[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2010 AND 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. TODD TIAHRT

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 10, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2410) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Department of State and the 
     Peace Corps for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, to modernize the 
     Foreign Service, and for other purposes:

  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Chair, H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization 
Act, authorizes funding for the Department of State, the United States 
Peace Corps, and various international organizations. I cannot support 
H.R. 2410. This legislation recklessly overspends American tax dollars, 
fails to enact any much-needed reforms of international organizations, 
and actively supports a radical social agenda that conflicts with the 
majority views of the American people.
  By authorizing more than $40 billion over five years, the House 
Democrats are again recklessly spending money that the American people 
do not have. At a time when so many Americans are struggling to make 
ends meet, exorbitant increases in foreign policy spending are 
absolutely inappropriate.
  H.R. 2410 authorizes additional funding of 13 percent for the State 
Department, 32.4 percent for the Peace Corps, and 35 percent for State 
Department salaries. These types of increases clear demonstrate that 
Congressional Democrats are failing to be good stewards of the nation's 
treasury.
  H.R. 2410 also provides billions of dollars for the United Nations 
and other international organizations without demanding any reforms. 
Without serious reforms the United Nations will continue to fail to 
meet the challenges facing our world. This legislation does nothing to 
reformulate the U.S. payments to the United Nations to more accurately 
reflect current economic conditions. It fails to implement a code of 
conduct for UN employees, does nothing to reform UN procurement or 
budgetary procedures, fails to freeze the UN budget, and does not 
address the UN's continued push for an international tax. Providing 
billions of American tax dollars without conditions weakens any effort 
to bring about meaningful reform.
  Most concerning, though, is that H.R. 2410 aggressively advocates for 
a radical social agenda. American foreign policy should advocate for 
the national interests of the American people, not a divisive, 
extremist policy to placate liberal activists.
  First, this legislation establishes an Office for Global Women's 
Issues to promote the task of ``women's empowerment internationally.'' 
Given the rescission of the Mexico City Policy and this 
administration's strong commitment to abortion, there were serious 
concerns that this office will be used to promote the legalization of 
abortion abroad. The Obama administration and Democrat leadership 
clearly intend to use this office to promote international abortions.
  All doubt was removed when Republicans offered a substitute amendment 
to ensure this office would not advocate for international abortions. 
It was defeated on a party-line vote.
  H.R. 2410 also takes an extraordinary step to require the Bureau for 
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to track violence or restrictions 
based on ``perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.'' The bill 
would also require that the annual human rights report include 
information about violence or discrimination based on ``perceived 
sexual orientation or gender identity.'' Finally, the bill would 
require Foreign Service officers to take instruction on identifying 
violence or discrimination based on ``perceived sexual orientation or 
gender identity.'' Our tax dollars are not well spent monitoring the 
treatment of homosexuals worldwide.
  This legislation furthermore mandates that American diplomats make 
overturning other country's laws regarding homosexuality a foreign 
policy priority. During committee consideration of the bill, Rep. Mike 
Pence offered an amendment that charged the State Department with 
continuing in their work to ``to protect all people against gross 
violations of internationally recognized human rights, as described in 
section 116(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.'' This language 
would have committed the U.S. to the protection of homosexual people--
as they would any person--against torture, cruel, inhuman treatment, or 
``other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, and the security 
of person.'' Unfortunately, this amendment was voted down by committee 
Democrats.
  U.S. foreign policy should be focused on progressing clear national 
security interests of the American people. Carving out special 
considerations regarding homosexuality, irrespective of larger foreign 
policy goals, could hinder vital diplomatic efforts. U.S. foreign 
policy should not be used as to promote special interests concerns, but 
the vital common strategic interests of this nation.
  Mr. Chair, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in 
opposing H.R. 2410.

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