[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H2879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE BALTIC COUNTRIES' ENTRANCE INTO THE U.S. VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take the time of 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
Illinois is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in opposition to the 
perceived exclusions of the countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania 
from an amendment offered by the Senate in the immigration bill 
yesterday.
  While I approve of this amendment to allow for a 2-year trial 
expansion of the Visa Waiver Program, I disagree with the requirements 
that are placed upon countries that would want to participate. This 
program enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the United 
States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without 
obtaining a visa.
  According to the language of Senate Amendment 4000, a country must 
provide ``material support,'' which means that current provision of the 
equivalent of but not less than of a battalion, which consists of 
between 300 to 1,000 military personnel, to Operation Iraqi Freedom or 
Operation Enduring Freedom to provide training, logistical or tactical 
support or military presence.
  I feel that it is ineffective to place a number requirement on these 
smaller countries in the region. All the Baltic countries have been 
steadfast in support of allies of the United States since they gained 
their independence following the fall of the Soviet Union and have 
continued to be supportive in the ongoing war on terror.
  While these countries are short of this amendment's required troop 
number, it seems to me that the best way to evaluate a country's 
eligibility for the Visa Waiver Program is to determine whether the 
country is a good ally and friend of the United States, not put a 
number on their commitment.
  All these former Soviet satellite countries are continuing to 
actively work to implement the highest of technology with their border 
security, including biometric passports far ahead of some of their 
western European neighbors.
  Currently, several of the 27 countries already in the Visa Waiver 
Program have committed zero troops to either mission. Why should such a 
requirement be placed on those countries that have already made a 
sacrifice, when others are rewarded for their non-participation?
  Furthermore, small countries like Lithuania, with a population of 3.5 
million, Latvia, with 2.8 million, or Estonia, with 1.3 million, 
clearly do not have as large a military as a country like Poland, which 
has over 38 million citizens, 30 million more than all three Baltic 
States combined. I feel that this is irresponsible to belittle the 
commitment and sacrifice to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 
Enduring Freedom by not allowing them into the Visa Waiver Program with 
the specifics of this amendment.
  Maybe if you combine the total deployment of the Baltic countries and 
add them up, which is as of my count today, 287 troops deployed, that 
is very close to the 300 minimum number. But, remember that these three 
countries combined still are 30 million people less than a country like 
Poland.
  Also each of the Baltic States have troops participating in out-of-
area NATO missions. One of the provisional reconstruction teams in 
Afghanistan is led by Lithuanian troops. Do these soldiers operating 
within the North American Treaty Organization not count toward their 
troop commitment in the language of this amendment? These are important 
questions that need to be addressed.
  As Cochairman of the House Baltic Caucus, I understand the concerns 
that the Baltic countries have with this amendment, and I urge the 
conferees of the immigration bill to keep their concerns in mind as we 
work through the differences between both the Senate and the House.

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