[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5145-H5149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SANITATION
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 318) supporting the goals and
ideals of the International Year of Sanitation, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 318
Whereas, in 2000, the United States, along with other world
leaders, at the 55th United Nations General Assembly,
committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals which
provide a framework for countries and international
organizations to combat such global social ills as poverty,
hunger, and disease;
Whereas one target of the Millennium Development Goals is
to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to
safe drinking water and basic sanitation, the only target to
be codified into United States law in the Senator Paul Simon
Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121);
[[Page H5146]]
Whereas the lack of access to safe water and sanitation is
one of the most pressing environmental public health issues
in the world;
Whereas over 1,000,000,000 people live without potable
water and an estimated 2,600,000,000 people do not have
access to basic sanitation facilities, which includes
980,000,000 children;
Whereas every 20 seconds a child dies as a direct result of
a lack of access to basic sanitation facilities;
Whereas only 36 percent of sub-Saharan Africa and 37
percent of South Asia have access to safe drinking water and
sanitation, the lowest rates in the world;
Whereas at any one time almost half of the developing
world's people are suffering from diseases associated with
lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene;
Whereas improved sanitation decreases the incidences of
debilitating and deadly maladies such as cholera, intestinal
worms, diarrhea, pneumonia, dysentery, and skin infections;
Whereas sanitation is the foundation of health, dignity,
and development;
Whereas increased sanitation is fundamental for reaching
all of the Millennium Development Goals;
Whereas access to basic sanitation helps economic and
social development in countries where poor sanitation is a
major cause of lost work and school days because of illness;
Whereas sanitation in schools enables children,
particularly girls reaching puberty, to remain in the
educational system;
Whereas according to the World Health Organization, every
dollar spent on proper sanitation by governments generates an
average of $7 in economic benefit;
Whereas improved disposal of human waste protects the
quality of water sources used for drinking, preparation of
food, agriculture, and bathing;
Whereas, in 2006, the United Nations, at the 61st Session
of the General Assembly, declared 2008 as the International
Year of Sanitation to recognize the progress made in
achieving the global sanitation target detailed in the
Millennium Development Goals, as well as to call upon all
Member States, United Nations agencies, regional and
international organizations, civil society organizations, and
other relevant stakeholders to renew their commitment to
attaining that target;
Whereas the official launching of the International Year of
Sanitation at the United Nations was on November 21, 2007;
and
Whereas the thrust of the International Year of Sanitation
has three parts, including--
(1) raising awareness of the importance of sanitation and
its impact on reaching other Millennium Development Goals;
(2) encouraging governments and their partners to promote
and implement policies and actions for meeting the sanitation
target; and
(3) mobilizing communities, particularly women's groups,
towards changing sanitation and hygiene practices through
sanitation health education campaigns: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of the International Year
of Sanitation;
(2) recognizes the importance of sanitation on public
health, poverty reduction, economic and social development,
and the environment; and
(3) encourages the people of the United States to observe
the International Year of Sanitation with appropriate
recognition, ceremonies, activities, and programs to
demonstrate the importance of sanitation and hygiene in
achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and to support
developing countries in their efforts to achieve the
Millennium Development Goal target on basic sanitation among
populations at greatest need.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Payne) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution
and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
First of all, I'd like to thank my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs
Committee, Ranking Member Chris Smith and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-
Lee as well as Representative Chris Shays for being lead sponsors on
H.Con.Res 318, which supports the United Nations Declaration of 2008 as
the International Year of Sanitation. Their bipartisan support has
helped to bring this resolution to the floor for a vote. I also would
like to thank Senator Richard Durbin, who introduced the Senate
companion to this concurrent resolution.
In September 2000, the United Nations adopted the eight Millennium
Development Goals to challenge the global community to reduce poverty
and increase the health and well-being of all peoples. Two years later,
in September of 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg, the United States and the rest of the international
community reaffirmed these goals and added access to basic sanitation
as a centerpiece of the poverty eradication commitments. The target to
halve the proportion of people without access to the basic sanitation
by 2015 was defined in the Johannesburg Plan of Action.
In September of 2005, President Bush addressed the United Nations
General Assembly, at which time, as I was the U.S. delegate from the
House to the United Nations, I was very pleased that President Bush
recommitted the United States to achieving the Millennium Development
Goals.
Last year, the United Nations declared 2008 as the International Year
of Sanitation in order to recognize the great strides that have been
made towards increasing access to sanitation for people around the
world. However, it is also a time to galvanize member nations, U.N.
agencies, regional and international organizations, and other relevant
stakeholders to renew their commitment.
Access to basic sanitation is something so simple, yet so fundamental
to everyday life. Well, simple, at least, for the majority of people
who live in the developed world. An estimated 2.6 billion people live
in an environment where they do not have access to proper toilet
facilities and human waste cannot be properly disposed. And
approximately 1.1 billion people have no access to any type of improved
drinking sources of water. As a direct consequence, over 1.6 million
people die every year from easily preventable diseases attributable to
lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Ninety
percent of those are children under five, mostly in developing
countries.
This lack of access to basic sanitation affects everything from how
food is grown and prepared to the ability of girls and young women to
attend school. Sanitation is an obvious issue of health, but also one
of dignity, physical safety and development.
Halving the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation
is a target of the seventh Millennium Development Goal, which is to
ensure environmental sustainability. In fact, it is vital to the
success of other Millennium Development Goal targets in order for them
to reach their goal.
Access to proper sanitation is essential to reducing childhood and
maternal mortality. It can help reduce the symptoms associated with HIV
and AIDS. It can also improve the living conditions of 100 million-plus
people living in slums.
{time} 1400
The dividends that increased access to basic sanitation pay are
multifold. Depending on the region of the world, economic benefits have
been estimated to range from $3 to $34 for each dollar invested in
access to basic sanitation and safe water. According to the United
Nations, meeting this MDG target will yield nearly $200 billion in
annual benefits. If we meet this goal, people and governments will save
more than $500 million in direct health treatment costs and get back
more than 3 billion working days that are now lost to sanitation-
related illnesses. Reducing the incidences to sanitation-related
diseases will add nearly 200 million days of school attendance.
As we in Congress work to increase access to lifesaving medication
and strengthening health care infrastructures, we must remember that
the success of such initiatives is, in part, dependent upon individuals
having access to basic sanitation. Let us use this time to also refocus
our efforts on strengthening one of the basic pillars upon which global
health must stand, proper sanitation.
I strongly support this resolution and ask that my colleagues back H.
Con. Res. 318, which supports the ideals and goals of the International
Year of Sanitation.
I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
[[Page H5147]]
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution
318, authored by my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
Lack of access to clean drinking water and sanitation are indeed some
of the most pressing environmental public health issues in the world.
Today, an estimated 2.6 billion people, including almost 1 billion
children, live without access to basic sanitation facilities. Every 20
seconds, a child dies as a direct result.
In fact, it is estimated that nearly half the developing world
suffers from preventable diseases associated with the lack of access to
clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Without sufficient access to these
services, countries, communities and families become susceptible to and
are often defenseless against life-threatening diseases and infections
which perpetuate this horrible cycle of poverty.
As this resolution notes, sanitation improves health. It saves lives.
It protects the environment. It improves economies. And it contributes
to human dignity and social development. It is imperative that the
United States and the international community work together to achieve
the goals of the Millennium Development Account and significantly
reduce the number of people suffering from a lack of sanitation and
clean water.
Another pressing issue is one that underscores the potentially grave
future that we may face if we don't immediately address rising energy
costs and find alternative sources of energy to carry out our daily
tasks, some critical tasks such as the energy required to filter our
water supply. This resolution also reminds us, however, that necessity
is the mother of invention, and that human beings have the potential to
achieve any task necessary to improve living conditions.
How does it remind us of this? In Africa, for example, where there
are areas that lack consistent and dependable sources of oil to produce
electricity, they must develop and rely on alternative methods,
sometimes primitive ones, such as fire for boiling water to avoid
disease. Again, in the most remote region of the world, we are thinking
of alternative sources and alternative methods. We here must also think
and seek alternative clean energy. Will we wait until circumstances are
so dire that American will be forced to boil their water in their
backyards to conserve the little energy available because we failed to
develop alternative sources today?
Just as we seek to foster ingenuity in the developing world to
provide greater access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation in
resource-poor settings, we must foster such ingenuity in our own energy
sector.
I thank Chairman Payne for introducing this timely resolution which
highlights the important issues of clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
And I urge my colleagues to fully support House Concurrent Resolution
318.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PAYNE. I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas,
Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee.
(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise
and extend her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I would like to thank the distinguished
gentleman and the ranking member of the subcommittee and the chairman
and the ranking member of the full committee. I would like to thank
Chairman Payne in particular for introducing this important resolution.
And I am very proud to cosponsor it because it is clearly a life-and-
death matter. When you talk about sanitation and the removal of waste
and the removal of sewage, you are talking about the lives of children.
And as the cochair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, let me
acknowledge that the most vulnerable to unsanitary conditions are
children. In the disease that spreads, they are, in fact, the victims.
Global sanitation coverage has increased from 49 to 59 percent
between 1990 and 2004. And that is, in essence, allowing over 1 billion
people throughout the world to gain improved sanitation in the past 14
years. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and, of course, young children
are, in fact, the bigger victims.
I am particularly troubled that 90 percent of these deaths that I
have mentioned of those who died because of lack of access to safe
drinking water and basic sanitation are children under 5, mostly in
developing countries. As I mentioned, children are particularly hard
hit by poor sanitation, paying a high price through missed schooling,
disease, malnutrition and even death. An estimated 1.5 million children
die each year due to poor sanitation, hygiene and unsafe water. UNICEF
reports that girls are particularly vulnerable, missing out on
schooling once they hit puberty, due to the lack of clean and safe
latrines.
As the world's only remaining superpower, I think it is important to
avert this humanitarian crisis. Chairman Payne, I believe that this is
an important, constructive way of avoiding this massive death. Simply
put, the Millennium Development Goal on basic sanitation would avert
470,000 deaths. And it would continue to do so. According to economic
analysis, depending on the region of the world, economic benefits have
been estimated to range from $3 to $34 for each dollar invested in it.
Let me just indicate that this is common sense. It is, again, human
dignity. And as I close, let me also add my support for H. Con. Res.
337 honoring the Seeds of Peace. It is a program that I am very much
aware of, having participated with the young people who have come from
Israel and Palestine who have sat down together as teenagers and said
we want peace. It was founded by John Wallach. Seeds of Peace initially
brought 46 Israeli and Arab youths together. It has spread now to
Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, the Balkans, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
These summer camps are enormously important. Again, the Congressional
Children's Caucus believes that children are not only our tomorrows,
they are our yesterdays and todays.
And I want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his
leadership in these areas. And with that I ask my colleagues to support
H. Con. Res. 318 and as well the following bill H. Con. Res. 337. And
again, I thank Mr. Payne for his leadership.
I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 318, ``supporting the
goals and ideals of the International Year of Sanitation.'' I would
like to thank my colleague Congressman Payne for introducing this
important resolution, which I am proud to cosponsor, as well as the
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Berman, for
his leadership in bringing this resolution to the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, In 2007, the United Nations declared 2008 to be the
International Year of Sanitation, to raise awareness of the importance
of sanitation and its impact on reaching other Millennium Development
Goals and to recognize progress made in achieving the global sanitation
target detailed in the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, the
International Year of Sanitation is intended to call upon all Member
States, United Nations agencies, regional and international
organizations, civil society organizations, and other relevant
stakeholders to renew their commitment to attaining the target.
As my colleagues are aware, in September 2000, the United Nations
adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that challenged
the global community to reduce poverty and increase the health and
well-being of all peoples. Two years later, in September 2002, at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the United
States and the rest of the international community reaffirmed these
goals and added access to basic sanitation as a centerpiece of the
poverty eradication commitments. The target to halve the proportion of
people without access to basic sanitation by 2015 was defined in the
Johannesburg Plan of Action.
We have begun to make important progress. Over one billion people,
throughout the world, have gained access to improved sanitation in the
past 14 years. Global sanitation coverage has increased from 49 percent
to 59 percent between 1990 and 2004. These gains represent substantial
improvements in the quality of life and basic health for countless
people.
Mr. Speaker, despite the establishment of these goals, billions of
people still lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and we
are not on target to meet the Millennium Development Goal to reduce by
half the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by
2015. Today, over 2.4 billion people--half the developing world--lack
access to basic sanitation and 1.1 billion people have no access to any
type of improved drinking source of water. As a direct consequence,
over 1.6 million people die every year from easily preventable diseases
attributable to lack
[[Page H5148]]
of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
As Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I am particularly
troubled that 90 percent of these deaths are children under 5, mostly
in developing countries. Children are particularly hard hit by poor
sanitation, paying a high price through missed schooling, disease,
malnutrition, and even death. An estimated 1.5 million children under
five die each year due to poor sanitation, hygiene, and unsafe water.
In addition to claiming too many young lives, poor sanitation reduces
children's ability to grow and develop, stunting the economic and
social development of the entire nation. UNICEF reports that girls are
particularly vulnerable, missing out on schooling once they hit puberty
due to the lack of clean and safe latrines.
As the world's only remaining superpower, the United States has a
moral obligation to take the lead in averting humanitarian catastrophe.
Increased access to sanitation would have an enormous impact on the
lives of people throughout the world. Simply put, meeting the
Millennium Development Goal on basic sanitation would avert 470,000
deaths. In addition, achieving the target would bring enormous economic
gains. Meeting the Millennium Development Goal would result in an extra
320 million productive working days every year, and would bring
considerable benefits to investment. According to economic analysis,
depending on the region of the world, economic benefits have been
estimated to range from $3 to $34 for each dollar invested in access to
basic sanitation and safe water.
Mr. Speaker, even as our attention is consumed by rising food and
fuel prices, it is vital that we do not lose focus of the equally vital
goal of basic sanitation. The resolution that we are considering today
recognizes the importance of sanitation on public health, poverty
reduction, economic and social development, and the environment and
encourages all Americans to observe the International Year of
Sanitation with appropriate recognition, ceremonies, activities, and
programs to demonstrate the importance of sanitation, hygiene, and
access to safe drinking water in achieving the Millennium Development
Goals.
Mr. Speaker, the benefits of meeting the Millennium Development Goal
on basic sanitation would be dramatic and global. We have the
opportunity to drastically improve the international community's
ability to reduce global poverty, and to improve the health of people
worldwide. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this
important resolution.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield 5
minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the ranking
member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. I hope that he
addresses not just this resolution, but the one before us on human
rights.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend, the ranking member,
for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and didn't get here in time
to speak on the resolution lauding the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is among the most durable,
enduring, inspiring and historic set of fundamental principles ever
enunciated by anyone ever in history. It ranks right up there with the
Magna Carta. It ranks right up there with the U.S. Bill of Rights,
which obviously enumerated a number of our fundamental freedoms that we
love and enjoy as Americans.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 60 years after its
adoption, continues to serve as a backdrop to judge government policies
and behaviors toward its citizens. And that is especially important as
to how a government treats the weak, its most vulnerable and those who
might otherwise be disenfranchised.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a promissory note. It's
a paper promise that must be backed by deeds. It has only, however,
been realized in part over the last 60 years. It is a work in progress.
The Declaration inspires people to realize that they, as human beings,
endowed by God, by our Creator, with certain inalienable rights, ought
to fight for those rights. And this gives them a very useful tool in
that endeavor, a means to that end.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has emphasized a number of
important and hallowed rights, including religious freedom, the right
to life, freedom from torture, equal protection, due process, labor
nights and freedom of assembly. Under it, no one should ever be left
behind. And that means that regardless of race, ethnicity, age,
disability, or condition of dependency, no one should be left behind.
We know in many countries of the world, sadly that is not the case.
In places like the People's Republic of China, human rights are
systematically and pervasively violated by Beijing, whether it be
religious freedom or the outrages we recently saw in Tibet, where the
government crackdown crushed dissent with an iron fist. China
persecutes the Uighurs in the autonomous region and families, especally
women as part of their draconian one-child-per-couple policy which has
made brothers and sisters illegal throughout China. That's right.
Brothers and sisters are illegal in the People's Republic of China. A
couple is required to get government permission to have a child. And
forced abortion and huge fines are imposed on women and men who do not
submit to the plan. In Burma and North Korea, human rights are also
violated with grave impunity. And the U.N. Human Rights Council and
other bodies of the U.N. need to do more to implement the intent of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sadly, they have largely failed.
We have seen a very disturbing rise in anti-Semitism throughout
Europe, certainly in the Middle East, and even in the United States and
Canada. That too has to be combated. We see a rise in modern-day
slavery, human trafficking--sex trafficking or labor trafficking. That
needs to be combated and eradicated and victims assisted. Everyone
should be free of that kind of terrible and despicable mistreatment.
The Sudan, Zimbabwe, the genocide occurring in the Darfur region of
Sudan is also a grave violation of human rights, completely
antithetical to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Like the
last, this is a century of victims.
And let me say before the West gets too smug about how well we are
doing, we, too, have our problems. We see them every day. We have
fallen short of the standard. I respectfully submit to my colleagues
that we have failed to treat the defenseless unborn child with
compassion and justice. We know now more than we have ever known before
about the magnificent world of an unborn child. Ultrasound, 4-D
ultrasound, the ability to do intrauterine blood transfusions and
microsurgery have shattered the myth that an unborn child is somehow
not human or alive. Of course they are. We know that these babies are
society's littlest patients, in need of care and love, increasingly
surviving at earlier, earlier times if born prematurely.
Abortion needs to be looked at, in my opinion, Mr. Speaker, as a
serious violation of human rights. Abortion is violence against
children. The dismemberment or chemical poisoning of a baby is
antithetical to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All abuse is
contrary to the Declaration and that holds true no matter how old you
are, and that includes unborn children. We also know abortion hurts
women psychologically and physically. And that evidence grows by the
day.
So I would hope that we would look at human rights as being for
everyone, at all times, regardless of age, condition of dependency,
regardless of race, no matter where you live. The universal declaration
is for you. We need to speak out more boldly with better, more focused
appeals employing all the tools at our disposal, linking sanctions and
withholding of certain aid if a country doesn't live up to the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Again, the Declaration is a backdrop. And I hope that we do even
better than we have in the past. The past has been checkered. Certainly
we have moved the ball down the court. Much more needs to be done
however to respect everyone's fundamental human rights.
I thank my colleagues.
Mr. PAYNE. I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon, the member
of the Budget Committee and one of the leading environmentalists in the
House, Mr. Blumenauer.
{time} 1415
Mr. BLUMENAUER. I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy, as I
appreciate his leadership on this, and look forward to watching this
legislation pass today.
It was my pleasure to be in Johannesburg in 2002 when sanitation was
added to the Millennium Challenge Development Goal to create a
comprehensive framework for the needs of the world's poorest. But I am
saddened
[[Page H5149]]
that we are here today, still repeating those horrible statistics about
over 1 billion who lack access to safe drinking water, more than 2
billion who lack access to sanitation.
I would only take exception to my good friend from Florida's comments
a moment ago, because I have been told that a child dies needlessly
every 15 seconds. But whether it is 20 seconds or 15 seconds, it is
absolutely scandalous that in this day and age, when we know what to
do, when for less than the price of a take-out pizza per year per
family, the United States alone could be transformational on that. One
reflects on what difference it would make, not just those children that
wouldn't die needlessly. It would translate into over one-quarter
billion additional days in school. It would save over $7 billion in
unnecessary medical costs. It would allow one-third of a trillion
working days for young people from age 15 to 39 worldwide. And, make no
mistake about it, it makes a difference for those of us in the United
States.
First of all, pollution any place in the world finds its way into the
water supply and makes a difference for us. Make no mistake, that at a
time when virtually no one in the world is more than 24 hours away from
anybody else watching disease break forth unnecessarily, it is not just
a tragedy in some remote village or some southern hemisphere megacity.
It can make a difference for the health of Americans here and abroad.
And when the CIA has identified urban instability and decay as one of
the seven greatest causes of threats to our security, this compounds
our problem with global unrest and terrorism.
I am pleased that we have been able to work together with Mr. Payne.
In my prior tenure on the Foreign Affairs Committee, we passed the
Water for the Poor Act in 2005 and acknowledged the late Mr. Lantos and
former colleagues Leach, Hyde and Senator Frist. But we are not even
fully implementing that legislation 3 years later. I commend the
gentleman for his oversight hearing to help the Department of State to
understand what is going to be necessary to fully implement this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, we are halfway through the International Year of
Sanitation. It is time for us to reflect on what we are going to do
about this problem. This isn't some remote goal that is beyond our
capacity. Girl Scout troops, churches, synagogues and Rotary Clubs know
what to do and in fact they are acting at a grassroots level to do
something about it. We in Congress need to do our job supporting Mr.
Payne with the accountability of the State Department.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Serrano). The time of the gentleman has
expired.
Mr. PAYNE. I yield an additional minute to the gentleman from Oregon.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. One of the most important things we can do is to work
to transfer unnecessary military assistance. The United States is
lavishing huge sums of money for military aid on countries like Egypt
and Pakistan, where it is dubious in terms of the outcome of security
for us or anybody else, but they have populations that are desperately
in need of clean water and sanitation. We need to reorder our
priorities to be able to achieve this goal.
Back in 2002 when we added sanitation, 2015 seemed like a long way
away. Well, we are halfway there, in terms of time, but we are not
halfway there in terms of accomplishment. I hope that this resolution
will be a little nudge to us all to make sure that we do our part. I
appreciate the gentleman's courtesy and his leadership.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
so I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say that I urge support
of this resolution. As the previous speaker indicated, we passed
legislation called Water For the Poor, and in our oversight hearing I
was looking for places like Burkina Faso in Niger that had no water,
but found that the money was allocated to Iraq and Afghanistan. ``Water
for the Poor'' was what it was called, not ``Water for the War.''
So we need to be sure that when we pass legislation, that it goes to
the intended recipients and not for other purposes. If other purposes
must be done, put them in another budget. There is plenty of money in
other budgets and no one ever opposes them. So put it over there, and
leave our Water for the Poor for the countries that are actually and
really poor.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Serrano). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
318, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________