lives have been lost to AIDS in Africa, in recent years.
AIDS in Africa, Mr. Chairman, has been declared to be a threat to
this Nation's national security. AIDS in Africa undermines efforts to
extend democracy. AIDS in Africa contributes to political instability
and encourages civil wars. AIDS in Africa puts American citizens at
risk who may be there for business, military, diplomatic or other
purposes. AIDS in Africa is a menace to America.
In recent years, the introduction of newer and more effective
therapies, on the whole, has led to dramatic reductions in mortality
and morbidity and an increase in the number of people living with HIV/
AIDS. This progress has been due, in large part, to the fact that
funding in the United States for research, prevention, care and
treatment has multiplied, from a few hundred thousand dollars twenty
years ago to $6 billion in the fiscal year.
In Africa, funding programs for the prevention and research for AIDS
and HIV have fallen far short. The Lee amendment, in a very modest way,
seeks to bring some balance to that imbalance.
Mr. Chairman, unfortunately, there is no vaccine or medication that
will cure AIDS. Yet, as the Washington Post indicated today, there is
hope due to a new tests. And, we know that through intervention, we
can, and we have, caused effective prevention of the spread of AIDS.
By preventing the spread of AIDS, we have reduced the demand for care
services. And, consequently, we have reduce the costs associated with
AIDS.
We are making progress in America. Not so in Africa. Support the Lee
amendment. The women, the children, the people of Africa are worthy of
our support.
{time} 2310
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Los
Angeles, California (Ms. Waters).
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. I am
amazed that we have spent so much time on the Africa Trade bill talking
about how we want to be involved with trade in Africa. In South Africa,
we have spent years getting rid of apartheid. We have worked hard to
make sure that we give democracy a chance in Africa.
But what good is all of this if, in fact, we do not recognize that
HIV/AIDS is devastating Africa? I just spoke with the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Payne) who just returned from Botswana; a beautiful
infrastructure is that country. However, they are about to be wiped out
because of the way that AIDS is ravaging that small country.
The same thing is true in South Africa. What good does it do to have
done all of that work to talk about getting rid of an apartheid
government, to have a new opportunity here for housing and for health
and for all of those things that we have fought for for so many years,
when we have AIDS run amok.
This country cannot, cannot in good faith talk about wanting to have
a relationship with Africa and South Africa, which it has embraced and
all of these other nations, and ignore the fact that AIDS is ravishing
this continent.
Mr. Chairman, I would ask everyone to support this amendment. This is
a very mild amendment. As a matter of fact, the amount of dollars that
are being asked for is insignificant, almost. So I cannot understand
why anyone would be opposed to supporting this amendment. I believe
there is $42 million in this amendment. We are spending more money than
that on giveaways, practically, in the budget, throughout the budget of
the United States.
So I would ask my colleagues, please, please allow us to leave this
floor this evening with some renewed faith in our ability to have just
a little bit of a conscience as it relates to the continent.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
northern California (Ms. Pelosi).
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me
this time and for her extraordinary leadership on this global AIDS
issue.
Mr. Chairman, as my colleagues know, this past week the world's
leading experts on HIV/AIDS gathered in Durbin, South Africa for the
13th International HIV/AIDS Conference. The participants shared their
knowledge and attempted to find solutions to the challenges of
prevention, affordable treatment, and eventually a cure for HIV/AIDS.
We must do our part in this country to respond to what has truly become
a global crisis.
Mr. Chairman, when those experts met in Durbin, South Africa, the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) was there, and she is here
tonight, less than 36 hours since her arrival in this country; she is
here tonight leading the way. The world is finally waking up to the
scope and seriousness of the HIV/AIDS problem, as more resources are
devoted to expanding the infrastructure to fight the disease. It would
be a serious blow if the United States did not live up to its
commitments at this time. Again, the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Lee) is here to lead the way in that regard.
Mr. Chairman, in addition to commending my colleague, I want to
introduce into the Record a USAID report project which projects a
dramatic increase in AIDS orphans. Over the next 10 years, there will
be more than 30 million orphans because their parents will die of AIDS.
This represents a dramatic increase.
How many more parents have to die? How many more children have to
become orphaned? Many of those children, HIV-infected themselves. How
many more children will have to die before we wake up to an
appropriate, appropriate response to AIDS?
This increase that the gentlewoman is proposing brings what is in the
bill up to the President's request of $244 million. Frankly, it is the
least we can do. It is certainly not enough, but it is a good start for
us. USAID will use these additional funds for education, prevention and
interventions to reduce mother-to-child transmissions. Funding will be
used to aid countries to establish their own HIV interventions.
I commend the gentlewoman for her leadership and I urge my colleagues
to support her amendment.
USAID Report Projects Dramatic Increase in AIDS Orphans
Durban, South Africa.--The U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) today released the executive summary of
Children on the Brink 2000, a study of AIDS orphans across
the globe. The study finds that by 2010, at least 44 million
children will have lost one or both parents to all causes in
the 34 countries most severely affected by the AIDS pandemic.
Of these 44 million orphans, 68 percent of their parents
will die of AIDS. This represents a dramatic increase from
1990, when AIDS accounted for 16.4 percent of parental
deaths. Orphans are distributed among world areas in the same
patterns as HIV-prevalence, so that countries with the
highest infection levels usually have the highest orphan
rates.
The orphan crisis is most acute in sub-Saharan Africa. In
at least eight countries in this region, between 20 and 35
percent of children under 15 have lost one or both parents.
By 2010, 11 countries will reach this rate.
Children on the Brink 2000 finds that with few exceptions
the number of children being orphaned will accelerate through
at least 2010. In many countries, the proportion of orphaned
children will remain exceptionally high until 2020 or 2030.
One country studied was Zambia. Children on the Brink 2000
finds that in Zambia, currently 27.4 percent, or 1.2 million
children, who are under age 15, are orphans. Chronic
malnutrition is widespread. Orphan caregivers are
predominantly poor women. Children in these households are
significantly more disadvantaged than children in two-parent
families, largely because women have less access to property
and employment. Female-headed households are larger and
poorer than male-headed households in all regions.
The executive summary of Children on the Brink 2000 was
released at a USAID press conference at the XIII
International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa.
Since 1986, USAID has dedicated over $1.4 billion dollars
for the prevention and mitigation of this epidemic in the
developing world. USAID's HIV/AIDS budget of $200 million for
2000 is four times as great as the
[[Page H5937]]
next-largest donor's budget. USAID is working in 46 of the
hardest hit countries around the world. Nearly 70 percent of
USAID's HIV/AIDS program assistance goes to small non-
governmental organizations that have direct connections to
the poorest of the poor and those most vulnerable to
infection.
Children on the Brink 2000 updates USAID's 1997 report on
orphans, and provides estimates of the number of orphans in
34 developing nations, as well as offering strategies to
support children affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide. The original
report included the first international orphan estimates
published since 1990 and contributed to a growing sense of
urgency about the impact of HIV/AIDS, particularly in sub-
Saharan Africa. The complete Children on the Brink 2000 will
be released this fall.
Children on the Brink 2000 presents new orphan estimates
for the 23 countries studied in the 1997 report, as well as
11 additional developing countries. The report also provides
a summary of new statistics on the HIV/AIDS pandemic; new
programming recommendations for children, families,
communities, and governments; and an updated overview of
actions taken by international organizations to assist
families and children affected by HIV/AIDS.
The executive summary of Children on the Brink 2000 is
available at www.usaid.gov.
The U.S. Agency for International Development is the U.S.
government agency that provides development and humanitarian
assistance worldwide.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Watt).
Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman
from California for yielding me this time and for bringing this
important issue to the floor of the House.
We have made a substantial amount of progress in our country in
dealing with AIDS and HIV. Unfortunately, that same kind of progress
has not been evident in Africa where 10 percent of the world's
population resides, but nearly 70 percent of the worldwide total
infected AIDS cases exist.
A number of countries in Africa are beginning to make progress such
as Senegal and Uganda, and we need to do what we can in this country to
assist in meeting this crisis, not only here in our country, but
worldwide. I cannot think of any other issue that is more important to
address than the HIV/AIDS crisis in the world. Therefore, I rise in
support of the gentlewoman's amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise
and extend her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentlewoman
from California for her leadership. Mr. Chairman, $42 million.
Juxtapose that against the $82 million, only 16 percent of what the
administration asked for, to relieve the burden of debt on these
countries so that they could at least deal with this travesty of AIDS.
The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) just came back from South
Africa and she has been on this mission for a long time, and I have
joined her, along with many other Members. We were in Africa just about
a year ago. Tell me if my colleagues have ever experienced going into a
hut, that is right, and seeing a 4-year-old being the only person able
to care for dying relatives. Cleaning up the excrements, providing the
medicine, helping them to the rest room, if you will. Dying babies
being held in one's arms. Families burying six members of their family
at a time. Have my colleagues ever lived through a pandemic or a dying
Nation or continent? That is what we are talking about.
For us to be on this floor tonight in the most prosperous times, when
the gentleman from Alabama indicated that we merely would be missing a
Sunday newspaper if we did not provide debt relief or, in this
instance, maybe a candy bar if we put $42 million against a nation of
200 million plus people in the United States of America. How can we
reject the opportunity to provide funds to eliminate 4-year-olds taking
care of dying relatives. It is an outrage that we even have to diminish
the request to this amount.
Mr. Chairman, I would only say to my colleagues, when they begin to
talk about a tragedy of this size, they are beginning to talk about a
continent that not withstands this attack, but falls to this attack. We
cannot do any less than to support the amendment of the gentlewoman
from California and stand up against this terrible tragedy.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment by my democratic
colleague Representative Barbara Lee from California in an amendment to
H.R. 4811, the Foreign Appropriations bill before this body. This
amendment if adopted would make an additional $100 million available to
the World Bank AIDS Marshall Plan Trust Fund.
HIV/AIDS has been declared the world's deadliest disease by the World
Health Organization. HIV/AIDS has become a plague on the Continent of
Africa of biblical proportions by claiming over 18 million lives in
recent decades. This crisis is having a direct impact on the future
viability of many sub-Saharan African communities. For this reason, I
am joining Congresswoman Lee of California in support of additional
funding for the World Bank's effort to fight the spread of the deadly
HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.
This amendment would fund the World Bank AIDS Marshall Plan Trust
Fund at $100 million. This will allow the trust fund to distribute
additional resources through directed grants so that an effect response
can be mounted against the HIV/AIDS tragedy, which is being played out
in too many African nations.
According to the UNAIDS Update report released last week on HIV/AIDS
infected rates in many countries up to 35 percent of all adults are
infected with the disease. The report also estimates that half of
today's teenage population in parts of Africa will perish from HIV/
AIDS. The most vulnerable group being affected by HIV/AIDS is the women
of Africa; their infection rate is far greater than males. About 55
percent of all adults living with HIV are women, and this rate is
expected to continue to rise in countries where poverty, poor health
systems, and limited resources for prevention and care are present.
What fuels the spread of this disease or any disease is ignorance,
misinformation, cultural practices, passivity on the part of leaders,
neglect on the part of those nations with resources that if engaged
would make a difference in the fight to win out over the disease.
I would like to commend Congresswoman Lee for her efforts to offer a
clear perspective on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. She recently
returned from Durban, South Africa, after participating in AIDS 2000,
which was the 13th International AIDS conference.
Now, more than ever, the leadership of the United States is needed in
order to avert a tragedy on the Continent of Africa. Therefore, I
implore my fellow colleagues of the House to seriously reconsider the
level of funding that has been appropriated for this critical area. It
is critical that we join efforts to support the comprehensive,
bipartisan World Bank AIDS Marshall Plan Trust Fund to address this
crisis.
Many people have asked why this is important to the United States. I
reiterate that aside from the humanitarian perspective, the CIA has
issued a report that declares HIV/AIDS a threat to our national
security. HIV/AIDS undermines democracy and progress in many African
nations and the developing world. Left to its own course HIV/AIDS will
lead to political instability and may result in civil wars, which may
affect the global balance of power as well as economic viability of
many African nations. In many of these instances, our military service
personnel may be pressed into to service in order to defend American
interest in any attempt to bring stability to those nation's that
decline into civil strife because of the ravages of HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS
like any plague cannot be contained in any specific geographical area
it will roll across borders of the rich and poor nations alike.
Unfortunately, when this dreaded disease came to our shores many felt
that it was a calamity for gay people, drug users but AIDS knows no
boundaries. With globalization, we also must be conscious of the
potential for AIDS and other infectious diseases to be carried across
borders.
Now is the time for this body to act to remove the threat of AIDS
from our global community. Therefore, I encourage my colleagues to
support this amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Brown).
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, first of all, let me thank the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) for going to the International
AIDS Conference representing the United States.
At this crucial time in this country, the world is looking at what we
are doing here in the United States, and they are wondering, what is
our position on AIDS and HIV. I would like to have a colloquy for a
moment with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters). I know that
other countries are providing treatment, they are providing drugs. Why
are we, the most powerful country in the world, who stand on the Bible
and believe and talk all the time about to whom God has given much,
much is expected, and we have some obligation as leaders in the world,
where are we on this crucial issue of AIDS and HIV?
[[Page H5938]]
{time} 2320
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. BROWN of Florida. I yield to the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.
Brown) for yielding to me.
As we look at what the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is doing
and the tremendous work she is putting into this international AIDS
crisis, tonight there is a category called Child Survival and Disease
Program Fund in the budget for $202 million, and she is adding to that
fund so perhaps just one or two more babies will have medicine, one or
two more children may be able to survive HIV or full-blown AIDS, even.
Let me just say that what we are doing is minuscule. It is not nearly
enough. We need to do more. That is why we have to take up all of this
time on the floor to beat everybody across the head on this issue, and
not let this epidemic continue in the way that it is doing. We have to
keep pushing this issue, keep pushing the envelope, because we have not
even begun to do what we should be doing.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I include for the Record the
information fact sheet about AIDS in Africa.
AIDS in Africa--FACT SHEET
Today there are 34 million people living with HIV and AIDS.
Sub-Saharan Africa has been far more severely affected by
AIDS than any other part of the world.
Africans make up about 10% of the world's population but
nearly 70% of the worldwide total of infected people.
An estimated 18 million Africans have lost their lives to
AIDS.
2.8 million people died of AIDS in 1999, 85% of them in
Africa.
The overall rate of infection among adults in sub-Saharan
Africa is about 8.6% compared with a 1.1% infection rate
worldwide.
20% of people in South Africa are infected with HIV and the
rate has reached 35.8% in Botswana.
5.4 million new AIDS infections in 1999, 4 million of them
in Africa.
An estimated 600,000 African infants become infected with
HIV each year through mother to child transmission.
An estimated 8 million African children have lost their
mother or both parents to AIDS.
It is estimated that within the next decade more than 40
million children will be orphaned in developing countries.
Some have estimated that approximately half of all today's
15-year-olds in the worst affected sub-Saharan countries will
die of AIDS.
Community awareness has had some success, particularly in
Senegal and Uganda where the rate of infection has been cut
in half.
Aside from Africa, India has more infected people than any
other nation, more than 3.5 million.
A 1999 South African study found that the total costs of
employee benefits in that country will increase from 7
percent of salaries in 1995 to 19 percent by 2005 due to
AIDS.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida
(Mr. Hastings).
(Mr. HASTINGS of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from
California for yielding time to me.
I would also like to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Pelosi) for the extraordinary leadership she has provided in this
measure, as well as my colleagues in the Republican party who have come
forward and demonstrated how they feel with reference to this issue.
Of course, people like the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters)
and countless others have been here for us, as well as all of the women
of this House, providing the kind of leadership that we need in an
effort to speak out about these matters.
Please know this, that what we are failing to do is to assist a
continent of people who, in the final analysis, are finding their life
expectancy, according to reports in today's New York Times, reduced to
30 years of age.
Ron Dellums, who the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) replaced
in Congress, spoke often to this House with passion regarding this
issue, and now finds himself involved in this issue, trying to avoid,
ultimately, the death in the next 5 years of 35 million people.
Research and development is needed to rid this scourge in Africa and
America. Please support this measure.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Chairman, as so many speakers before me have said,
it is a shame that we are not providing more. Thirty-four million
people in Africa with HIV, and even if we pass this amendment, that is
less than $10 per infected person, less than $10 per person who will
probably lose their lives.
After we consider this amendment, I will call up an amendment that
will add another $10 million to this program, and shame on me that that
amendment is not larger.
We should be doing a lot more. This is a national security problem
for not only Africa but for the entire world. This is a continent with
34 million infected people, most of whom do not know that they are
infected, that figure comes only from estimation, so they could end up
infecting others.
This is not just a problem in Africa, this is a likely disease that
will mutate and spread to various places around the world. We should do
more.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Vermont
(Mr. Sanders).
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time
to me.
Mr. Chairman, the horror that we are dealing with is so unspeakable
that it is literally very difficult to imagine the extent of what is
going on, but let us try for a moment.
In at least eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa, between 20 and 35
percent of children under 15 have lost one or both parents. Let us stop
and think what that would mean to our hometowns or our State. One-third
of the children under 15 have already lost one or both parents.
I think after all is said and done, what we are learning tonight is
that we live in one world, and whether we like it or not, we cannot
ignore the horrendous suffering that is going on in Africa. Our souls
will be tarnished if we do not respond, and ultimately, mark my words,
it will become a national issue, as well.
We live in one world. We have got to respond. We should support this
amendment, and do a lot more than that.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
(Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, let me rise in strong support of this
amendment, and commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and
those who have worked with her, the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Waters), the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christensen).
Let me also admire the work of the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Pelosi), who has for many years been there fighting for the right
causes.
Mr. Chairman, about 8 years ago I started to discuss the problem of
HIV-AIDS with President Museveni. At that time he was totally opposed
to any kind of prevention programs, especially the use of preventative
things. We talked about that. He finally decided that he would move to
having prevention and education. Now in Uganda we have seen it level
off. If we put in the correct amount of funds, we will be able to put a
moratorium and start to win the battle.
A week ago on Wednesday I was in Gaborone in Botswana. I met with
President Festus Mohae. His whole discussion at our meeting a week ago
was simply about the HIV-AIDS virus. He said that his life expectancy
in his country was 71. Two years from now the life expectancy in
Botswana will be at 39, they have lost that much. In about 5 years from
now, there will be a minus population growth in the country of
Botswana.
We can no longer sit by and watch the world die. Let us pass this
amendment.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the
gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones).
(Mrs. JONES of Ohio asked and was given permission to revise and
extend her remarks.)
Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, to my colleagues, in this country
today we have a societal condition of grandparents raising
grandchildren. Imagine the situation that exists in Africa, where we
have grandparents raising as many as 35 grandchildren.
[[Page H5939]]
The condition of AIDS in Africa is a security risk. It is an economic
issue. It is a workforce issue. It is a global issue. We as a country
must step up to the plate and take care of the children of Africa.
They, too, are our own children.
That epidemic, that disease, can spread worldwide. Next year we will
be talking about AIDS in every other country, because we travel so
frequently together.
Let us resolve this issue. Let us take care of the children. Let us
take care of our families, as well, and support this amendment.
{time} 2330
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).
Mr. OLVER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Lee) for yielding time to me.
Mr. Chairman, I would just like to point out that we in the United
States have nearly a million people suffering with HIV/AIDS at the
moment. We spend something over $10 billion every single year on this
issue, and that averages out to well over $10,000 per person in what we
do here in this country in relation to AIDS. In Africa, the amendment
that is being offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), the
amendment by itself would involve $2 per person of the roughly 25
million people now suffering from HIV/AIDS, 20 percent in a country
like South Africa, as high as 35 percent of the population in Botswana.
It is a very small, a very small pittance for us to contribute to
dealing with the AIDS pandemic around this world. We should adopt the
amendment by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).
Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to first thank the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Pelosi) for her extraordinary leadership on this issue and also
for her support consistently and constantly on helping us really raise
the level of awareness on the HIV/AIDS crisis here in the United States
Congress, and also to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), to
the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christensen), to all of
the Members who spoke here tonight.
I want to pay a special recognition and tribute to my former boss and
predecessor Congressman Ron Dellums who often has been the lone voice
in the wilderness speaking about this pandemic in Africa.
Finally, I believe we are breaking the silence here in the United
States Congress. I want to thank all of my colleagues for engaging in
the debate tonight. I believe many of you read the incredible series of
articles that was in The Washington Post last week. These articles
demonstrated and documented the fact that we knew as early in the 1990s
that the potential for this pandemic in Africa was going to be so
great, we chose to put our heads in the sand on this issue.
Mr. Chairman, it is chilling to think that we have not done much of
anything in the last 10 years, so tonight we are just asking for a mere
$42 million, that is it. We heard the arguments for that. I implore and
plead with the other side to please join us in a bipartisan effort and
restore $42 million to the budget.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) wish to
be heard on his point of order?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw the point of order.
The CHAIRMAN. The point of order is withdrawn.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume
and simply want to say that I think that the committee has been most
understanding. In response to many requests that I received from many
of those that spoke tonight, we have increased this year's assistance
to HIV/AIDS problems from $175 million to $212 million, an 18 percent
increase.
Mr. Chairman, I just do not want my colleagues to think that I have
ignored their plights and their pleas when they came to me hearing the
message. In addition to that, I spent last week in Africa talking to
some of the political leaders there, and I recognize fully especially
in Africa the tremendous problem with HIV/AIDS. And if, indeed, we
reach a stage in this process of the conference committee, as I have
told the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) with respect to the
HIPC problem, if we reach a stage where additional allocations are
given to us, certainly we would request this, but to take it out of the
FMF program we think is not proper.
Mr. Chairman, I do not want to go through that debate again, but I
might remind my colleagues that now we are, if we adopt the Waters
amendment and we adopt the gentlewoman's amendment, then we will be
into the Middle East portion of the FMF, but I hope that we do not do
that. I hope that it is better resolved to your satisfaction at some
other point in the process. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a no vote.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).
The question was taken; and the Chairman announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 546, further proceedings
on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee)
will be postponed.
Are there further amendments to this section of the bill?
Amendment Offered by Mr. Brown of Ohio
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Mr. Brown of Ohio:
In title II of the bill under the heading ``BILATERAL
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE-Funds Appropriated to the President-
agency for international development child survival and
disease program fund'', after the first dollar amount insert
``(increased by $40,000,000)'' and in the fifth proviso after
the fourth dollar amount (relating to other infectious
diseases) insert ``(increased by $40,000,000)''.
In title IV of the bill under the heading ``MULTILATERAL
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE-Funds Appropriated to the President-
contribution to the asian development fund'', after the
dollar amount insert ``(decreased by $40,000,000)''.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of earlier today,
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) will be recognized for 5 minutes
and a Member opposed will be recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the
amendment of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown).
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) reserves a
point of order.
The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes on
his amendment.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes.
Mr. Chairman, the threat of tuberculosis is spreading rapidly through
the developing world. TB is the greatest infectious killer of adults
worldwide. It is the biggest killer of young women. It kills 2 million
people per year. Over more than 1,000 people in India die everyday. TB
hit an all time high in 1999 with 8 million new cases, 95 percent in
developing countries.
Mr. Chairman, I would first like to thank the gentleman from Alabama
(Mr. Callahan) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for
their good work in increasing the appropriations to tuberculosis in the
last 3 years up to $60 million.
Our amendment asks for an additional $40 million added to the other
infectious diseases component of the Child Survival and Diseases
Program. This increase is meant specifically for TB control efforts.
This level of spending for health is much lower than any other
multilateral development bank despite the fact that the majority of
deaths globally from TB and childhood infectious diseases occur in
Asia, that is why we are taking dollars from the Asia Development Bank,
which does not meet its mission to save the poor, in order to fund a
program that will absolutely save millions of lives and preserve
communities in the best interests of Asia, in the best interests of
Africa, and in the best interests of Latin America, and only in the
best interests of the United States where TB is becoming a more and
more serious problem.
[[Page H5940]]
Gro Bruntland, the director general of the World Health Organization
has said that tuberculosis is not a medical issue, it is a political
issue. Getting Americans engaged in an international medical issue like
tuberculosis, even when addressing that issue serves our best interests
as a Nation is an uphill battle.
Mr. Chairman, we have an opportunity to save millions of lives now
and prevent millions of needless deaths in the future. We are asking
for $40 million from the Asia Development Bank, a bank that has not
done well at serving the poor, and we can clearly save thousands and
thousands of lives by upping our contribution to the world TB effort,
according to the requests of the World Health Organization of $100
million.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I do not seek time at this point, but I
rise in opposition to the amendment and reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), who was the cosponsor and the cowriter of
this amendment last year when the chairman helped us increase
tuberculosis spending $5 million more.
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Brown) for yielding me the time and thank the gentleman for his
leadership on this very important issue.
Mr. Chairman, I also want to extend my thanks to the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Callahan), the chairman of the committee, the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Pelosi) for the work they have done in raising the
amount for tuberculosis. This is really very important.
Mr. Chairman, TB kills more women than any single cause of maternal
mortality, and it is the biggest killer of people with AIDS which was
just recently discussed. It accounts for 40 percent or more of all AIDS
deaths in Africa and in Asia. I could go on and on with what is
happening in the developing world in terms of attacking its victims in
their most productive years, medical costs rising, families that are
dissipated, children that are put to work, lack of educational
opportunities.
According to the WHO, recent studies in India found that 100,000
women are rejected by their family because of TB every year.
{time} 2340
Because there is no way to stop TB at national borders, the only way
to eliminate it here in the United States is to control it worldwide,
especially in nations with the greatest burden. It is not a matter of
doing just what is right; it is a matter of doing what is smart. A
single case of drug-resistant TB can cost hundreds of thousands of
dollars to treat in the United States. Let us ratchet the amount up.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this amendment to increase
funding for global TB control because, although we have a cheap,
effective treatment for TB, the tragic fact is TB will kill more people
this year than any year in history--someone every 15 seconds.
TB is the biggest infectious killer of young women in the world. In
fact, TB kills more women than any single cause of maternal mortality.
TB is the biggest killer of people with AIDS--accounting for 40 percent
or more of all AIDS deaths in Africa and Asia.
In the developing world, tuberculosis also destroys girls' and
women's futures. TB tends to attack its victims in their most
productive years, often killing or sickening the primary breadwinner of
a family. In order to pay for medical costs and generate income,
families frequently take their young girls out of school and put them
to work. TB means the loss of educational opportunity for girls. It
means dire poverty for families.
In some parts of the world there is a great stigma attached to
contracting TB. This leads to increased isolation, abandonment and
divorce of women. According to WHO, recent studies on India found that
100,000 women are rejected by their families because of TB every year.
In Nepal, there are numerous stories of young widows with no income and
no prospects for another marriage turning to prostitution in order to
support their families. Currently an estimated one third of the world's
population including some 10-15 million people in the United States are
infected with the TB bacteria. Because there is no way to stop TB at
national borders, the only way to eliminate TB here in the U.S. is to
control it worldwide, especially in nations with the greatest TB
burden.
The real tragedy is that effective TB treatment--with drugs costing
as little as $10 for a full 6 month course--is only reaching 20 percent
of those ill with TB.
It is crucial that we act aggressively now to expand access to this
cost-effective treatment and thereby control the spread of TB
worldwide. There is only a small window of opportunity available to us
to do so. If we fail to act now, resistant strains of TB will continue
to develop which will be incredibly costly and possibly even impossible
to treat.
I want to acknowledge and thank the Foreign Operations Subcommittee,
especially Chairman Callahan and Ranking Member Pelosi, for their
efforts this year and over the past several years to give TB greater
priority. I stand here today because I believe we need to ratchet up
that effort even more, to go even further. $100 million is needed to
help jumpstart effective control programs globally.
This is not just a matter of doing what is right, it is a matter of
doing what is smart--a single case of drug resistant TB can cost
hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat in the U.S. We must invest
now in preventing and treating TB worldwide or we will pay the price
later in lives and dollars if we fail to do so.
I urge support of this amendment.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson), who is the co-author of this amendment;
and I thank her for the good work that she has done.
Mrs. WILSON. Mr. Chairman, I wanted to thank the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Brown) for his leadership on this public health issue and also the
chairman of the committee for increasing the investment in TB in this
bill over the last 4 years from really nothing to $60 million.
Tuberculosis is back with a vengeance, and it is back with drug-
resistant strains that are affecting parts of the world where it was
thought to be under control.
In March of this year, there was an outbreak of resistant
tuberculosis in Toronto, Canada; in Germany; in Denmark; in Mexico; in
Italy; in Puerto Rico. Drug-resistant TB is on the rise, and we are not
immune to it here in the United States.
I am one of those who believes it is better to play offense than
defense when it comes to public health issues, if one has got a good
offense to play. We have a very limited window of opportunity to attack
TB with a proven public health strategy abroad where resistant TB is
growing.
The reason the resistant TB is growing is because of inconsistent and
inadequate treatment. But a treatment does exist. It is called DOTSC.
That means Directly Observed Treatment Short Course. If we invest in it
now, we can treat TB when it first shows up so that those resistant
strains do not have an opportunity to grow. We will not be faced with a
huge and very expensive epidemic worldwide and in the United States.
It costs between $11 and $20 to treat a case of TB that is not
resistant. It costs about $250,000 to treat drug-resistant TB. In the
early 1990s, there was an outbreak in New York City that cost $1
billion to suppress it, and half of the people affected with it died.
Let us do the right thing from a public health point of view. Let us
invest in this while the window of opportunity was there and reduce the
cost over the long term.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) insist
on his point of order?
Mr. CALLAHAN. No, I do not insist on the point of order, but I rise
in opposition to the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama withdraws the point of
order.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) for 5
minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Chairman, I am almost surprised at the fact that the gentleman
brought this amendment to the House. In response to his request and to
the request of many of my colleagues, we have increased this fund from
$12 million to $55 million, a fourfold increase in response to the
recognition of the problem.
While I know that they have serious concerns about tuberculosis; we
all do. The very fact that we have quadrupled the aid in just 2 years
is amazing to me that they still insist upon bringing an amendment to
reconstruct our bill.
[[Page H5941]]
We have constructed this bill to the best of our ability, providing
as much as we can afford to provide to every need that has been
presented to this committee. So I would respectfully request that the
gentleman withdraw his amendment; and if he does that, I will agree to
work in conference to conceivably get it increased if we receive a
higher allocation. I offered him that, and yet he seems to reject that
offer. So if he wants me to remove that offer, I will be happy to do
it. But I would respectfully request that he withdraw his amendment.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I am happy to yield briefly to the gentleman from Ohio.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, before withdrawing the amendment, if
I could, I would like to ask, and I will do that and appreciate the
good words and the good work already that the gentleman from Alabama
(Mr. Callahan) has done in the last 3 years. I would like to ask the
gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan) if he would yield 30 seconds
to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), who was in his office and
hurried over and would like to say a few words on this issue if he
could get some time from the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan). I
unfortunately used my time, but I will withdraw the amendment after
that if that is possible.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Green).
(Mr. GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I join my colleagues, and I
appreciate the work of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export
Financing and Related Programs. This is money well spent, because if we
do not deal with tuberculosis nationwide, literally in Texas, we are
seeing it cross our border. So I thank the subcommittee for their work.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this amendment, which I am
pleased to have cosponsored along with Sherrod Brown and
Representatives Heather Wilson and Connie Morella.
Seven years ago, the World Health Organization declared Tuberculosis
to be a global emergency.
TB is an emergency in Africa--in Asia--in Latin America--in the
Caribbean. TB could soon be an emergency in the United States.
No area has been more harmed by the epidemic than Asia. In the past
ten years there have been over 35 million cases in South and South-East
Asia.
In East Asia and the Pacific there have been over 21 million cases.
In India, over 1.8 million new cases are diagnosed each year. In
China, 1.4 million. In Bangladesh, half a million.
While the majority of Tuberculosis cases are found overseas, this is
disease that could be passed on to you . . . or to anyone in your
family.
TB is highly contagious and spreads just like the common cold--
through hand-shaking, coughing, or contact.
With the increase in international travel we are seeing more and more
cases of TB right here in North America--and those cases will continue
to increase unless we act now.
Our amendment increases funding for TB control by $40 million. Much,
much more is needed but to comply with budget rules we are only
proposing a $40 million boost.
Our amendment is offset by reducing funding to the Asian Development
Bank by an equal amount.
The Asian Development Bank has not been effective. Its lending for
health has averaged just 1.5% of total lending annually from 1978-1998.
This level of lending for health is much lower than any other
multilateral development bank despite the fact that the majority of
deaths globally from TB and many childhood infectious diseases occur in
Asia.
While the amount of its lending for the health sector has increased
since 1978, the proportion of total lending devoted to health has
stayed the same at about 1.5%.
This low number cannot be accounted for simply because the Bank does
not make low-interest loans to India or China while, for instance, the
World Bank has.
Even excluding China and India, World Bank lending for health in Asia
and the Pacific in 1996 was 7.3% of lending, more than 4 times the
Asian Development Bank's lending.
The $40 million we are taking away from the Asian Development Bank is
better spent combating the adverse economic impacts of TB.
TB has had a devastating social and economic impact on Asia and other
regions.
Because patients lose an average of 3 to 4 working months a year,
they lose 20 to 30 percent of the family's income.
Seventy five percent of TB infections and deaths are people between
the ages of 15 and 54--most of them workers.
In India, the annual cost to that nation's economy is $3 billion.
About 70% of households went into debt because of health care bills
related to TB.
This is not surprising when you consider that, in India, the cost to
patients for treatment is about $125 U.S. dollars, more than half the
annual income of a daily wage laborer.
By using this $40 million to combat TB we will keep hundreds of
thousands of folks working and that has a direct impact on Asia's
economy--an impact that cannot be matched by the Asian Development
Bank.
We need to battle TB abroad because it is appearing on our borders.
That's a sound investment--and one we should all support.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw
my amendment.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, reserving the right to object, and I do not
intend to object, but I do want to commend the gentleman from Alabama
(Mr. Callahan) for his tireless leadership on this issue. The challenge
of tuberculosis is a great one throughout the world, not unrelated to
AIDS. Many people with HIV die of tuberculosis.
But I do want to commend the chairman because he has responded at
least two times that I am aware of to the appeal for increases last
year and in the committee accepted my amendment for the increase to the
point that we are now.
The gentleman is a man of his word. If he says that he is going to
help in conference, then the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) has
already graciously agreed to withdraw.
So I look forward to working with the gentleman from Alabama on that.
I commend the gentleman for his leadership and acknowledge the strong
bipartisan support and commend all of the cosponsors on this
legislation. It is very important to all of us.
Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is withdrawn.
There was no objection.
Amendment Offered by Mr. Sherman
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Mr. Sherman:
Page 6, line 25, after the dollar amount insert
``(increased by $10,000,000)''.
Page 7, line 21, after the dollar amount for HIV/AIDS
insert ``(increased by $10,000,000)''.
Page 38, line 23, after the dollar amount insert
``(decreased by $10,000,000)''.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of earlier today,
the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) and a Member opposed each
will be recognized for 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. Chairman, I am presenting this amendment on behalf of myself and
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). This entire bill is woefully
underfunded. We should be adding several billions to this bill, perhaps
many billions to this bill. But within the scope of the bill as
presented, all we can do is move money from one part of the bill to
another. That is an important task, because there are parts of this
bill that are more in need of funding than others.
As explained by the speeches for the last hour, the most important
part of this bill is the funding for AIDS. With some 34 million people
in Africa, with over 10 million people in South Asia and Southeast Asia
stricken with HIV, we need to do more, not just the $202 million
provided in the bill, not just the $242 million which will be available
if the Pelosi-Lee amendment is passed, but we need to do all we can.
This amendment will increase the amount for AIDS by an additional $10
million. That is still not even $10 for every infected person in the
continent of Africa, let alone less than $5 for each infected person on
the face of the earth.
The question is not why is it important to provide more funds to
combat AIDS, but where do we get those funds?
[[Page H5942]]
This bill, this amendment takes those funds from the allocation from
the World Bank and more particularly from IDA. Now, IDA is a good
program of the World Bank, but it is not as important as dealing with
AIDS. Just as important, those of us who are concerned with promoting
foreign aid in this country have to make sure that the foreign aid we
appropriate is consistent with American values.
Last month, the World Bank loaned $231 million to Iran, while
ignoring the fact that Iran would jail 10 Jewish citizens just because
of their religion, hence a desire, a need to transfer $10 million. Not
only that, but I talked to the President of the World Bank today who
was unable to assure me that the funds appropriated in this bill would
not be lent to Sudan, Afghanistan. The funds provided to IDA in this
bill can be lent to any corrupt government anywhere in the world. That
is why it is better to spend the money through American agencies
fighting AIDS.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) claim
the time in opposition to the amendment?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Callahan).
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I think it is rather ironic, here we have
the HIV program in need, and IDA is also in need. I know that the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the ranking member on our
subcommittee, has been such a strong proponent of IDA. I am just
wondering if she is going to object to this.
{time} 2350
In any event, I think with the same argument I have used on every
amendment, there is nothing wrong with the destination the gentleman is
seeking, I just think this attempt to restructure and to reallocate the
monies that we have been working on for 6 months to try to fairly
distribute under the limitation of the allocation given to us, in my
opinion, is wrong. It could cause an avalanche of problems, and then we
start going back and we start taking money from one program which is
doing a great deal of good, to give it to another program to do a great
deal of good.
So while I know that the gentleman's intentions are noble and I
respect that, I know that the needs of the HIV/AIDS problem is great,
at the same time, at this point, I would urge my colleagues to object
to the amendment, or vote ``no'' on the amendment, because of the
restructuring argument that I presented earlier.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume
to point out that the World Bank does do some good, but it also does
substantial harm when it loans American money to Iran at this time and
when it is possible that it would loan American money to Sudan or
Afghanistan at this time.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chairman, I think it needs to be pointed
out that the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) has put $834 million
into the Child Survival and Disease program, and it is a significant
increase, but the explosion of AIDS certainly makes it an issue that
requires more attention.
We know that there is very little being done in the area of shelters,
of helping those people who have the disease to get a longer and a
higher quality of life. Much of the focus has been on prevention, and
surely much of the focus should be on prevention. But for those who
have it, those who have the ``slims,'' as they call it in Africa, need
to be helped through their terrible ordeal, and there is much more that
we could be doing to help in that way.
I commend my friend for offering the amendment. I am glad to be one
of the cosponsors, but, again, I do think it should be underscored
there is $834 million in here for child survival and diseases. This is
a tweak, but it is an important tweak.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) has 1\1/2\
minutes remaining.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).
(Mr. HASTINGS of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time, and perhaps I can respond quickly to the
distinguished subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Callahan).
I am a proponent of the International Development Fund, IDA, and I am
also a supporter of the measure that is being offered by the gentleman
from California (Mr. Sherman). Ultimately, what it boils down to is
that we have budgetary constraints that we have created in a time of
prosperity. And in all fairness, if we had sufficient motivation, I
believe that we would come up with the necessary funds.
Thus, we are going to not only have in this appropriation measure,
but in countless numbers of other amendments and other appropriations
yet to be done and ones that have passed, offsets that are required
that pit one program against another. No one can argue that I am not
for IDA, and no one can argue that I am not against the spread of AIDS
not only in Africa but throughout the world.
Let me give some more statistics. HIV/AIDS infects more than 10
million children worldwide. Africa is most affected by the disease,
with 70 percent of the world's 34 million HIV infected people. In
Botswana, for example, a third of all girls and 16 percent of all boys
are infected with HIV. In South Africa, 25 percent of all girls and 11
percent of all boys are infected. Furthermore, they do not educate our
children on how to protect themselves.
We should support this measure and we should be prepared to support
others with offsets.
The CHAIRMAN. Time of the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) has
expired. The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) has 3\1/2\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Has all time expired on the other side?
The CHAIRMAN. That is correct.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume
to rise once again in opposition to the amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).
The amendment was agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there further amendments to this section of the
bill?
If not, the Clerk will read.
The Clerk read as follows:
development assistance
For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of
sections 103 through 106, and chapter 10 of part I of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, title V of the International
Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1980 (Public Law
96-533) and the provisions of section 401 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1969, $1,258,000,000, to remain available
until September 30, 2002: Provided, That of the amount
appropriated under this heading, up to $10,000,000 may be
made available for and apportioned directly to the Inter-
American Foundation: Provided further, That of the amount
appropriated under this heading, up to $16,000,000 may be
made available for the African Development Foundation and
shall be apportioned directly to that agency: Provided
further, That none of the funds made available in this Act
nor any unobligated balances from prior appropriations may be
made available to any organization or program which, as
determined by the President of the United States, supports or
participates in the management of a program of coercive
abortion or involuntary sterilization: Provided further, That
none of the funds made available under this heading may be
used to pay for the performance of abortion as a method of
family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to
practice abortions; and that in order to reduce reliance on
abortion in developing nations, funds shall be available only
to voluntary family planning projects which offer, either
directly or through referral to, or information about access
to, a broad range of family planning methods and services,
and that any such voluntary family planning project shall
meet the following requirements: (1) service providers or
referral agents in the project shall not implement or be
subject to quotas, or other numerical targets, of total
number of births, number of family planning acceptors, or
acceptors of a particular method of family
[[Page H5943]]
planning (this provision shall not be construed to include
the use of quantitative estimates or indicators for budgeting
and planning purposes); (2) the project shall not include
payment of incentives, bribes, gratuities, or financial
reward to: (A) an individual in exchange for becoming a
family planning acceptor; or (B) program personnel for
achieving a numerical target or quota of total number of
births, number of family planning acceptors, or acceptors of
a particular method of family planning; (3) the project shall
not deny any right or benefit, including the right of access
to participate in any program of general welfare or the right
of access to health care, as a consequence of any
individual's decision not to accept family planning services;
(4) the project shall provide family planning acceptors
comprehensible information on the health benefits and risks
of the method chosen, including those conditions that might
render the use of the method inadvisable and those adverse
side effects known to be consequent to the use of the method;
and (5) the project shall ensure that experimental
contraceptive drugs and devices and medical procedures are
provided only in the context of a scientific study in which
participants are advised of potential risks and benefits;
and, not less than 60 days after the date on which the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development determines that there has been a violation of the
requirements contained in paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (5) of
this proviso, or a pattern or practice of violations of the
requirements contained in paragraph (4) of this proviso, the
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on International
Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and to the Committee on Foreign Relations and
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, a report
containing a description of such violation and the corrective
action taken by the Agency: Provided further, That in
awarding grants for natural family planning under section 104
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 no applicant shall be
discriminated against because of such applicant's religious
or conscientious commitment to offer only natural family
planning; and, additionally, all such applicants shall comply
with the requirements of the previous proviso: Provided
further, That for purposes of this or any other Act
authorizing or appropriating funds for foreign operations,
export financing, and related programs, the term
``motivate'', as it relates to family planning assistance,
shall not be construed to prohibit the provision, consistent
with local law, of information or counseling about all
pregnancy options: Provided further, That nothing in this
paragraph shall be construed to alter any existing statutory
prohibitions against abortion under section 104 of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961: Provided further, That none
of the funds appropriated under this heading may be made
available for any activity which is in contravention to the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Flora and Fauna (CITES): Provided further, That of the funds
appropriated under this heading that are made available for
assistance programs for displaced and orphaned children and
victims of war, not to exceed $25,000, in addition to funds
otherwise available for such purposes, may be used to monitor
and provide oversight of such programs: Provided further,
That, of the funds appropriated by this Act for the
Microenterprise Initiative (including any local currencies
made available for the purposes of the Initiative), not less
than one-half should be made available for programs providing
loans in the following amounts (in 1995 United States
dollars) to very poor people, particularly women, or for
institutional support of organizations primarily engaged in
making such loans: $1,000 or less in the Europe and Eurasia
region (including North Africa), $400 or less in the Latin
America region, and $300 or less in the rest of the world.
Point of Order
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the
language appearing in the bill beginning with ``Provided'' on page 11,
line 23, through page 12, line 8, on the grounds that it violates
clause 2 of rule XXI.
The CHAIRMAN. Does any Member wish to be heard on the point of order?
If not, the Chair is prepared to rule.
The Chair finds that the provision includes language imparting
direction. The provision therefore constitutes legislation, in
violation of clause 2 of rule XXI.
The point of order is sustained and that provision is stricken from
the bill.
Amendment No. 18 Offered by Mr. Roemer
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I offer amendment No. 18.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 18 offered by Mr. Roemer:
In title II of the bill under the heading ``BILATERAL
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE--Funds Appropriated to the President--
development assistance'', after the first dollar amount
insert ``(increased by $15,000,000)''.
In title II of the bill under the heading ``BILATERAL
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE--Funds Appropriated to the President--
operating expenses of the agency for international
development'', after the first dollar amount insert
``(decreased by $2,100,000)''.
In title IV of the bill under the heading ``MULTILATERAL
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE--funds appropriated to the president--
contribution to the multilateral investment guarantee
agency'', after the dollar amount insert ``(decreased by
$4,900,000)''.
In title IV of the bill under the heading ``MULTILATERAL
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE--funds appropriated to the president--
contribution to the inter-american investment corporation'',
after the dollar amount insert ``(decreased by $8,000,000)''.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of earlier today, the gentleman
from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) will be recognized for 10 minutes, and a
Member opposed will be recognized for 10 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer).
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes.
Mr. Chairman, first of all, I want to say that this is a bipartisan
amendment. I have the strong support of the gentleman from New York
(Mr. Houghton), the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), the gentleman from Minnesota
(Mr. Luther), who has been so helpful, the gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Smith), and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall).
This amendment is simple. It increases by $15 million the
microenterprise loans for the poor, the poorest people in the world, to
get loans that are repaid. And because of the budget rules, we take $15
million that is offset from three different accounts to plus up the
microenterprise loans for the poor account.
Now, we have wide bipartisan support for this. And when we are
talking about $15 million, Mr. Chairman, I want to talk about how
simple this amendment is and talk about $1. One dollar is what the
Secretary of the United Nations says that 20 percent of our population
in the world lives on per day. Not that they eat on; that they live on.
One dollar or less per day.
Now, microenterprise loans for the poor loan $25, $50, $100 at a time
to people in poverty in Bangladesh, in India, in Africa, mostly women,
to start small businesses. Let me give my colleagues an example of why
this program is so important and why we need to fund it with another
$15 million.
Sarah Doe, formerly of Liberia, fled to the Ivory Coast. She lost her
husband in the war and she has 10 children. She gets a loan for $16
from microenterprise loans for the poor and starts a small business
selling donuts. Now, that does not sound like a lot to us, because so
many people in the world live on less than a dollar a day, but to her
she is now running a successful small business. She has been able to
send four of her children to school and establish savings accounts.
Sixteen dollars is the original loan helping to save her children,
starting a small business.
{time} 2400
This is some of the best money we can spend when we decide to do it
efficiently in foreign aid, money that is loaned that is repaid at 95
to 99 percent repayment. We need to do this, Mr. Chairman. It is right.
It is efficient. It is bipartisan. And it is an investment in getting
people out of poverty, helping them help their children, and eventually
making them part of this world economy.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume, and I rise in opposition to the amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I tell the gentleman that we support the
microenterprise fund. That is not the issue. The gentleman and I have
discussed earlier and I have pledged to help him if indeed we get an
additional allocation to meet his goal. But I do not know if the
gentleman heard what the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) requested
of the Chair just prior to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer)
rising; and that is, he, through a point of order, removed the section
he is trying to put the money in. So all he is doing, instead of giving
it to the microenterprise program, is giving it to the big pot of
assistance that will be available.
Now, if the gentleman will take my request and withdraw his
amendment, I
[[Page H5944]]
will be happy to work in conference to try to get additional monies for
the microenterprise program. That is not a problem. But if the
gentleman prefers to try it this way, then I will just remove my
commitment.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate, first of all, the offer and
pledge of the gentleman. Secondly, I deeply appreciate his commitment
to microenterprise loans for the poor. I know he is genuine. I know he
is a fighter for programs that are efficient and work. I know he wants
to do something to help bring the poorest of the poor into the world
community and the world economy.
Before I agree with the gentleman to withdraw the amendment and then
get the $15 million, I want to remind him, which he already knows, that
this $15 million would merely take us up to the authorized level of
what the House has approved. So I appreciate his fight, his vigor, his
support, his pledge.
Before I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment, I have four
or five cosponsors of the amendment that are still here past midnight
that would like to speak on it and that would take probably another 8
or 9 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I am sorry, we do not
have another 8 or 9 amendments.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will continue to yield,
no, I said 8 or 9 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, we do not have another 8 or 9 minutes in
order to do that.
Mr. ROEMER. I have more time, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I thought the gentleman had yielded back
his time.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I reserved the balance of my time.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished chairman for
yielding me the time and for his commitment to do more in conference on
this microenterprise issue.
I want to commend the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) for his
leadership and for his constant attention to this very important issue.
As my colleagues know, Mr. Chairman, we have traveled many places in
the developing world. The gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), a
member of the committee, and I have visited many microlending sites,
microenterprise activities.
It is hard for us in the United States to understand how a little bit
of money can go such a very long way and make such a very, very big
difference. I could go into it chapter and verse over the map, but I
would be abusing the good nature of my distinguished chairman so I will
not do that, except to say that this is a program that has a tremendous
base of support in our country at the grassroots level. It is
effective. It works. And I commend the gentleman for pushing it even
further because I know that it will reap tremendous benefits.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Houghton), a cosponsor of the amendment who has worked so
hard on this.
Mr. HOUGHTON. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Roemer) for his leadership here. I also want to thank the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan).
Clearly the work is going to be done in conference, and that is the
important thing. The fact that the gentleman is going to support this,
is willing to work, that is good enough for me.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Luther), who has been very helpful and his staff has
been extremely helpful.
Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Chairman, I certainly want to thank the gentleman
from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) for his outstanding leadership as well as the
other cosponsors and also the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi),
who has been a terrific supporter of this whole concept of microcredit.
I will be very brief, Mr. Chairman. I merely want to say that
currently more than one billion people, one-fifth of the world's
population, live in extreme poverty. And that is what we are talking
about here this evening. As long as poverty continues to plague the
world, there will not be a lasting peace, there will not be the kind of
stability that we all want, not to mention the pain and suffering in
the lives of so many people and families.
What is great about the microcredit program is that it is not a
handout. It is in fact start-up loans that will be repaid by the
people. It is basically using precious foreign aid dollars in the best
possible way that we can spend them.
Now, what this amendment would do and why I think it makes so much
sense is it would bring the level of this particular category up to the
authorized level, as already pointed out, that has been passed by this
Congress. And I would submit that there is no more cost-effective way
for us to provide for the self-sufficiency of the people of the world
and to spread democracy around the world than to do this very thing
that is being proposed here, all at the same time while we are
improving the lives of our fellow inhabitants of the world. I think
that that is something that we can be very, very proud of as we work on
this this evening.
So, Mr. Chairman, let me just conclude by saying that, in a time of
budget constraint like the one that we are in, we have to prioritize. I
believe we need to give priority to this particular activity. I thank
the other Members. I appreciate the help that has been expressed on the
floor.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), who has been an early and strong
supporter.
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the
time.
Mr. Chairman, I also want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee,
the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan), particularly for his
promise, and he has always fulfilled it, in terms of expanding that $15
million as he can for microenterprise. I want to thank the other
cosponsors of this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, directly aiding the poorest of the poor, especially
women in the developing world, has a positive effect not only on family
incomes but on child nutrition, health, and education. As women in
particular reinvest income in their families, the poor in the
developing world, particularly women, turn to self-employment in order
to generate a substantial portion of their livelihood.
In Africa over 80 percent of employment is generated in this informal
sector of the self-employed poor. These poor entrepreneurs are often
trapped in poverty because they cannot obtain credit at a reasonable
rate to build their asset base or expand their otherwise viable self-
employment activities.
We know from experience that microcredit financing helps, that the
poor are able to expand their incomes and their businesses dramatically
when they can access loans at reasonable interest rates. Through the
development of self-sustaining microfinance programs, poor people
themselves can lead the fight against hunger and poverty. It also
develops confidence, dignity and self-sufficiency.
So, again, I thank the chairman in advance for putting this money
into microenterprise.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Hastings), who has been a tireless supporter of these
microenterprise loans, a friend from the Committee on Intelligence, as
well.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank my distinguished
colleague from Indiana for yielding me the time.
I particularly rise on this measure for asking the House to support
it. The Committee on Appropriations, each day that there is an
appropriation measure, submits a report in explanation. The chairman of
this subcommittee, my good friend, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Callahan), previously said that he had written the perfect bill.
Certainly on economic growth and microenterprise, I wish to join in
suggesting that he is absolutely correct about that part. Let the House
hear what he said:
[[Page H5945]]
``Microenterprise has proven its effectiveness in promoting economic
growth in many of the poorest countries and allowing poor people,
especially women, to lift themselves out of poverty and to create and
expand microbusinesses which raise living standards.
{time} 0010
The committee recognizes that microenterprise cannot lift an entire
Nation out of poverty. Broad policy reforms and responsible stewardship
of resources at the national level are essential. But microenterprise
programs can complement sound macroeconomic policies.
I say to the gentleman from Alabama, he did write something perfect.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. Lowey), who is not only concerned about this issue of
poverty, but also a strong supporter of education.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman for his hard
work on this issue. He has really been a leader. I want to thank the
ranking member; I want to thank the chairman, and I particularly want
to thank the chairman, because we appreciate his commitment to work in
conference to raise these numbers on this issue, and I know that the
chairman will succeed, and we will all succeed as a result of his
important work.
For those of us who have been watching this process for a long time,
the success is really extraordinary. To see a woman open a small
restaurant or buy some chickens and sell their eggs or make bread to
sell to her neighbors, the small amount of income and the small amount
of savings that this loan makes possible will pay for a school uniform
for a daughter who may not otherwise have gone to school in many parts
of the world; it will pay for doctor visits for her family, nourishing
food to keep everyone healthy and active. Most important of all, it
makes her stand tall and be a person and help support her family.
So I thank the chairman again for his commitment.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Payne), a friend on the Committee on Education and the
Workforce.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, let me just commend the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Roemer), and the number of cosponsors of this amendment.
Microeconomics is very important. First of all, it puts women in
charge because many of these loans go to women. Secondly, when we
looked at the accounts, interestingly enough, the payment return rate
is exceedingly high, between 90 and 95 percent of these microeconomic
loans. It means a lot of empowerment, not only because it brings in
extra revenue, but it gives women a position in many instances of
working for women's rights and independence and self-reliance.
So I think that the money that we are talking about will go a long,
long way. It will also show as an example by what happens to the women.
Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment, and I urge its adoption.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, with the 15 seconds I have remaining, I
want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for all of
her hard work and dedication to these issues. I look forward to working
with her in conference.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan), who
is truly a gentleman, and we look forward to working with him to get
this $15 million in conference.
Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
Indiana?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, reserving the right to objection, I just
want to briefly respond to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings),
when he read a portion of my bill and he agreed that that section that
he read was just like that song that I mentioned earlier in the evening
that I have written the perfect country song, the same as David Allen
Coe did when he wrote that song about ``You don't have to call me
darlin', darlin'. You don't even have to call me by my name.''
Well, I will tell the gentleman from Florida, he can call me by my
name as long as he stands up and says those kind things about this
perfect bill I think I have written.
Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
Indiana?
There was no objection.
The CHAIRMAN. The amendment offered by the gentleman from Indiana
(Mr. Roemer) is withdrawn.
Amendment Offered by Mr. Smith of Michigan
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Mr. Smith of Michigan:
Page 12, line 8, before the period insert the following:
``: Provided further, That of the amount appropriated under
this heading, $30,000,000 shall be made available for plant
biotechnology research and development''.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith) is recognized
for 5 minutes on his amendment and a Member opposed will be recognized
for 5 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that I think is
tremendously exciting in terms of the potential to help developing
nations of the world in two areas: food production and health.
This amendment sets aside $30 million for plant biotechnology
research and development. Its language reflects language put in the
Senate bill by Senator Bond of Missouri. It is technology aimed at
solving the health and humanitarian and environmental challenges,
particularly in the developing world. Indeed, the fruits of this
research promise to address some of the most serious challenges faced
there: hunger, malnutrition, drought, pestilence, and disease. Can we
imagine if we develop a kind of plant that can now grow in those arid
soils where food cannot be grown at the present time.
Since we first cultivated about 10,000 years ago, mankind has
searched for ways to improve them. Traditional selection and cross-
breeding has been very useful in improving crop plants, but this is a
time-consuming process that commonly produces unwanted traits that must
be eliminated. We now have over 1,000 biotech products on the market.
With the development of biotechnology, plant breeders are now able to
develop new varieties of plants in a level of precision and range
unheard of just 2 decades ago. The potential benefits to mankind are
limited only by the resourcefulness of our scientists. Just today, it
was announced that genes are the major cause of cancer, breast cancer
and colon cancer.
U.S. farmers, of course, have been quick to adopt the plants modified
by biotechnology, and it is also spreading around the world. But as
great as the potential of biotechnology here in the United States is,
it holds even greater promise to solve many intractable problems facing
farmers and hungry people, consumers in the developing world. Improved
crop plants promise to mitigate common agricultural problems in much of
the developing world through weather, pest and drought resistance,
improved nutrition, and higher yields.
On April 13, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Basic Research, I
issued a report on the benefits of safety and oversight of regulation,
Seeds of Opportunity, a large section of which is devoted to a
discussion of the potential benefits of this technology in improving
nutrition, health, and feeding a growing worldwide population.
A white paper issued just yesterday, a white paper was issued by the
National Academy of Sciences, joined by the Royal Society of London,
the Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, and Third World Academies of
Science put the situation plainly, and I quote: ``Today there are some
800 million people who do not have access to sufficient food to meet
their needs. Malnutrition plays a significant role in half of the
nearly 12 million deaths each year of children under 5 in developing
countries.''
[[Page H5946]]
Still quoting, ``In addition to lack of food, deficiencies in micro-
nutrients, especially vitamin A, iodine and iron, are widespread.''
They conclude that agricultural biotechnology research and
development should be aggressively pursued, and I quote again, ``to
increase the production of main food staples, improve the efficiency of
production, reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, and provide
access to food for people and farmers around the world.''
Mr. Chairman, let me just conclude. I am excited about this. I think
agricultural biotechnology and gene technology offer tremendous
opportunities, only limited by the creativity and funding for research
dollars.
{time} 0020
It can play a major role in helping developing countries become self-
sufficient in food production.
One example of its promise is the development of a new strain of
rice. It is called golden rice. It contains both beta carotene and
iron, and work is underway to get this new variety to the field.
The merging of medical and agricultural biotechnology has opened up
new ways to develop plant varieties with characteristics to enhance
health.
It was announced today that this kind of gene research has huge
potential in the developing world. Researchers are now working on
developing plants that will develop medicines and edible vaccines
through common foods that could be used to immunize the kids around the
world. This is significantly important.
Point of Order
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) insist
on his point of order?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the
amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes
legislation in an appropriation bill, and therefore violates clause 2
of rule XXI.
The rule states in pertinent part, ``An amendment to a general
appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.''
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. I am excited about this, Mr. Chairman. I would
ask the chairman if he would consider looking at the Senate language in
this amendment and consider the potential and the appropriateness of
moving ahead in this area of doing something in the area of
biotechnology.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman is aware, the language
is already in the Senate version of our bill, so we will have to
address it. We will certainly take the gentleman's views into
consideration.
If the gentleman would like to withdraw his amendment, then I will
withdraw my point of order.
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to
withdraw my amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
Michigan?
There was no objection.
The CHAIRMAN. The amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Smith) is withdrawn.
Amendment No. 20 Offered by Mr. Sanders
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 20 offered by Mr. Sanders:
Page 8, line 10, after the dollar amount insert
``(increased by $2,500,000)''.
Page 33, line 6, after the first dollar amount insert
``(decreased by $2,500,000)''.
The CHAIRMAN. Under the previous order of the House, the gentleman
from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) will be recognized for 5 minutes and a
Member opposed will be recognized for 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders).
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes.
Mr. Chairman, this amendment is cosponsored by the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith), the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), and
the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).
What this amendment does is increase U.S. AID's development
assistance account by $2.5 million to provide assistance to indigenous
and locally-based nongovernmental organizations for the protection and
reintegration of women and children who are victims of international
trafficking.
The committee's bill provides, unfortunately, no funds, zero fund, to
assist the millions of people, primarily women and children, who are
trafficked across international borders each year and forced into
prostitution, sweatshop labor, and domestic servitude.
The fastest-growing international trafficking business is the trade
of women, trailing only behind trafficking in drugs and arms.
According to the U.S. State Department, between 1 and 2 million women
and girls seeking a better life abroad unexpectedly find themselves in
brothels, the sweatshop labor industry, or exploitative domestic
servitude. This tragedy continues to grow as economic globalization
expands, increasing the movement of people across borders.
In a world of rich nations and poor nations, these exploitative and
inhumane practices feed on the poverty and despair of poor women,
children, and families in the developing world, particularly in
Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union.
Earlier this year, the House passed legislation sponsored by my
colleague and cosponsor of this amendment, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) highlighting the problem of trafficking in persons
and authorizing funds to assist victims. These initiatives have
bipartisan support in the House and Senate and the support of the
administration, which requested $10 million in assistance for
trafficking victims.
Unfortunately, this legislation does not provide any funds to deal
with this tragedy. The $2.5 million for this vitally important
assistance comes from the international military education and training
IMET account by reducing the amount in the bill for this program by
$2.5 million which level-funds IMET.
I should add that IMET has seen a 100 percent increase in the last 5
years. In other words, Mr. Chairman, we are level-funding a program
that has increased by 100 percent in 5 years in order to provide a
small amount of funding to an area which is in dire need of these
funds.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) seek to
control time in opposition?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, but not with the
intent of the amendment. I agree, first of all, with the intent of the
amendment, but in our bill already we provide significant resources to
help prevent trafficking in women and children.
In recent years we have supported AID programs designed to end
trafficking. In Asia, for example, funds are already contained in this
bill. We will continue to support the following programs with anti-
trafficking components: One, AID's South Asia Regional Initiative; two,
AID's Regional Women's Initiative; three, AID's South Asian Democracy
Program. AID is undertaking similar programs in Africa and Latin
America to fight trafficking of women.
I assure the gentleman that the Committee on Appropriations will
continue to support these anti-trafficking programs. I had hoped that
we would be able to resolve this issue with a colloquy, since we have
already increased development assistance by $30 million over the fiscal
year 2000 appropriation.
There are sufficient funds, I believe, to address the concerns the
gentleman has raised. I see really no reason for the amendment, because
I think we are taking care of the gentleman's concerns anyway. I would
like him not to try to reconstruct the bill to make a point, which is
exactly what he would be doing, when we have already agreed.
I would also, even though I will not be chairman next year, I would
have appreciated this year if the gentleman had contacted me a little
earlier, like probably 300 Members of the House did, and we tried to
facilitate everyone who contacted us earlier with their concerns. I am
sure we could have had sufficient language in here to do what the
gentleman is doing by reconstructing our bill.
Mr. Chairman, I would appreciate the gentleman withdrawing his
amendment if he possibly could consider that, and we will be happy to
work to further
[[Page H5947]]
complement the language and instructions we already have in the bill
where a sufficient amount of money is already designated.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, it is my understanding that the amendment
being offered by the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) specifically
addresses a program which funds local indigenous nongovernmental
organizations to engage in this protection for women.
Can the chairman tell me specifically, and please forgive me for not
knowing this, if what U.S. AID is doing has that component to its
initiative to stop trafficking of women?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, in the amendment that the gentleman
offered, or as we have, I do not see that.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Vermont.
Mr. SANDERS. The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) is correct
in interpreting the intent of the amendment, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. CALLAHAN. I will be happy to work with the gentleman, but I do
not think we ought to restructure the bill for any reason. I have
opposed it all night long and I oppose it now.
I find it strange that we are debating an issue that we have already
expressed our total support of in the bill, and provided sufficient
amounts of monies.
Let me just once again say that we are talking about amendment No.
20. Are we talking about amendment No. 20?
Mr. SANDERS. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. CALLAHAN. There is no indication in the language I have here that
it does what the gentleman says it does.
Mr. SANDERS. It increases U.S. AID's development assistance account
by $2.5 million to provide assistance to indigenous and locally-based
NGOs.
Mr. CALLAHAN. It does not say that. The amendment I have just simply
says it increases it by $2.5 million and decreases an account by $2.5
million. It is not specific in the amendment that I have here.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Smith).
{time} 0030
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend, the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) for yielding to me, and just let
me say I am very much supportive of this language and the intent. The
$2.5 million is really a small amount of money, and it does highlight
an often neglected part of this whole trafficking problem and tragedy
that we face, and that is, that the locally based indigenous
organizations like Miramad in Russia or LaStrada in the Ukraine do not
get much funding if they get funding at all, and they are in the front
line when women are either trafficked out of the country and they are
intercepted in some way, often through some good law enforcement, or
when they are returned after being abused.
In order to break the cycle, these NGOs are right there providing
treatment, providing psychological counseling and rescuing women.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan)
has now expired.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word and ask
the Clerk to read the amendment, because the amendment as I understand
it, it says on page 8, line 10, after the dollar amount, insert
increase by $2.5 million. Then it says on line 6, after the first
dollar insert decrease by $2.5 million. Technically, the money that we
transfer could be used by anything. It could be used for population. It
could be used for anything.
The amendment does not specifically say what the gentleman is
expressing, and I would ask the Clerk to read the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the Clerk will report the amendment.
There was no objection.
The Clerk read as follows:
Amendment No. 20 offered by Mr. Sanders:
Page 8, line 10, after the dollar amount insert
``(increased by $2,500,000)''.
Page 33, line 6, after the first dollar amount insert
``(decreased by $2,500,000)''.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, I would say to the
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) I think that the amendment says
what I am telling the gentleman. It does not transfer the money to the
program of trafficking that the gentleman is concerned about.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Vermont.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman is technically correct, what
it does do is take $2.5 million from IMET and transfer it and increases
funds for USAID's development assistance account. Clearly the intent of
everything that I am speaking about is to use that $2.5 million to go
to NGOs to combat the trafficking crisis which exists, but the
gentleman is technically correct.
Is the gentleman supportive of what we are trying to do?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Reclaiming my time, yes, I am, and that is why I was
trying to express, I will be happy to work with the gentleman to try to
get the money. I would not like to reconstruct my bill at this time in
order to give an additional $2.5 million to the agency, but I will be
happy to work with the gentleman to try to get that, if the gentleman
reads the language we already have it in the report or in the bill.
It is a very lengthy report, which says almost what the gentleman is
saying, whereby we are instructing them to do that. So I would think
that there would be no need for this. But to answer the gentleman's
question, yes, I will be happy to work with the gentleman to try to
facilitate your goal.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I concur with the gentleman from Alabama
(Chairman Callahan) and ask the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) to
withdraw the amendment and work with the Committee on Appropriations.
We certainly feel that the gentleman's goal is meritorious, and we will
try to resolve this matter and come to some agreement on its merits. So
I would urge the gentleman if he would consider withdrawing the
amendment at this time.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Vermont.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, the issue here is I know that we all agree
on the crisis and we all want to do something about it. My concern is
that at least $2.5 million go to indigenous NGOs.
Mr. Chairman, is the gentleman saying that he is prepared to try to
find money to do that?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Reclaiming my time, I will be happy to attempt to
ensure to the gentleman that that language will be put in during the
process, but it shall not be taken out of the IMET training money that
he has suggested.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Vermont, unless the
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) wants to respond to mine or the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) can use the 2 minutes, I will
be happy to yield.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, if what I am hearing the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Callahan) say is that he is prepared to put $2.5 million
from a source that he will determine into indigenous NGOs to combat
trafficking.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Reclaiming my time, that is correct that we will do it.
We will readjust the figures of the existing appropriation levels to
spell out what the gentleman is seeking to do. Whether or not we get
additional allocations or not, we can still do it, but I do not agree
that we should take it out of the IMET training program.
Mr. SANDERS. If the gentleman will continue to yield, at the end of
the day there will be $2.5 million going to local NGOs to combat that?
Mr. CALLAHAN. That would be my serious attempt if I can get the
Senate to agree.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Vermont has 2\3/4\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Pelosi).
[[Page H5948]]
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I say to the gentleman from Vermont, no, I
will just get time.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Vermont should use the balance of
his time.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I want to exercise the same privilege as
the distinguished chairman did as is spelled out in the unanimous
consent request.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentlewoman is correct; although, the Chair would
tell the gentlewoman that if she would like to at this point, the Chair
will permit her, although it is really inappropriate to do so while an
amendment is pending.
The Chair was attempting to facilitate a conversation, and the Chair
will not make that mistake again.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thought it was in keeping with the
unanimous consent request, but I will tell you what, Mr. Chairman,
heeding what the gentleman is saying there, I will not use the full 5
minutes.
Mr. Chairman, I just want a clarification because I do not know what
options are available to us. Certainly if this bill goes to conference,
and one never knows around here, if the bill goes to conference, I
would certainly and I know the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey),
the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick) and others Members of
the subcommittee would have this as a very high priority, and I know
the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) can get her own time to
speak on this, but I just wanted to know what options were available.
Can we be specific in conference? Are we talking about very specific
report language?
I think this conversation is very important on the floor to talk
about the legislative intent, because this is a very important issue,
and I really do not have enough time, even if I use my full 5 minutes
to tell you how much it means to women.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. PELOSI. I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, it is my intention to assure the
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) that I am going to make every
effort I can to ensure that the money is spelled out in the bill. I
think the intent is clearly spelled out sufficiently for them to spend
the money anyway, but if the gentleman is concerned that it is not,
well then we will insert the figure $2.5 million or whatever the number
is.
Ms. PELOSI. Reclaiming my time, I look forward to supporting the
gentleman in that effort.
Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey).
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, just briefly the hour is late, I want to
thank again my ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Pelosi), my colleague, the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) and our
chairman, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) for the commitment
to put money into this effort.
Having recently returned from India, visiting a school where we spoke
with the young girls who had been trafficked, the tragedy of this
throughout the world is so immense and I know the gentleman from
Alabama is aware of it and I appreciate the gentleman's commitment to
invest the money in this effort, and I thank the gentleman.
Mr. CALLAHAN. If the gentlewoman would further yield, I do not know
how many times I can say yes, maybe if I talked a little slower.
Mr. SANDERS. I am hearing a yes, Y-E-S; is that correct?
Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chairman, I will be very brief since I
think we have come to the conclusion, but just to remind the body and I
think it is important that this House on May 9th did pass the
comprehensive legislation that would impose very, very tough new
criminal penalties, up to life in imprisonment on those who traffic
people into the United States or any part of that process and also to
prevent automatic deportation, a protection for the women so that they
can be helped while they are here. Eventually many of these women will
get back to their country or at least some of them, I will not say
many, and they will need protection when they get back, and that is
what I think the gentleman's amendment and my amendment seeks to do.
We had authorized in that legislation $10 million for victims, and
this is a modest down payment on that authorization. So I thank the
gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan) and I think his word is his
bond and I think we are off to a good start here.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would just conclude by thanking the gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Callahan) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Lowey) and everybody else.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I thought the purpose of this discussion
was to withdraw the amendment.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, if that is the purpose
of it, then I will withdraw the amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment. As
long as the gentleman says yes, I will withdraw the amendment.
{time} 0040
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) is withdrawn.
There was no objection.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there further amendments to this section of the
bill?
Amendment Offered by Mr. Payne
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Mr. Payne:
Page 12, line 8, insert before the period the following:
``: Provided further, That of the amount appropriated under
this heading, not less than $720,000,000 shall be made
available to carry out chapter 10 of part I of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961''.
The CHAIRMAN. Under the previous order of the House, the gentleman
from New Jersey and a Member opposed each will control 15 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the
gentleman's amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama reserves a point of order on
the amendment.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I rise to request that the important Development
Assistance Fund, which is a fund that much of the appropriations for
development assistance around the world is a very important instrument
for development in Africa.
The House has taken a step backwards by eliminating the earmark for
the Development Fund for Africa which was in legislation up until 1994.
But we are not asking for the earmark to be replaced since it was
removed. But we are asking that $220 million be added into the
Development Assistance Fund, which would fall under the Development
Assistance Fund for Africa, the DFA, although we are not asking for the
earmark.
Now, what I am saying is simply that, during the 1990s, 1993 and
1994, when the development from the DFA was designated, we actually
appropriated $850 million in 1994, $804 million in 1993. So we had a
continued increase in the Development Fund for Africa.
The 1998 level was $700 million. In 1999, it was approximately $700
million. This year, it has dropped to approximately $500 million. So we
are asking that $220 million be allocated within the Development
Assistance to be earmarked for Africa.
It seems, as we have been talking about all of the problems in
Africa, we have been talking about the AIDS pandemic, we have been
talking about the need for loan forgiveness, it seems like it is a move
in the wrong direction to reduce the Development Fund for Africa, the
monies that are designated, although not earmarked, because these funds
go to assist in famine prevention. They go in to helping dialogue in
countries to ward off ethnic strife. They go into many very, very
important issues that help to make stable countries in Africa.
[[Page H5949]]
I might mention that, during the last decade, about 85 to 90 percent
of the nations in Africa have gone under democratization. We have had
elections in practically every country. Many people have the
misconception that there are dictators still in Africa, but that was in
the past. We have had elections in Mozambique and in South Africa. We
have had elections in Namibia and Kenya. We have had elections in
Senegal. We can go on and on and on. So there is no longer these
dictators who speak with the one voice.
I have talked earlier about the fact that we did have that problem in
the past during the Cold War where we created Mobutu, when we went and
destabilized Patrice Lumumba and took him out of office with our United
States intelligence operation, and put in Mobutu, who of course
supported the South African apartheid government of P.W. Botha. He
supported Ian Smith in Rhodesia who had the same sort of government. He
supported the Southwest Africa, which did the same thing.
This was a Mobutu that we put in because of the fact that it was
during the Cold War. We can go on and on in Africa. But there have been
elections in most countries. We are looking for elections in the former
Zaire, the Democrat Republic of Congo in the future. We have seen
elections in most other countries.
So it seems to me that, in order to alleviate poverty, which is of
course one of the great problems in Africa, in order to look at the
amount of funds that go into Africa, the population of Africa is about
700 million people, we are talking about 500 million, less than a
dollar a person in Africa where we have seen other places around the
world with much smaller populations getting billions of dollars.
So it seems to me that, in order for us to look at Africa, 16 of the
18 of the poorest countries in the world are there. While we are
reducing the amount of funds available, as I have indicated, it is
going against what we should been doing in this new millennium. It is
really not supporting new presidents who have been elected and are
going through structural adjustments like in Mozambique where they have
had a growth in their GDP of about 10 percent annually.
As a matter of fact, these countries, different from what people
believe, that in the SADC countries, which are 14 countries in South
Africa, each of these countries has had an increase in their GDP from 4
to 12 percent. Even the country of Botswana has had a balanced budget
and has put more money in at the end of the day than it has spent.
So my appeal is that we increase the Development Fund for Africa to
put it to the levels that it was 5, 6 and 7 years ago rather than to
remove and have the money used for other parts of the world.
So, Mr. Chairman, I urge that this amendment be accepted.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) wish to
make his point of order?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Not at this point, Mr. Chairman. I reserve the point of
order.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) claim
the time in opposition to the amendment?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, as I have indicated, the Development Fund for Africa,
which is the prime fund, USAID, elections, funds for democracy,
building, funds for IRI, International Republican Institute, NDI, the
National Democratic Institute, organizations which promote the various
types of democratic building programs in the world, in Africa, are the
main part of the main ingredients of why this development fund is so
important. It goes to stability.
We have gone in and said democracy is what we should be doing. Most
of the countries have actually said we want to try democracy. There has
been elections also in Tanzania and elections in Uganda and elections
in Kenya. All of them improved over their previous elections. So they
are striving to a more perfect election process.
At this time, for us to reduce the amount of funds that are available
in the DFA I think is a step backwards.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Meeks).
{time} 0050
Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Chairman, in this day and age, when we
look at the global economy and we look at how this Nation has developed
and other nations, and yet we look at the continent of Africa and see
how underdeveloped they are; and also in this day and age, when we
realize how much smaller the world has become, I think it becomes that
much more urgent that we increase the Development Fund for Africa by
the $220 million that is requested by the Payne amendment.
Once upon a time there was a line item initiative for the Africa
development fund. That no longer exists. And when we look at how the
cost of things are ever escalating, this request is actually very
little. We talk about democracy and helping to democratize various
countries in the continent of Africa. That is what this money is for,
helping people have a form of government where they can grow and
develop as we did.
We should be able to have others benefit from our history and
understand the mistakes that we made in the past so that they will not
have to go through some of the same growing pains that we did. In fact,
in this great country, with the prosperity that we now have, I think it
is just the very little that we could do, this $220 million. That is
not a lot of money when I think about some of the individual wealth of
some people in this country. Some CEOs in this country have $220
million to use at their disposal. We are talking about $220 million for
an entire continent of people. That is just pennies. Pennies. Yet what
good, what human good it will do for the people of the continent of
Africa.
USAID is the money that is entitled here. Democratic initiatives. A
lot of the things that I hear sometimes sound like excuses not to do
something. When we were talking earlier in regards to debt relief,
there was the excuse that was constantly being made that we cannot do
it because this was wrong with this country or this was wrong with that
country. And many of the things they talked about that was wrong with
them, well, that is what we fix in this bill.
So it is about us being serious about making a difference. It is
about our wanting to reach out a helping hand in a world that is ever
shrinking. I do believe we are our brothers' keepers. We are our
brothers' keepers. And I think if we want peace and prosperity, that by
doing this we will not have to worry about spending $60 billion for a
bubble sometime in the future because we are afraid of suffering some
kind of attack. I think we need to begin to do the kinds of things that
will make us accepted by others and others accepted by us because we
are working collectively together for humanitarian concerns and
reasons.
I think that we can do this. I think that it is a reasonable thing,
and I support the gentleman's amendment.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and wish to close by indicating that we feel that we have seen recent
success with elections in Senegal; we have seen elections in Nigeria;
we have seen current elections in Mozambique. We have seen successes.
As I indicated, we had $800 million in 1993, and 1994 $850 million,
and now we have reduced the allocations of DFA down to $500 million. It
is really a step backwards. It is unconscionable. It really does not
keep up with what is going on. It is unbelievable to try to understand
why this is.
Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Pelosi).
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time, and I want to thank him for his great leadership when it comes to
the continent of Africa. He is a tremendous resource to this Congress
on this subject. He knows of what he speaks. And he is correct, we do
not do enough in the African Development Fund. We must do more, and I
am pleased to support his amendment.
We need more money in the bill, though, in order to do this so that
we
[[Page H5950]]
do not damage other initiatives that we want for Africa as well. So in
that spirit I am pleased to support the amendment and commend the
gentleman for his leadership.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time and
simply say that I would hope that that last statement from the
gentlewoman from California, in a time when we have escalating profits,
when we have people who are making billions and millions of dollars,
the number of millionaires they do not even keep any more, I hope her
statement would indicate for my colleagues that it is the wrong time
for us to turn our backs when we take 100 million here and 200 million
there. We can afford it. We can do better. God has blessed this Nation,
we should not turn our back on him.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Chairman, I still reserve my point of order, and will insist on
it in just a moment, but just in response to the gentleman, every year
the President requests a separate fund for the development of Africa
and every year this committee combines Africa into the development
assistance and child survival accounts.
It is not that we are neglecting Africa. Indeed, if we total up
overall everything that we have included this year, we recommend $1.6
billion for Africa. So this is not any omission of recognition of the
needs of Africa. We do it. We do not, nor did my predecessor on this
subcommittee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), earmark funds
for countries or regions. We do not have a special regional account for
Latin America or for Asia either.
I think that we have made it fairly clear to the administration that
it is our intent that a minimum amount of $1.6 billion be spent.
Point of Order
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a point of order
that this is an unauthorized earmark. I make that point of order
against the amendment, and I ask for a ruling of the Chair.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) wish to
be heard on the point of order?
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I understand what the gentleman has said,
although it appears I was not asking for a line item.
I am just simply indicating that we are not asking to specifically
earmark by line item, but in the allocation of the funds that were in
the development assistance fund it was always understood that we would
have a floor of $700 million to $800 million. It is my understanding
that, with the way the funds are being allocated now, the floor has
dropped.
So I have not asked for a specific line item for DFA. I am simply
asking that in the development fund, that funds for Africa that will be
allocated and that we attempt to stay at least where we were in the
past. That is all I am requesting.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair is prepared to rule. The amendment proposes
to earmark certain funds in the bill. Under clause 2(a) of rule XXI,
such an earmarking must be specifically authorized by law. The burden
of establishing the authorization in law rests with the proponent of
the amendment.
Finding that this burden has not been carried, the Chair must sustain
the point of order.
Are there further amendments to this section of the bill?
{time} 0100
Amendment Offered by Mr. Payne
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Mr. Payne:
Page 12, line 8, insert before the period the following:
``: Provided further, That of the amounts appropriated under
this heading, $500,000 shall be made available for a grant to
the Office of the Facilitator of the National Dialogue for
the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo''.
Strike section 567 of the bill (page 109, strike line 7 and
all that follows through line 11).
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) seek
unanimous consent for that portion of the amendment which seeks to move
ahead and strike section 567 of the bill?
Mr. PAYNE. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
New Jersey?
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman may reserve a point of order. Is there
objection to that portion of the amendment that reaches ahead to the
point where the Clerk has not yet read?
There was no objection.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) reserves a
point of order on the amendment.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, the amendment that I have offered is an amendment that
would provide assistance to the people of southern Sudan. At this time
we have seen in Sudan a government from Khartoum that is a pariah
government, the government of al-Bahsir and Mr. Tarrabi, a government
that had wreaked havoc on the people to the south. And the group of the
South Sudanese Liberation Movement have been struggling for years
attempting to protect the people in the south.
The people in the south are taken into slavery and they are sold. It
is unconscionable what is going on there. We have seen old Russian
planes used to bomb stable communities in the south. And so we are
asking that the administration give authority to provide non-lethal and
non-food assistance to the National Democratic Alliance, which is a
group of organizations in the south of Sudan in order to provide
protection to the civilians who are targeted by government soldiers and
by their militias, their allies, the persons who are doing aerial
bombing and forcing displacement of people and taking people into
slavery.
We are finally starting to see a groundswell in the country of people
talking about the fact that we can no longer look the other way at what
is happening in Sudan. It is disgraceful. It is something that we can
no longer tolerate. We have to give assistance to folks in that
particular area so that they can at least move forward in attempting to
provide protection to the people.
As I have indicated, we are talking about non-lethal, non-food but
ways that the folks in that area can be assisted by the National
Democratic Alliance.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, point of inquiry.
The gentleman, as I understand it, read one amendment, and he is
talking about another amendment.
Mr. PAYNE. Yes, Mr. Chairman, the gentleman is absolutely right. The
gentleman is correct.
We will ask the Chairman if we could, then, move to the one that is
in this section. Mr. Chairman, if we could ask the Clerk to read the
amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the Clerk will report the amendment
which is pending.
There was no objection.
The Clerk read as follows:
Amendment Offered by Mr. Payne:
Page 12, line 8, insert before the period the following:
``: Provided further, That of the amounts appropriated under
this heading, $500,000 shall be made available for a grant to
the Office of the Facilitator of the National Dialogue for
the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo''.
Strike section 567 of the bill (page 109, strike line 7 and
all that follows through line 11).
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) continues to
reserve a point of order.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, this also is an amendment dealing with the problems on
the Continent. This is asking for $500,000 to be allocated to the
assistance for the national dialogue, which is the Lusaka Accords. The
Lusaka Accords are the accords that will end the strife in the Congo.
As my colleagues know, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, under the
leadership of President Kabila, there has been an armed conflict
bringing in five foreign countries to the soil of the Congo: President
Mugabi in Zimbabwe, President Sam Nujoma from Namibia. We have the
country of Rwanda, the country of Uganda, Mr. Museveni, Mr. Mugambi
from Rwanda and from Angola, Mr. De Santos, are all in a conflict in
the Congo.
What this request is that the former president of the country of
Botswana,
[[Page H5951]]
who has been designated by the OAU, the Organization of African Unity,
to have a dialogue with the people of the Congo to come up with a
mechanism for elections so that the people there could have elections
and that it would facilitate the removal of foreign troops from the
Congo, the troops from Rwanda and Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Angola.
And so this $500,000 is very key because it will give the funds that
they need to do the dialogue with the Lasaca Accords.
Point of Order
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I insist on my point of order. This is an
unauthorized earmark.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman wish to be heard on the point of
order?
Mr. PAYNE. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Although the importance of this matter in this dialogue I believe
sort of ought to be considered, the fact that we are making the request
I assume would be considered an earmark. I think that the importance of
it is so great I would hope that there would be some opportunity within
the committee for some discussion on this matter. Because with six
countries at war and we are talking $500,000 that could possibly have
the withdraw of these countries because of the dialogue within the
country I think would, hopefully, be able to work it in some way in
some language so that it does not violate the question of being an
earmark.
The CHAIRMAN. Does any other Member wish to speak on the point of
order?
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on the point of order.
Mr. Chairman, this will not take long. I think it has been said that
this was an unauthorized expenditure. And I am not sure exactly what is
meant by that except to say that the request that has been made by the
gentleman is formally before this House without it having to be
designated as authorized as such.
This is extremely important that he is given the opportunity to have
this considered simply because he has spoken and others have spoken
about what is going on on the Continent, the need to have more
democracy, the need not to have dictatorships, the need to make sure
that the dollars that we are trying to get in debt relief is spent in a
wise fashion.
Well, this would help that process. We have countries that have so
much potential, but they need to be assisted in their efforts to
maintain the peace.
{time} 0110
We have Angola that has been involved for many years and we have done
nothing to assist them. We have supported Zabimbi who is up in the bush
rather than giving support to someone who is trying to carry out
democracy in Angola. We have new leadership in the Congo with no
assistance to Kabila about how to resolve the differences between the
Hutus and the Tutsis.
So I would ask that this be made in order and that the gentleman be
allowed to offer this amendment.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I might say once again, I support what
the gentleman wants to do. His amendment earmarks funds within the
development assistance account.
Earlier this year, USAID asked me to agree to provide $1 million to
support the problem in the Congo. I agreed to support this program,
which is also supported by the Catholic Church. So USAID has already
indicated and pledged $1 million towards this anyway. What the
gentleman's amendment would do is earmark $50 million.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair is prepared to rule on the point of order.
The amendment proposes to earmark certain funds in the bill.
Under clause 2(a) of Rule XXI, such an earmarking must be
specifically authorized by law. The burden of establishing the
authorization in law rests with the proponent of the amendment. No
provision of law has been cited.
Finding that this burden has not been carried, the Chair must sustain
the point of order against the amendment.
Are there further amendments to this section of the bill?
If not, the Clerk will read.
The Clerk read as follows:
lebanon
Of the funds appropriated under the headings ``Development
Assistance'' and ``Economic Support Fund'', not less than
$18,000,000 should be made available for Lebanon to be used,
among other programs, for scholarships and direct support of
the American educational institutions in Lebanon.
private and voluntary organizations
None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available
by this Act for development assistance may be made available
to any United States private and voluntary organization,
except any cooperative development organization, which
obtains less than 20 percent of its total annual funding for
international activities from sources other than the United
States Government: Provided, That the Administrator of the
Agency for International Development, after notification to
the Committees on Appropriations, may, on a case-by-case
basis, waive the restriction contained in this paragraph,
after taking into account the effectiveness of the overseas
development activities of the organization, its level of
volunteer support, its financial viability and stability, and
the degree of its dependence for its financial support on the
agency.
Funds appropriated or otherwise made available under title
II of this Act should be made available to private and
voluntary organizations at a level which is at least
equivalent to the level provided in fiscal year 1995.
international disaster assistance
For necessary expenses for international disaster relief,
rehabilitation, and reconstruction assistance pursuant to
section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
amended, $165,000,000, to remain available until expended.
Amendment Offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas
Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas:
In title II of the bill under the heading ``BILATERAL
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE-Funds Appropriated to the President-
international disaster assistance'', after the first dollar
amount insert ``(decreased by $10,000,000)''.
In title III of the bill under the heading ``MILITARY
ASSISTANCE-Funds Appropriated to the President-peacekeeping
operations'', after the first dollar amount insert
``(increased by $10,000,000)''.
The CHAIRMAN. Under the previous order of the House, the gentlewoman
from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) will be recognized for 5 minutes and a
Member opposed will be recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) reserves a
point of order against the amendment.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Chairman, my first order of business is to thank the ranking
member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) for their generosity and kindness in
recognizing how vital these issues are to so many of us.
Just about a couple of weeks ago on the Commerce, State, Justice
Appropriations bill, I tried there to reconcile, if you will, what I
thought was a terrible direction in limiting the President's
opportunity to join in peacekeeping efforts and to fund peacekeeping
efforts around the world by way of the restriction on the funding
requiring congressional intervention.
This amendment would restore monies that have been taken from the
peacekeeping efforts. The bill appropriates $118 million for voluntary
contributions for international peacekeeping operations, including
those in the Sinai and Cyprus, $16 million, 12 percent less than the
request; and $35 million, 12 percent less than the current level.
What my amendment does is add $10 million to this very vital effort.
Mr. Chairman, let me speak to this whole idea of peacekeeping. As we
stand here in the early morning hours of July 13, 2000, all of us are
prayerful and grateful that there are peace negotiations going on
regarding the Middle East. Well, then, I would say, Mr. Chairman, that
our responsibilities on peace, as I have indicated on coming to the
floor of the House, is a burden that America accepts as one of the most
powerful or the most powerful democratic Nation in the world; in fact,
the most powerful Nation in the world.
As we look to the continent of Africa with such promise, having
passed the African Growth and Opportunity Act,
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fighting for survival for those who are infected with HIV/AIDS, we
cannot avoid looking at the need for peace. In fact, we find in the
passage of the legislation, and the foreign policy has specifically
limited the funding for peacekeeping missions in Ethiopia, Eritrea,
Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and the
Western Saharan region.
Mr. Chairman, this is a tragedy. Just coming back from the United
Nations last week, and we joined with several Members of this body,
along with a number of ambassadors, many of them from the continent of
Africa, where we joined together that we would stop the abuse and use
of children in war, stop using children in prostitution and
pornography. That was a great step of collaboration, but yet, America
cannot join its allies in fighting for peace. In Sierra Leone as a very
prime example, Mr. Chairman, let me cite for my colleagues, ``the line
of youth swelled with other abductees as the rebels took the boys, told
the boys their hands would be cut off and sent back to the democratic
president of Sierra Leone.''
Another story, Mr. Chairman, talking about the Jordanian soldiers who
arrived in Sierra Leone fresh in this beleaguered peacekeeping effort,
and I realize that we have not had good things to say about those
peacekeeping efforts, but yet that president is trying. As he paid
homage to 19 people killed during the recent demonstration, he was
still trying to encourage the 10,000 people who, without fear, gathered
to rally around to support him that we can have peace in Sierra Leone.
The only way we are going to have peace is if we have the kind of
resources in America to be able to give our fair share to the United
Nations peacekeeping efforts. We did it in Kosovo, and many people came
on this floor and laughed about Kosovo. They believed we could not have
peace there, and yes, it is a shaky peace. But with the United Nations
and our air war effort, we have a stabilized peace in Kosovo and in the
Bosnian area.
Can we do less on the continent of Africa? Can we do less for the
Congo? Can we do less for Angola? Can we do less in Eritrea and
Ethiopia? The chairman knows that he worked with me just a few years
ago to challenge Ethiopia to improve its human rights situation, and
yet, here we are today causing the effort to be diminished by not
providing them with peacekeeping funds.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 4811, the
Foreign Appropriations bill. We must re-establish our nation's
unwavering commitment to the world's International Peacekeeping
efforts, which are designed to bring peace and order in times of strife
and chaos.
This amendment that would increase funding an amount of $10 million
for peacekeeping activities in H.R. 4811, the Foreign Operations
appropriation measure.
The bill appropriates $118 million for voluntary contributions for
international peacekeeping operations, including those in the Sinai and
Cyprus, $16 million (12%) less than requested and $35 million (12%)
less than the current level.
As the world's sole super power we must not concede that any part of
it is outside of our interest as a nation. What happens in other
countries does affect our nation. If only one lesson can be gained by
our nation's experience during World War II, it is that ignoring an
international problem does not make it go away.
Prior to the Congressional recess for the Fourth of July Break this
body made an attempt to negate our nations full range of options in
implementing foreign policy by specifically limiting the provision of
funding for peacekeeping missions in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sierra Leone,
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and the Western Saharan
region.
Should that kind of thinking become standard foreign policy for our
nation the foes of the United States can just wait until we declare
some territory off limits and then relocate their operation to that
location and then they could freely use that territory to project their
terror to our shoes at will.
It has been said often enough by those who are more versed in
national security than most of this body because of their positions on
National Security related committees that the one thing no nation
should do is say what they will not do. It is better to keep opponents
guessing about what we will or will not do regarding the protection of
our people and national interest abroad.
Specifically, the amendment increases the President-Peacekeeping
Operations funding amount currently in this bill by $10 million. This
represents critical funding for United Nations peacekeepers that we
must take seriously.
As we all know, a serious issue facing the United Nations, the United
States, and Congress concerning United Nations peacekeeping is the
extent to which the United Nations has the capacity to restore or keep
the peace in the changing world environment. We need a reliable source
of funding and other resources for peacekeeping and improved
efficiencies of operation.
We need peacekeeping funds in order to promote our own best interest
globally. These are not peripheral concerns for countries trying to
establish the rule of law. The instability and fragile peace in
countries like Bosnia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Sudan, and Haiti cannot
be ignored. United Nations peacekeeping operations carry out vital
functions. They are historically known for their impartiality,
integrity, and courageousness.
We need to support democratic institutions in a consistent and
meaningful manner. Proposals for strengthening U.N. peacekeeping and
other aspects of U.N. peace and security capacities have been adopted
in the United Nations, by the Clinton Administration, and by the
Congress. Moreover, most authorities have agreed that if the United
Nations is to be responsive to post-Cold War challenges, both U.N.
members and the appropriate U.N. organs will have to continue to
improve U.N. structures and procedures in the peace and security area.
Peacekeeping forces are also critical to ensure that ports remain
easily assessable for relief operations, that peaceful operations of
civil authority is allowed to re-establish rule by law, and provide
order and stability during times of crisis. Some say that there may not
be a famine in the Horn of Africa. But we really do not know. We do
know that the situation of food insecurity is so bad that conditions
are approaching the desperate situation that occurred in 1984, when the
people of that nation did experience a famine.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment so that
we can restore peace and security in Africa. These problems are
intertwined and the peacekeeping missions in Africa deserve our strong
support.
Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne),
the distinguished ranking member of the Subcommittee on International
Relations on Africa.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, I commend the gentlewoman from Texas for
this amendment.
Peacekeeping is where it is. We have seen that by delaying the number
of peacekeepers that go into a country because of the lack of funds, we
find that they go in unprepared. I think in Sierra Leone we saw that
happen. We cannot send people in that are not prepared.
Mr. Chairman, I support the gentlewoman's amendment.
Point of Order
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the
amendment because it would increase the level of outlays in the bill in
violation of clause 2(f) of Rule XXI. This rule states that ``it shall
be in order to consider en bloc amendments proposing only to transfer
appropriations among objects in the bill without increasing the levels
of budget authority or outlays in the bill. The amendment would
increase the level of outlays in the bill.''
It increases the outlays by $4 million.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentlewoman from Texas wish to be heard
briefly on the point of order?
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I certainly do. I appreciate
the procedural reference that has been made by the distinguished
chairperson of this committee. But as was indicated in earlier
discussions, might I say that the context of this appropriations bill
deals with our foreign policy.
My understanding is that my amendment is germane to the point that it
deals with increasing funding levels for peacekeeping that is denoted
in this appropriations bill. I am understanding of the reference that
the chairman is making, but I believe that because it deals with what
this appropriations bill deals with, which is foreign policy and
peacekeeping, that I am germane and within the context of such.
Mr. Chairman, I would care to, if I am able to yield to the chairman,
who I understand is coming back to the floor, but let me just say this,
that we are suffering in our standing as a world power, being able to
carry the kind of leverage to encourage others to promote peace.
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{time} 0120
We cannot do it if we diminish the funding and if we hold these
various amendments nongermane or out of order when we are suffering all
over this world. I would ask that the amendment be considered as in
order.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) seek to
be heard briefly on the point of order?
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. I do, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, let me just say that when we say this is
nongermane, it makes it appear as though the question of peacekeeping
has never been raised. We have been talking about peacekeeping. We even
had $2.7 billion removed from the bill about peacekeeping, so we are
simply saying that it seems to me that the ruling of the Chair that
this is not germane when peacekeeping has actually been part of the
appropriations process, it is to a large degree what we have been
talking about.
We have been talking about it for Ethiopia and Eritrea, for the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are talking about peacekeepers
possibly in Angola. We are talking about peacekeepers now, after the
diplomats have made the Lome accord that says this is the outline for
peace in the region, when we had the Lusaka accord that says, this is
what the diplomats have done for the Congo, now we need to bring the
peacekeepers in to preserve the peace; the Lome accords for the peace
in Sierra Leone.
So for them to be called nongermane when this has been the center of
much of the discussion here, especially in Africa for the past 3 or 4
weeks, I just would urge that the Speaker reconsider the narrow
interpretation, the strict construction that he has done in the
interpretation, and look at it not in the specificity but in the
fundamental of the general position of peacekeeping, which has been
something that has been germane.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair is prepared to rule.
To be considered pursuant to clause 2(f) of rule XXI, an amendment
must not propose to increase the level of budget authority or outlays
in the bill. Because the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) proposes a net increase in the level of outlays
in the bill, it may not avail itself of clause 2(f) to address portions
of the bill not yet read.
Therefore, the point of order made by the gentleman from Alabama is
sustained against the amendment.
Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Callahan) having assumed the chair, Mr. Thornberry, Chairman of the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4811)
making appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and
related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for
other purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.
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