[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2719-2720]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          COLOMBIA AID PACKAGE

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, soon the House is expected to consider 
the supplemental appropriations bill which contains the Colombia aid 
package. While this package is far from perfect, it is essential that 
we pass it now. Failure to do so would send a signal to the drug 
cartels in Colombia that this Congress is not serious about helping 
Colombia fight the war on drugs.
  In fact, delaying the passage of this bill any further has and will 
lead to increased violence in Colombia. On March 8, just last week, for 
example, 100 guerillas from the drug cartel-backed FARC attacked a 
village 250 miles south of Bogota and released 92 of their compatriots 
who were imprisoned there. No doubt further delays will lead to more 
and even more bolder attacks.
  This recent attack should present us with the more clear evidence 
that any

[[Page 2720]]

further delay in passing a comprehensive aid package to Colombia will 
result in more violence, more attacks, and could threaten the very 
existence of the Colombian government.
  Mr. Speaker, if we fail to act now, we will leave our friends in 
Colombia vulnerable to the narcoterrorists who will freely build their 
power and wealth upon the broken lives of our children. I urge support 
for the supplemental.

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