[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1275-E1276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 13, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union 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.

  Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4811, the 
FY 2001 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. I am deeply dismayed at 
the lack of funding for such critical, life-saving programs as debt 
relief, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and international family 
planning.
  At a time when many developing countries are consuming 30 to 40% of 
their annual budgets on debt repayment, they are simultaneously 
depleting monies that would be better spent on health care, education, 
and economic development. The Foreign Operations Appropriations bill 
for FY 2000 established clear and specific crtieria which developing 
nations must meet in order to qualify for debt relief. These conditions 
include performing satisfactorily under an economic reform program, 
promoting civil society participation, implementing anti-corruption 
measures and transparent policy making, adopting strategies for poverty 
reduction, and strengthening private sector growth, trade, and 
investment. New governments in nations such as Bolivia and Mozambique 
are succeeding in their concentrated efforts to democratize and 
stablize their respective countries, and have met the qualifying 
standards for debt relief. It is unjust to continue to punish the 
poorest civilians for debts incurred and for promises unfulfilled by 
former dictators.
  Nearly four decades of economic development, particularly on the 
continent of Africa, are currently unraveling before our eyes. The 
proposed funding level in H.R. 4811 of $202 million--$42 million less 
than the President's request--is simply not sufficient to effectively 
combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic at its current growth rate. The global 
AIDS crisis is a threat of unprecedented magnitude, and it has been 
unsparing in its attack on the world's children. UNAID reports that 
more than 3.8 million children under 15 have already perished as a 
result of AIDS. An additional 1700 children per day are newly infected 
with HIV and join the 1.3 million who are currently living with the 
disease. The U.S. Census estimates that the life expectancy in many 
Sub-Saharan African countries will fall to age 30 within the next 10 
years.
  This indiscriminate plague gravely affects even children fortunate 
enough not to have contracted the disease themselves, by rendering them 
orphans--13.2 million to date. The United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID) has estimated that by the year 2010, 
there will be 42 million AIDS-related orphans, many of whom will be 
susceptible to abuse or recruitment into gangs or militia.
  In addition to the horrific and exponential increase in suffering and 
loss of human life, HIV/AIDS inevitably will have an enormous and 
devastating impact on future economic development, political stability, 
trade and commerce, and international security. Since effective medical 
research and counseling intervention have been proven to drastically 
reduce the mother-to-child transmission rate of HIV around the globe, 
from the United States to Thailand, there is absolutely no excuse not 
to help fund these vital programs.
  As world experts meet this week in Durban, South Africa for the 13th 
International HIV/AIDS Conference, we must do our part in this country 
and in this bill to alleviate the unimaginable suffering that HIV/AIDS 
is causing in the developing world.
  A crucial element of reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is adequate 
access to family planning resources and information. Pregnancy, 
childbirth, and unsafe abortions claim the lives of 600,000 women 
annually, primarily due to early and frequent childbearing and poor 
access to health care and contraception. Family planning helps prevent 
high-risk and unwanted pregnancies and reduces the spread of sexually 
transmitted diseases and life-threatening infections such as HIV/AIDS. 
The Administration's request for a $169 million increase to USAID 
population assistance would likely result in 1.5 million fewer 
unintended births; 2.2 million fewer abortions;

[[Page E1276]]

15,000 fewer maternal deaths; and 92,000 fewer infant deaths.
  I oppose this bill because it does not provide assistance to the 
women and families that most need our help. H.R. 4811 hinders the 
dissemination of accurate and complete reproductive information for 
women in developing countries by limiting which family planning options 
foreign NGOs may discuss with their clients. Under this bill, even 
organizations that use their own funds to engage in pro-choice lobbying 
efforts to provide abortions, or to even discuss this reproductive 
option will not be eligible for U.S. funding. I cannot morally support 
a measure such as this, that would not withstand constitutional 
scrutiny within our own country.
  With the understanding that ``an ounce of prevention is worth a pound 
of cure'', I would encourage my colleagues to seriously consider the 
moral, social, and economic ramifications of not providing aid when we, 
as a nation, are clearly in a position to do so.
  For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose the Foreign 
Operations bill. We can and must do better.

                          ____________________