[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17640-17641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      FUNDING FOR EMBASSY SECURITY

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, last week the Senate passed S. 1217, the 
Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill. I want to take a minute 
now to express my serious concerns about the low level of funding for 
embassy security contained in the bill.
  Just about one year ago, two United States embassies in East Africa 
were destroyed by terrorist bombs, killing hundreds of people and 
injuring thousands. The bombings underscored the great vulnerability of 
our diplomatic missions. In response, Congress promptly provided $1.4 
billion in emergency funding to rebuild the two embassies and to take 
other urgent steps to bolster security at overseas missions.

[[Page 17641]]

  Soon thereafter, two panels were convened by the Secretary of State 
to review the bombings. The two commissions were chaired by retired 
Admiral William Crowe, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
and former Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The Crowe commissions 
recommended that the U.S. government devote $1.4 billion per year for 
each of the next ten years to security.
  Unfortunately, the legislation before the Senate falls far short of 
what the Crowe commissions recommended. The bill appropriates just $300 
million for security in the State Department operations accounts, and 
just $110 million for security in the capital account. But of this 
latter amount, only $36 million is provided for construction or 
renovation of new embassies--$264 million below the President's 
request. Moreover, the bill rescinds $58 million in previously-
appropriated funds in this same account. Neither the bill nor the 
Committee report explains how these funds will be restored to meet 
continuing and future needs.
  Finally, the bill denies the Administration's request for $3.6 
billion in advance funding for capital projects for Fiscal Years 2001 
to 2005. The Department based this request on bitter experience. In the 
mid-1980s, after a commission chaired by Admiral Bobby Inman 
recommended massive increases in embassy security, Congress initially 
responded by providing significant funding and significant promises. 
But as the years passed, security became a second-order priority; the 
requested funding for security was denied by Congress, and some of the 
money that had been allocated for security was either rescinded by 
Congress or redirected to other priorities. By the mid-1990s, the Inman 
Commission report was collecting dust on government bookshelves, its 
recommendations barely recalled, and funding for security had been 
reduced considerably.
  So, understandably, the State Department is skeptical that the grand 
promises made in the wake of the embassy bombings will be fulfilled. 
With considerable justification, the State Department experts have told 
Congress that it can best move forward on a sensible and rational 
construction program if it can be assured in advance of the necessary 
funds. Otherwise, the Department of State rightly fears, we will see a 
repeat of the experience after the Inman Commission.
  The Committee on Foreign Relations, and then the full Senate, 
responded to this plea by providing a $3 billion authorization over 
five years in S. 886, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. But that 
was just the first step. The authorization will be useless without 
appropriations. Unfortunately, the Committee on Appropriations has 
ignored the State Department's request in this bill.
  I believe this bill breaks faith with the bold promises that were 
made in the wake of the embassy bombings last summer. We need to do 
much, much more to protect our dedicated public servants working 
overseas. I strongly urge the chairman and ranking member to look for 
additional resources to fund this important account, without 
compromising the other important foreign affairs accounts.

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