[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 97 (Thursday, July 12, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S7592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MURKOWSKI:
  S. 1170. A bill to make the United States' energy policy toward Iraq 
consistent with the national security policies of the United States; to 
the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I take the opportunity at this time to 
introduce S. 1170. It is my intention to introduce the following bill 
to make the United States energy policy towards Iraq consistent with 
the national security policies of the United States.
  I anticipate that several colleagues will be cosponsoring the bill 
with me. I will enter into that at a later time.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, for some time I have been coming to the 
floor to speak of a major inconsistency in our foreign and energy 
policies. I am referring, of course, to our growing dependence on 
imported petroleum from Iraq.
  We import somewhere between 500,000 to 750,000 barrels of oil from 
Iraq every day. About six billion dollars worth last year. Since the 
end of the gulf war, we have also flown some 250,000 sorties to prevent 
Saddam Hussein from threatening our allies in the region. We spend 
billions every year to keep him in check.
  We fill up our planes with Iraqi oil, send our pilots to fly over and 
get shot at by Iraqi artillery, and return to fill up on Iraqi oil 
again.
  Saddam heats our homes in winter, gets our kids to school each day, 
gets our food from farm to dinner table, and we pay him well to do 
that.
  What does he do with the money he gets from oil?
  He pays his Republican Guards to keep him safe.
  He supports international terrorist activities; he funds his military 
campaign against American servicemen and women and those of our allies; 
and he builds an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction to threaten 
Israel and our allies in the Persian Gulf.
  Am I missing something? Is this good policy? For a number of years 
the United States has worked closely with the United Nations on the 
``Oil-for-Food'' Program.
  This program allows Iraq to export petroleum in exchange for funds 
which can be used for food, medicine and other humanitarian products.
  Despite more than $15 billion available for those purposes, Iraq has 
spent only a fraction of that amount on its people's needs.
  Instead, the Iraqi government spends that money on items of 
questionable, and often highly suspicious purposes. Why, when billions 
are available to care for the Iraqi people, who are malnourished, sick, 
and have inadequate medical care, would Saddam Hussein withhold the 
money available, and choose instead to blame the United States for the 
plight of his people?
  Why is Iraq reducing the amount it spends on nutrition and pre-natal 
care, when millions of dollars are available?
  Why does $200 million of medicine from the UN sit undistributed in 
Iraqi warehouses?
  Why, given the urgent state of humanitarian conditions in Iraq, does 
Saddam Hussein insist that the country's highest priority is the 
development of sophisticated telecommunications and transportation 
infrastructure?
  Why, if there are billions available, and his people are starving, is 
Iraq only buying $8 million of food from American farmers each year?
  I have no quarrel with the Oil-for-Food program. It is a well-
intentioned effort.
  I do, however, have a problem with the means in which Saddam Hussein 
has manipulated our growing dependency on Iraqi oil.
  Three times since the beginning of the Oil-for-Food program, Saddam 
Hussein has threatened or actually halted oil production, disrupting 
energy markets and sending oil prices skyrocketing.
  Why do this? Simply to send a message to the United States: ``I have 
leverage over you.''
  Every time he has done this, he has had his way. We have proven 
ourselves addicted to Iraqi oil. Saddam has been proven right: he does 
have leverage over us.
  We have placed our energy security in the hands of a madman.
  The Administration has attempted valiantly to reconstruct a sensible 
multilateral policy toward Iraq. Those attempts have unfortunately not 
been successful.
  I think that before we can construct a sensible US policy toward 
Iraq, we need to end the blatant inconsistency between our energy 
policy and our foreign policy.
  We need to end our addiction to Iraqi oil. We need to go ``cold 
turkey.''
  To that end I have introduced legislation today which would prohibit 
imports from Iraq, whether or not under the Oil for Food Program, until 
it is no longer inconsistent with our national security to resume those 
imports.
  I hope that this will be an initial step towards a more rational and 
coherent policy toward Iraq.
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