[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 103 (Friday, July 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1722-E1723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 9, 2009

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the 
Fiscal Year 2010 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. I'd 
like to thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger for their 
hard work on this bill and take a moment to explain the need for this 
important piece of legislation.
  This bill improves America's leadership in the fight against global 
poverty and disease. As Congress continues to debate the efficacy of 
our foreign aid against the backdrop of a post-9/11 world, many 
Americans do not make the connection between national security and 
development.

[[Page E1723]]

  It's more than just a moral problem that billions of people around 
the world are struggling to survive. It is also in our security 
interest as a nation. Populations that struggle in extreme poverty are 
more likely to become mired in destabilizing conflicts, or worse, 
become havens or recruiting grounds for terrorist organizations. Taking 
action to help lift people out of poverty and addressing the critical 
issues that go hand-in-hand with poverty will help prevent threats to 
U.S. security, and will also help create goodwill toward the U.S. in 
places where it is desperately needed.
  The United States sits near the bottom of government aid donations by 
country wealth, donating just 0.18% of our national income. Now is the 
time to bolster our funding and development efforts to developing 
countries. The current economic climate is seriously impacting 
developing countries and they are in dire need of our assistance. 
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and 
Development, world trade is in the largest decline since 1929, and 
commodity prices, particularly for exports from developing countries, 
are falling.
  I am pleased to see that this legislation contains $13.4 billion for 
national security, counterterrorism and counternarcotics programs, 
including significant funding for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Yet, 
the funding focus in recent years on defense, while vital in our fight 
against extremism, has left behind the other D's--diplomacy and 
development. This bill helps remedy that by reforming and rebuilding 
America's diplomatic and development capacity. While it does not meet 
the full request by the President, the bill provides funding to hire 
1,000 new State Department personnel and 300 new USAID personnel.
  Unfortunately, U.S. efforts remain insufficient to counter violent 
extremist narratives around the world. Terrorist groups aggressively 
push their narrative through new and traditional media. I was pleased 
to see increased funding for public diplomacy programs in the FY2010 
bill. The increase would support at least 20 new public diplomacy 
positions. Importantly, the funding also continues imperative programs 
which include the counterterrorism communication center, and the 
digital outreach team focused on engaging Arabic language websites to 
impart accurate information and counter misinformation about the United 
States. Strategic communication and public diplomacy should be at the 
front-and-center as we work to roll back al-Qaeda's and other violent 
extremists' influence among disaffected populations.
  I would be remiss not to mention funding for the Millennium Challenge 
Account (MCA) which was increased over the current level. I am 
disappointed, however, that the allocation was less than the 
President's request. As the bill progresses I would urge continued 
support for global poverty reduction by funding the MCA at no less than 
the $1.4 billion allocated in this legislation. The Millennium 
Challenge Corporation's (MCC's) model of combating global poverty 
through initiatives that remove barriers to economic growth has not 
only been hailed as innovative, it has provided an effective complement 
to existing development aid streams.
  The bill also provides $156 million for health and development 
assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and prioritizes 
peacekeeping operations funding for the country. I witnessed the urgent 
need for this funding first hand when I visited the DRC earlier this 
spring. This bill includes funding for addressing gender-based violence 
and I would hope that priority is given to the areas in conflict and 
post-conflict such as the DRC which are afflicted most by these 
dehumanizing acts. Too often in these areas acts of rape and sexual 
abuse are, unfortunately, common events. Gender-based violence is a 
major public health and human rights problem throughout the world and 
it is most apparent in the DRC. There, a devastatingly high percentage 
of girls are reported to have been raped. Yet, this is only a fraction 
of the actual number as most cases are unreported.
  Again, I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger for their 
work on this legislation and urge my colleagues to support its passage. 
This bill would advance our ability to combat global poverty and is 
critical to our country's ability to address today's threats.

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