[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 107 (Friday, July 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1510]
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. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    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. 1960) 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 year 2004 and 2005, 
     and for other purposes:

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bill, 
though there are provisions in it that concern me.
  First, I voted against the rule as it prevented the House from 
considering important amendments. Among them were amendments urging 
U.S. leadership, by participating in negotiations on climate change, to 
reduce greenhouse gases and providing funding for removal of land mines 
and agricultural redevelopment of former mine fields.
  The rule did allow the consideration of an amendment that passed by 
just five votes, reversing the position taken by the House 
International Relations Committee on funding for the United Nations 
Population Fund (UNFPA). I voted against that amendment, and I am 
discouraged by the continuing refusal of the House to consider the 
facts when it comes to UNFPA. Allegations against UNFPA in China have 
never been substantiated despite the fact the program has endured more 
scrutiny than any other UNFPA program. But despite the findings of the 
Administration's own investigation team in July 2002 that UNFPA is not 
engaged in any coercive activity in China, President Bush canceled the 
$34 million allocated for UNFPA in FY2003 and requested no money for 
the program in FY2004. I will continue to fight for funding for UNFPA's 
important mission and for the right of foreign organizations that 
provide information about reproductive health care to receive U.S. aid.
  The House also voted on an amendment sponsored by Representatives 
Hostettler, Gallegly, and Tancredo. I want to clarify the reasons for 
my opposition to this amendment, which sets standards for consular 
identification cards issued by foreign governments and used in the 
United States. The amendment provides that if foreign governments do 
not abide by the strict U.S. standards, the U.S. government will refuse 
to issue any visas to foreign nationals from those countries.
  I believe protecting our national security requires that we know who 
is in our country, and I agree that establishing a set of standards for 
consular identification cards would increase their legitimacy and 
decrease fraudulent use of the cards. But I did not believe that the 
Hostettler amendment approached the problem in the right way. Forcing 
foreign governments to abide by U.S. standards for consular 
identification cards is an unprecedented attempt to change how a 
country relates to its own nationals in a host country, and is likely 
in breach of the Foreign Missions Act and the Vienna Convention on 
Consular Affairs. Implementation of this amendment would also set a 
very dangerous precedent for our embassies abroad. In addition, I 
understand that the Administration will soon unveil its own proposal 
for standardization of these consular identification cards. So in my 
view, the Hostettler amendment not only had technical problems, but it 
was also premature.
  Despite these concerns, I am a strong supporter of our foreign aid 
programs and our international institutions, and so I support this 
bill.
  I am pleased that the bill authorizes assistance to the Palestinian 
Authority to improve the Palestinian economy and living conditions of 
the Palestinian people. I am pleased that the bill includes increased 
funding for the Migration and Refugee Assistance program. I am also 
pleased that the bill includes funding for UNESCO and that it permits 
the U.S. to pay its full assessment for U.N. peacekeeping efforts in 
each of the next two years.
  Most importantly, I am pleased that the bill includes the Hyde-Lantos 
amendment authorizing the Millennium Challenge Account program and 
reauthorizing the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps provisions come from 
H.R. 250, the Peace Corps Charter for the 21th Century Act, a bill that 
I introduced with my colleague Representative Farr earlier this year.
  We worked across party lines, with the Administration, and with 
returned Peace Corps volunteers to come up with this important bill.
  My own background as an educator and director at Outward Bound for 
twenty years taught me about the importance of national and community 
service. But I also have strong connections to the Peace Corps--through 
my great state of Colorado and through my family. Colorado has one of 
the highest levels of recruitment of Peace Corps volunteers nationwide, 
and returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the 2nd Congressional District 
alone number over 500. Of course, the most important Peace Corps 
connection for me is my mother, who served as a volunteer in Nepal 
decades ago.
  Because of these connections I have a special interest in advancing 
the ability of the Peace Corps to play an important role in these new 
times.
  As Americans, we are proud of our country, our freedoms, our 
democracy, our diversity. We know how fortunate we are to live in the 
United States. And yet we were sent a clear message on September 11th 
that we are not necessarily viewed abroad the way we view ourselves at 
home. Why is this so? More importantly, how can we change this?
  One way is to continue to promote world peace and friendship through 
the people-to-people approach of the Peace Corps. After more than forty 
years of existence, the Peace Corps remains one of the most admired and 
successful initiatives ever put in place. But it needs to be updated to 
reflect the realities of our 21st century world, and that's what the 
Farr-Udall bill will do.
  The bill we're introducing today meets the Administration's challenge 
to double the size of the Peace Corps to 14,000 by 2007. The bill also 
goes beyond this to propose a new post-9-11 ``Charter'' for the Peace 
Corps. Other highlights:
  It spells out a commitment to recruit and place Peace Corps 
volunteers in countries where they could help promote mutual 
understanding, particularly in areas with substantial Muslim 
populations.
  It establishes training programs for Peace Corps volunteers in the 
areas of education, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases, 
such as HIV/AIDS.
  The bill creates a grant program to enable Returned Peace Corps 
Volunteers to use their experience and expertise to continue to carry 
out the goals of the Peace Corps through specific projects.
  This bill will pave the way for an expanded and refocused Peace Corps 
that can take on the new challenges that September 11th has presented 
to us, a Peace Corps that can be--as Sargent Shriver stated--``a 
pragmatic and dramatic symbol of America's commitment to peace.'' I 
believe that passage of the Peace Corps Charter for the 21St Century 
will help us head in this direction.
  Again, I thank my colleague Representative Farr for working with me 
so closely on this legislation. I look forward to working with our 
colleagues in the Senate to agree on final text and to move this bill 
closer to enactment.

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