[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 23, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMOVING NAME AS H.R. 1673 COSPONSOR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 23, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I want to explain why I sought 
and obtained unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor 
of H.R. 1673, the bill to establish a Department of Peace.
  I joined as a cosponsor of a similar bill in the 107th Congress. That 
bill was introduced in July 2001, a year after the observance of 
UNESCO's International Year for the Culture of Peace in 2000 and in the 
context of a UNESCO resolution declaring an International Decade for a 
Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children 2001-2010.
  I cosponsored H.R. 2459 in the spirit of these events and at the 
urging of a very persuasive group of young high school students from my 
district because I wanted to underline the symbolic importance of 
promoting justice and democratic principles to expand human rights and 
developing policies that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict. I 
do not believe these ideas require the establishment of a new 
bureaucracy.
  After careful review, I have determined that while the bill's goals 
are idealistic and worthy, its specific provisions and practical 
application are problematic. In particular, I think that endorsing the 
establishment of a new bureaucracy--even if only symbolically--would 
not be appropriate at a time when the federal budget is in deep 
deficit. The recent recession and the urgent need to spend more for 
national defense and homeland security, combined with excessively large 
and unbalanced tax cuts have brought us to the point where both the 
entire Social Security surplus and massive borrowing--which will have 
to be repaid with interest--are required to cover the shortfall.
  Under these circumstances, I think proposals for further expansion of 
the federal government must be subject to even more strict scrutiny. In 
that light, I have reviewed the legislation that I have supported and 
have concluded that it is no longer appropriate for me to remain as a 
cosponsor of H.R. 1673.

                          ____________________