[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 102 (Friday, June 22, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1391-E1392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration 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:

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the realignment of 
funding for Colombia in the FY2008 State and Foreign Operations 
Appropriations bill. I would like to begin by thanking Chairwoman Lowey 
for her leadership on the issues facing Colombia and for crafting such 
a forward-thinking piece of legislation.
  I visited Colombia a few years ago, and learned so much about that 
beautiful country. On that trip I heard chilling accounts of the 
tragedy that our policies have created. A lot has changed since my 
trip, but many of the fundamental problems still exist, and in some 
cases, have worsened.
  I heartily support the new balance of aid in the FY2008 Foreign 
Operations bill. As outlined in the bill, now 55 percent of aid for 
Colombia will go toward military functions while 45 percent will go to 
rural development, social development, and strengthening the judicial 
system. This new approach is a dramatic change that will help remedy 
the problems that our policies have caused.
  Just this month, the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced 
that more than 387,900 acres of coca were detected in Colombia in 2006, 
an increase of 32,120 acres from the previous year. The increase in 
coca production is a huge blow to the proponents of Plan Colombia, 
which was created in 2000 to reduce drug cultivation.
  This Foreign Ops bill recognizes the failure of past policies--
especially our counter-drug initiatives, and moves U.S. policy in the 
right direction. The funding in this bill will help families persecuted 
by paramilitaries, farmers struggling to grow crops other than coca,

[[Page E1392]]

those displaced by fighting, and the Colombian justice system, which is 
valiantly struggling to bring justice to victims of violence.
  Thank you, once again to Chairwoman Lowey. I urge all of my 
colleagues to support this important legislation.

                          ____________________