[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2006 AND 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. PETER A. DeFAZIO

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 19, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3057) making 
     appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and 
     related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2006, and for other purposes.

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of both the 
Kennedy/Hooley/Osbourne/Souder and the Hooley/Souder/Kennedy/Baird 
amendments. The methamphetamine scourge that has suddenly gained 
national attention has unfortunately been going on far too long in 
countless rural communities, including in southwest Oregon, which I 
represent.
  Almost 12.5 million Americans have tried meth at least once during 
their lifetime. White House Deputy Drug Czar Scott Burns recently was 
quoted as saying, ``I think we would all agree methamphetamine is the 
most destructive, dangerous, terrible drug that's come along in a long 
time.'' That is very true, especially in Oregon. Unfortunately, law 
enforcement is struggling to stem the spread of meth.
  The Kennedy/Hooley/Osbourne/Souder amendment would require that the 
State Department annually certify the five biggest exporters and the 
five biggest importers of the meth precursor pseudoephedrine are 
cooperating with the U.S. We can quickly help law enforcement 
organizations ensure that precursor chemicals are not suddenly 
``lost,'' and then used in the production of meth at international 
super-labs. These labs account for 80 percent of the meth used in the 
U.S.
  This amendment will allow the State Department to use its existing 
power, that it currently uses related to heroin and cocaine, to suspend 
bilateral and multilateral assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act 
to countries that cannot account for the pseudoephedrine that enters 
and leaves their borders.
  Also, recent efforts by Oregon's statehouse have helped to curb the 
manufacture of meth in the state, but abuse is still on the rise. 
States can restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine products to try to stem 
the proliferation, but until we stop meth from spilling into the U.S. 
from Mexico, meth will continue to wreak havoc on families, neighbors, 
communities, and numerous local, state, and federal resources.
  Meth super-labs south of the border that are producing the bulk of 
meth that feeds the addiction of 600,000 current meth addicts, or 
tweakers. There are Mexican drug cartels smuggling meth across the 
border daily, even as I stand before you. It is imperative that the 
U.S. clamp down on illegal border crossings that ultimately result in 
the deaths of thousands of Americans, while lining the pockets of a 
handful of Mexican smugglers. The border must be secure.
  The Hooley/Souder/Kennedy/Baird amendment will increase the amount of 
coordination between the State Department and the Mexican government, 
and between American law enforcement and their Mexican counterparts can 
only help us defeat the meth scourge.
  I urge my colleagues to support both the Kennedy/Hooley/Osbourne/
Souder and the Hooley/Souder/Kennedy/Baird amendments.

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