[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 20, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H6749-H6753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2764, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee
on Rules, I call up House Resolution 498 and ask for its immediate
consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 498
Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this
resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule
XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of
the bill (H.R. 2764) making appropriations for the Department
of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other
purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed
with. All points of order against consideration of the bill
are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule
XXI. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall
not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Appropriations. After general debate the bill shall be
considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. Points
of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply
with clause 2 of rule XXI are waived. During consideration of
the bill for amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the
Whole may accord priority in recognition on the basis of
whether the Member offering an amendment has caused it to be
printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated
for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so
printed shall be considered as read. When the committee rises
and reports the bill back to the House with a recommendation
that the bill do pass, the previous question shall be
considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to
final passage without intervening motion except one motion to
recommit with or without instructions.
Sec. 2. During consideration in the House of H.R. 2764
pursuant to this resolution, notwithstanding the operation of
the previous question, the Chair may postpone further
consideration of the bill to such time as may be designated
by the Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) is
recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only,
I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida, my good
friend, Mr. Diaz-Balart. All time yielded during consideration of the
rule is for debate only.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
General Leave
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I also ask unanimous consent that all
Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks on House Resolution 498.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
{time} 1115
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 498 is an open
rule that provides for consideration of H.R. 2764, the fiscal year 2008
appropriations for the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
related programs.
Mr. Speaker, I have seen 15 State and Foreign Operations measures go
through the House of Representatives in almost 16 years of serving in
this body. Some bills were well-intentioned, but fell short of meeting
America's critical needs and objectives, while others missed the target
altogether.
Regarding today's State and Foreign Operations bill, I must commend
Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Wolf, their respective staffs and the
rest of the committee for coming together in a bipartisan fashion to
craft this meaningful piece of legislation. Despite critical budget
constraints and critical concerns, the bill is fiscally responsible and
begins to address our Nation's foreign policy initiatives as they
relate to fulfilling our commitments abroad.
In my capacity as chairman of the Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe and as a senior member of the House Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence, I believe I can speak to our
country's need to restore world stability after years of following
misguided and shortsighted foreign policy.
[[Page H6750]]
This bill provides $34.2 billion overall for foreign assistance and
State Department operations, with much-needed emphasis placed on
international AIDS programs, children's health care, basic education
programs and targeted peacekeeping operations. By increasing funds for
critical global health, basic education, refugee and disaster
assistance programs, we are heightening world stability and rebuilding
our image abroad as a nation builder, not divider.
In an effort to shift away from a Middle East foreign policy that
focused a little too narrowly on Iraq, we are now reaching out to
neighboring Mediterranean countries that need our attention and
assistance. The escalating situation in Iraq has forced thousands,
indeed millions, of refugees to flee into neighboring countries, Jordan
being one of the most heavily affected.
During a trip to the region almost 2 weeks ago, Mr. Speaker, I
witnessed firsthand the heart-wrenching effects of people displaced.
What I learned in Jordan and saw in Kosovo is that there are people in
this world being forced to live in conditions so inhumane that even our
wildest nightmares could not comprehend. As such, I am pleased to
support the bill's allocation of $830 million to provide refugees
worldwide with food, water and shelter. As I spoke last evening during
the testimony in the Rules Committee, I said to Mrs. Lowey and to Mr.
Wolf that I am hopeful in conference that they will be able to add
funds specifically for Jordan for reasons that I perceive are
necessary.
While we must remain vigilant and diligent on combating the evils of
terrorism, we must also simultaneously seize opportunities to
establish, maintain and strengthen diplomatic ties in every region of
the world. I am pleased also to see that the bill provides $365 million
to enhance our public diplomacy efforts, and allocates $501 million for
cultural, educational and professional exchange programs globally.
The underlying legislation includes critical foreign aid to our
allies in the world, including Israel. It also restores funding in many
of the areas which the present administration sought to cut.
As I mentioned, I serve as chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission,
and the President Emeritus of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly. Mr. Speaker, I am fond
of saying that if you can say all of that, you ought to be president of
the assembly. I am deeply appreciative that this bill funds America's
commitment to the OSCE and the Helsinki Commission, and I indeed thank
the chairwoman and ranking member, especially the chairwoman, for her
efforts toward this end.
Mr. Speaker, America has a responsibility in the world. We are, as is
constantly reported, the last remaining Superpower. Contrary to what
many might argue later in this debate, our power cannot and must not be
flexed only in our military might. On the contrary, our power must be
flexed in what we do to help repair many of the things that are broken
in the world.
The underlying legislation is a critical component in this effort. I
am pleased to support this open rule and the underlying legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida,
my good friend, Mr. Hastings, for the time. I would also like to thank
Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Wolf for their efforts on this
undeniably important piece of legislation.
This bill funds a number of U.S. Government programs and activities,
including the State Department, the United States Agency for
International Development, foreign, economic and military assistance,
contributions to international organizations and international
broadcasting programs.
Even though aspects of this bill have clearly bipartisan support,
there are significant areas of concern with some of the priorities that
the majority has set forth in this legislation.
Just over a year ago, the people of Colombia reelected President
Uribe to a second term with over 62 percent of the vote. President
Uribe is the first President in over 100 years to be reelected by the
Colombian people. His reelection and his extraordinarily high current
approval ratings are a testament to his efforts to curb terrorism,
corruption and narcotrafficking in Colombia.
For years, designated terrorist organizations in Colombia have
hampered efforts by the people of that great country to live in a
peaceful democracy. Proactive action must continue to be taken to
ensure that armed terrorists are not allowed to create social unrest
through violence. With the current landscape in the world today,
foreign assistance, Mr. Speaker, is as strategically important to our
national interest as it is morally just.
I am concerned that the underlying legislation cuts funding for Plan
Colombia $59 million below the President's request and $86.5 million
below fiscal year 2007. Plan Colombia has achieved significant results.
When it began, that country was facing a civil war that was tearing it
apart. Now that the plan has had time to take effect, and with
President Uribe's leadership, kidnappings have fallen by 75 percent and
the gross domestic product of Colombia has increased to 7 percent
annually.
We must not take progress in the Andean region for granted, however.
If the United States turns its back on the region, it will falter and
create a scenario that will require greater U.S. investment and
sacrifice at a time when obviously we have significant responsibilities
worldwide, not to mention that we would be spurning a democratically
elected ally that has bravely fought corruption and narcotrafficking.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank President Bush for his continued
support for a democratic transition in Cuba. Pursuant to the
recommendations of his Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, the
President requested $45 million in economic support funds for Cuba pro-
democracy activities. These funds would support efforts for a
transition to democracy in the Western Hemisphere's only totalitarian
dictatorship through support for dissidents, human rights activists,
independent librarians and others who risk their lives each day for
freedom in that enslaved island. Unfortunately, the bill brought forth
by the majority is cutting the funds needed to support pro-democracy
efforts in Cuba and funding less than 20 percent of the President's
request.
I would note that under the bill, the other countries in the Western
Hemisphere will receive over 95 percent of the funds requested by the
President, and I think that is good. Yet funds to support a democratic
transition in the Western Hemisphere's only totalitarian dictatorship
constitute approximately 19 percent of the President's request.
Mr. Speaker, these acts include from staging a hunger strike; to
demanded access to e-mail and the Internet and going to prison for it;
to having the audacity of possessing books by Gandhi and Orwell and
Martin Luther King in their homes and offering those books as an
independent library to their neighbors, an act of great courage that is
met by the dictatorship's goon squads with violence, confiscation of
the books and often prison time; to the independent journalists who
risk their lives and their families' safety by writing the truth about
life under the totalitarian nightmare, and who need paper and
typewriters and faxes and telephones to send their stories out; to the
children of political prisoners who have received the only toys they
have ever seen because of the solidarity of this United States program
of assistance; to those from all walks of life who dare to join a human
rights organization in a totalitarian police state; to the physicians
who open their homes to their neighbors for the practice of medicine
and dispense medicines, risking prison for breaking the rules of the
totalitarian state, the only employer in the country, or the physicians
who refuse to perform the forced abortions ordered by the state when
there is any indication whatsoever of a problematic pregnancy, so the
regime can keep its infant mortality statistics low.
Mr. Speaker, that is how one of my heroes, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet
began his heroic journey as a pro-democracy activist. He subsequently
has become a great pro-democracy leader. I carry a card with his
photograph with me at all times. He is currently in a dark and damp
dungeon, sentenced to 25 years in the gulag for having the audacity of
peacefully advocating for democracy and free elections in Cuba.
[[Page H6751]]
Mr. Speaker, we cannot send aid to him in prison. The regime will not
allow it. But we can help his family and his colleagues in the struggle
for freedom.
These are the acts of civic resistance that have grown exponentially
in recent years, despite a tremendous increase in the dictatorship's
brutal repression, and those are the people, the heroes that I have
mentioned, that we help with this program, that we will seek to
increase funding for through the President's requested level by an
amendment that I will introduce with my friend and colleague
Representative Albio Sires of New Jersey, and that I will ask all
freedom-loving Members of this House to support.
Last February, Mr. Speaker, the six Cuban American Members of this
Congress, Bob Menendez, Mel Martinez, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Albio Sires,
Mario Diaz-Balart and myself, received a letter from nine pro-democracy
leaders in Cuba. They know the risks that they were and are taking by
sending us that letter. They knew that it would be utilized publicly in
forums such as today's.
In that letter, that group of dissidents and pro-democracy leaders,
representing an extraordinarily wide spectrum of ideology and opinion,
some with whom I have had disagreements in the past, came together and
told us of the importance of this aid that we will be debating in this
bill. They stated in their letter, ``We can affirm that the aid that
for years has flowed to the pro-democracy movement takes into account
the vast range of needs, from medicine to keep a political prisoner or
dissident from dying, to food, water filters, medical equipment,
clothing, shoes, coats, toys for the children of political prisoners,
who suffer doubly the loss of a loved one and social repression on the
streets and in school, essential vitamins, office supplies, and the
tools of democracy, computers, printers, phones, fax machines, among
others, that account for a long list of articles and materials that
have been made possible in Cuba.''
Today, with the amendment that I have filed along with Representative
Sires, we reply to the letter sent in February by those pro-democracy
leaders, and, as I stated, Mr. Speaker, we will ask all of our
colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the aid requested by
those pro-democracy leaders in that letter, the assistance for the pro-
democracy movement.
{time} 1130
Mr. Speaker, on other subjects in this important legislation, the
bill cuts by approximately 40 percent the President's request for the
Millennium Challenge account. The Millennium Challenge, which President
Bush called a new compact for global development, provides assistance
through a competitive selection process to developing nations that are
pursuing political and economic reforms in three areas: ruling justly,
investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. Contributions from
that account are linked to greater responsibility from developing
nations. The new responsibilities these nations accept in exchange for
the funds ensure that the funds we provide do not go to waste and have
the greatest possible impact on those who need the help the most.
That account encourages transparency, and it is a good aspect of our
foreign policy, and it is very important that it be increased as this
legislation moves forward.
Lastly, I would mention that this bill faces a veto threat by the
President because of language which may undermine what is known as the
Mexico City policy. The Mexico City policy currently in effect requires
that foreign NGOs agree as a condition of receipt of Federal funds for
family-planning activities that the organization will neither perform
nor promote abortion as a method of family planning. The Mexico City
policy applies only to family-planning programs and is designed to
protect the integrity of U.S.-funded international family-planning
programs by creating a bright line of separation between abortion and
family planning.
There is concern by the President and many Members in this Congress
that U.S. taxpayer family-planning funds could possibly go to NGOs that
promote or provide abortions under the language in the underlying
legislation.
I understand the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) will introduce an amendment to
address this issue, and I urge Members to consider that very important
amendment.
The majority correctly currently brings this important legislation to
the floor under an open rule. The House has traditionally considered
appropriations bills under open rules in order to allow each Member an
opportunity to offer germane amendments without having to preprint
their amendments or receive approval from the Rules Committee. I hope
that the majority will live up to their campaign promise of running a
transparent House and will continue our tradition of open rules with
the rest of the appropriations bills this year.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
second-ranking member on the majority side on the Rules Committee, the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Hastings), for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this open rule and the underlying
bill, H.R. 2764, the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Act for
Fiscal Year 2008. There is so much to praise in this bill: its emphasis
on funding our core bilateral development programs; its emphasis on
funding basic education, child survival and global health initiatives.
And most importantly, its emphasis on providing for our national
security and our global economic interests.
I would like to praise Subcommittee Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking
Member Wolf and the Foreign Operations Subcommittee in particular for
the work they have done on aid to Colombia. This bill makes some badly
needed and long overdue changes to our aid program for Colombia. The
results of the past several years, particularly where illegal drugs are
concerned, made clear that it is time to try a different and more
comprehensive approach.
The 2008 bill rebalances our priorities in Colombia. It recognizes
that the response to violence, narcotrafficking and instability in our
South American neighbor must be multifaceted, helping to guarantee
lasting security through good governance.
Colombia is an important friend of the United States and it is the
largest recipient of U.S. assistance outside the troubled Middle East
region. Colombia deserves our support; and even though I have been a
critic of many of our past policies, I have never and I will never
advocate walking away from Colombia or its people.
The new approach in this bill will make our counternarcotics policy
more effective by helping small farmers transition permanently away
from illegal drug production, increasing funds to investigate and
prosecute major drug traffickers, and continuing drug interdiction
programs. Aerial fumigation and sporadic military offenses are no
substitute for helping Colombia to govern its own territory. The
results make that clear: 7 years and $5.4 billion later, the old policy
has resulted in more coca growing in Colombia, and the price of cocaine
on the streets of America is actually lower than before we started.
It is time for a change, for a new more balanced direction, and this
bill provides more funding for judges and prosecutors, roads, clean
water, jobs and aid for vulnerable people. It looks to fund the need of
today's Colombia, not yesterday's. Many Colombians are working today to
clean house in Colombia, going after politically powerful criminals who
send drugs to our shores and wreak violence and mayhem in Colombia. The
aid in this bill will help them. Success hinges on Colombia's judicial
system which faces serious challenges. This bill provides them with new
resources to meet those challenges.
Mr. Speaker, unless Colombia deals with the overriding issue of
impunity, many of us are going to continue to fight for even more
changes in our policy, restricting security assistance to the Colombian
military which is responsible for a lot of the human rights
[[Page H6752]]
violations, and we are going to continue to insist that no free trade
agreement move forward until the human rights situation improves in
Colombia.
If the United States of America stands for anything, it should stand
out loud and foursquare for human rights. And for too many years, we
have turned our backs on the harsh reality in Colombia where thousands
of trade unionists have disappeared or been murdered, thousands of
people have been victimized by security forces and their allies in the
paramilitary forces.
We should not be sending money in a way that does not acknowledge
that those security forces need to do better. Mr. Speaker, success also
depends on Colombia's ability to govern and create employment,
especially in the lawless zones where drug traffickers and paramilitary
groups still operate. This bill allows USAID to expand badly needed
efforts to those communities in coca-growing areas that up until now
have been beyond our reach due to lack of funds.
Finally, success depends on Colombia's ability to care for and
reintegrate victims of violence. This includes helping Colombia's
internally displaced population which is second in the world only to
Sudan. That is not a list you want to be on, Mr. Speaker. It means
protecting people coming forward to testify who are seeking redress. It
also means helping people recover stolen land through violence and
helping Afro-Colombian and indigenous people who have been
disproportionately hit by violence.
Mr. Speaker, this bill does a good job of achieving balance between
economic development and security aid for Colombia. It demonstrates a
level of support for Colombia's democratic future that we have not been
able to articulate before now. I support this new balanced direction
for Colombia, and I applaud the work of the Appropriations Committee
for not only these provisions but for its judicious approach of
supporting what works best in our global development programs.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Florida
for yielding me this time.
I also join in the praise for the bipartisan work of the Foreign
Operations Subcommittee, the excellent work of Chairwoman Lowey and
Ranking Member Wolf.
Mr. Speaker, the job of the next President of the United States,
whoever that may be, whatever party that person may represent, is very
straightforward. They are going to have to reintroduce America to the
world. They are going to have to reintroduce the America of
cooperation, of working together, of multilateralism rather than
unilateralism, of diplomacy rather than force, and strength through
persuasion and cooperation.
This Foreign Operations appropriations bill is the introduction to a
new relationship that America will have with the world and a new
relationship that our appropriations bill will have with the taxpayers
of this country. It really does two things. One, it restores
accountability. That is best seen in the fact that it does not give a
blank check on more money to Iraq that will go down the sink hole.
Number two, it recognizes that we have to be a participant in
cooperating with other countries in order to solve global problems.
Mr. Speaker, our Appropriations Committee is to be commended for this
strong bipartisan work. Our image in the world has been tarnished by
the foreign policies of this administration, from the war in Iraq to
the rejection of multilateral agreements such to the Kyoto Protocol,
the International Criminal Court, to human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib
and Guantanamo. Through this appropriations measure, we have the
opportunity to send the world a different message about America's
priorities. We do that in this bill by allocating $6.5 billion to
combat global health crises, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and
malaria. We have provided needed help to those suffering from genocide
in Darfur by investing $949 million in development assistance.
We offer needed food, water and shelter for refugees around the
world, and we make good on our obligations to international
organizations investing $334 million in multilateral programs to
address the global challenges, and we pay $1.3 billion in U.N.
peacekeeping operations. The bill also helps protect the American
taxpayer and brings needed accountability from the administration.
I would also like to commend the committee for restoring funding for
a small but extremely important initiative, the Middle East Regional
Cooperation, or MERC program. Established in 1979 by my colleague from
California, MERC provides grants for collaborative scientific research
projects between Israel and its Arab neighbors. MERC grants have made
it possible for many Vermont students to travel to the Middle East to
conduct environmental research at an innovative program called the
Arava Institute.
This incredible program, working together on difficult environmental
problems, has allowed Vermonters and others to live and work alongside
Israeli and Arab colleagues, working together on environmental problems
that affect the entire region. MERC grants have made this experience
possible, and I applaud the committee for working to make sure this
invaluable program receives the funding it deserves.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to supporting important work in the Middle
East, this bill implements needed changes to our policy in another
conflicted region, Colombia, as was eloquently described by the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern). This bill recognizes that
it is time for change in our Colombia policy.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, again I thank my
dear friend for yielding me the time initially.
I would like to, with regard to the issue of the amendment that I
made reference to previously, note that I will be bringing to the floor
along with my friend and colleague, Representative Sires, to restore to
the President's request by offsetting funds from the administration
account billions of dollars of the State Department, approximately $30
million, to bring to the President's request level the assistance for
Cuban democracy programs.
Not today on the floor in the context of the rule but last night in
the Rules Committee, a colleague who previously spoke made reference to
a GAO report to impugn and to impeach the program of assistance to the
Cuban pro-democracy movement and oppose efforts to restore the level to
the President's request.
I have in my office and I highly recommend to all colleagues
precisely that GAO report. We would inform colleagues where to download
it. It is a very important report, and there are a couple of things I
would like to point out from the report that is used to impeach or
attempt to impeach the program and impugn the program, criticize the
program, of assistance to the dissidents in Cuba.
{time} 1145
The GAO report found that from 1996 to 2006, the Cuba program
provided the following assistance:
385,000 pounds of medicine, food, and clothing to the pro-democracy
movement.
More than 23,000 shortwave radios.
Millions of books, newsletters and other informational materials.
U.S. assistance, the GAO found, supported journalism correspondence
courses for more than 200 Cuban journalists.
The publication of approximately 23,000 reports by independent
journalists in Cuba.
And with regard to the recommendations of the GAO report, as you
know, Mr. Speaker, the GAO often when it reviews in-depth, as it does,
a government program or agency, it often recommends cuts in that
program, and the GAO makes no recommendation of a cut. It makes
recommendations for the more efficient running of the Cuban democracy
programs.
And in response to the GAO report, and I have this letter in my
office and it's available to any Member who would like to read it and I
highly recommend it, the agency that administers these programs, the
U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, in a letter dated
January 16 of this
[[Page H6753]]
year, responding to the GAO report, informs specifically, with
specificity, how all of the recommendations of the GAO report have been
implemented.
And so I highly recommend the reading of the GAO report and also the
response by the administrating agency with regard to the implementation
of the recommendations of the GAO report, Mr. Speaker.
It's important that we help those who risk their lives and the safety
of their families day in and day out to achieve freedom, a democratic
transition in our closest neighbor, 90 miles away, that at this time is
a state sponsor of terrorism and an anti-American totalitarian regime.
And what those heroes of the pro-democracy movement are risking their
lives and their families' freedom for is a democratic transition to a
reality with the rule of law, obviously a democratically elected
government that will no longer be allied with state sponsors of
terrorism, anti-American state sponsors of terrorism but that will,
rather, be worried and working for the needs to better the lives of the
long oppressed people within Cuba.
Mr. Speaker, again I thank my good friend Mr. Hastings for yielding
the time. I thank any of my colleagues who may have been listening to
this debate for their attention. Once again I would plead that they
join from both sides of the aisle to bring up to the President's
request the assistance for the Cuba pro-democracy movement.
With that, Mr. Speaker, and acknowledging the complexities and yet
the importance of the underlying legislation brought to the floor today
by this rule, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, America's leadership role is
not limited to the Presidency. Nor does it solely fall upon the
shoulders of this body. Branches of our government must share
responsibility.
During this critical time in world history, when America's image as a
global leader is tarnished and questioned, we must lead from this
Chamber. We must take it upon ourselves to make it possible for
America's image in the world to be restored. We must make it our
business to try and make all that is wrong right.
When America leads in a constructive, inclusive and thoughtful
manner, others in the world follow. This approach toward global
leadership is not, as some have charged, a soft approach to conducting
the war on terrorism. On the contrary, it is a clear recognition that
America cannot do this alone.
If we have learned anything in the last 6 years, it is that no one in
this world is safe from the directions of terrorism. It will take a
global effort to curb the efforts of those who are seeking to destroy
us and others in the world.
But if we have learned anything else during the last 6 years, it is
that the policies of the present administration have failed and
America's standing in the world is in dire need of restoration.
Parts of the Middle East, from Iraq to Gaza, are living in a civil
war. People are dying in Darfur as we and others around the world do
nothing. And children throughout the world are starving to death and
dying of malnourishment and lack of potable fresh water.
The underlying legislation, the first Foreign Operations
appropriations bill of this new Democratic majority, sends a clear
message to our friends and enemies alike that America's priorities in
the world are making must-needed changes.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the
previous question on the resolution.
The previous question was ordered.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________