[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24185]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       FOREIGN AID ACCOUNTABILITY

  (Mr. CHABOT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, Federal investigators are still sorting 
through the evidence in what may well be the biggest money laundering 
scandal in U.S. history.
  The United States has provided billions of dollars in direct foreign 
aid to Russia since the breakup of the foreign Soviet Union. Much of 
the money is missing, unaccounted for. The taxpayers have also 
underwritten billions more in International Monetary Fund commitments. 
What we are apparently seeing right now is a pretty good example of 
what happens when we throw good money after bad. Let us face it, 
someone has been asleep at the switch.
  This Congress is doing the right thing by reducing foreign aid 
spending, as we voted to do just last night, President Clinton's 
objections notwithstanding. But we need to do more. We need to make 
sure that the Clinton administration ensures that our tax dollars are 
not being diverted inappropriately or outright stolen. We need to 
ensure that somebody is looking out for the American taxpayers. We need 
some accountability, finally, at the White House.

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