[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 107 (Friday, July 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2004 AND 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. PHILIP M. CRANE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1950) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Department of State for the 
     fiscal years 2004 and 2005, to authorize appropriations under 
     the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961 for security assistance for fiscal years 2004 and 2005, 
     and for other puroses:

  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1950, the Foreign 
Relations Authorization Act. This legislation includes much needed 
reforms to how the United States distributes foreign aid. President 
Bush's new foreign aid initiative, the Millennium Challenge Account, 
offers aid only to those countries that meet certain standards of 
respecting human rights, investing in the future of their peoples, and 
promoting economic opportunity and freedom. With this proposal, 
President Bush has issued a challenge to help those that are less 
fortunate, to promote universal human rights and values around the 
world, and to be part of the worldwide spread of democracy and freedom.
  This past March, I introduced H. Con. Res. 119, a resolution that 
offers Congress's condolences to the loved ones of those innocent 
Americans that have been killed in Israel, and calls on the Palestinian 
Authority to work with Israel to protect all innocent people 
(regardless of citizenship) from terrorist violence.
  Sadly, since H. Con. Res. 119 was introduced, four more Americans 
have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists. That is why I offered an 
amendment to H.R. 1950 that incorporates the text of H. Con. Res. 119 
with some additions to reflect the deaths and injuries inflicted on 
American citizens by terrorists since its introduction.
  Since Yasser Arafat, on behalf of the Palestinian people, renounced 
violence in the Oslo Peace Accords on September 13, 1993, at least 41 
Americans have been killed by Palestinian terrorists. At least another 
79 Americans have been injured in terrorist attacks. That grim total 
includes a knife attack on an expectant mother that resulted in the 
death of her unborn child.
  My amendment also requires that the State Department begin to include 
the killing of every American by terrorists in its annual "Chronology 
of Significant Terrorist Incidents," as reported in future Patterns of 
Global Terrorism reports.
  This amendment will make the American public more aware of the harm 
coming to our citizens overseas and show the surviving families that 
Congress knows and cares about the deaths of their loved ones. And it 
will reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that terrorism--both in 
America and in Israel--will be defeated.
  I would like to thank International Relations Committee Chairman 
Henry Hyde and Ranking Member Tom Lantos for their assistance and 
support for H. Con. Res. 119 and this amendment. In addition to my own 
staff, I also want to thank Andrew Shore and Shalla Ross of the House 
Republican Conference and Paul Teller of the Republican Study Committee 
for their hard work on this issue.

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