[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16952]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 15, 2004

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4818) making 
     appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and 
     related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2005, and for other purposes:

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman Kolbe and 
Ranking Member Lowey of the Foreign Operations Appropriations 
Subcommittee, as well as others on the Committee, for their support of 
funding for Latin America. On average, funding for programs in Latin 
and Central America was slashed by 11 percent from fiscal year 2004 
levels in the President's fiscal year 2005 budget. As the Chair of the 
International Relations Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus, I was outraged to see that the President's budget cut 
development assistance to the region by almost 10 percent and child 
survival and health programs by almost 12 percent from fiscal year 2004 
funding levels. While decreasing assistance funding in Latin America, 
the Administration has planned to increase foreign aid in other parts 
of the world. My colleagues on the Committee have committed to undo 
this injustice to Latin America and have directed funding for the 
region at at least fiscal year 2004 levels.
  It is critical that we extend assistance to Latin America. In this 
region, extreme poverty, hunger, and economic disenfranchisement are 
resulting in instability--preventing democracy from taking root and 
growing. We should reach out to our neighbors and allies, working 
together to make the future brighter for thousands of children living 
in poverty and hunger throughout Latin America.
  For this reason, I am pleased that the Committee has included 
language that is strongly supportive of the Cooperative Association of 
States for Scholarships (CASS) Program funded by the U.S. Agency for 
International Development under this legislation. As the Committee 
report indicates, this program has been highly effective in fostering 
economic growth and development in a number of countries in Central 
America and the Caribbean. I am also pleased to say that CASS students 
who have studied over the years at El Paso Community College have added 
greatly to the vitality of that campus. Furthermore, those students 
have, as part of their program, extended themselves through valuable 
community service in the El Paso area.
  I took special note of the reference to the long history CASS has had 
in Haiti. Indeed, I have had the chance to learn about CASS 
participants from Haiti and how they have returned to their home 
country to make real contributions to strengthening the economy of that 
nation which desperately needs their help and that of the international 
community. They have gone into fields such as computer technology, 
management of micro-enterprise development, drug abuse prevention and 
development of sustainable agriculture. Their life stories since 
participating in CASS make clear that this program is effectively 
achieving its mission.
  In light of the fact that the bill also provides an additional $50 
million for Haiti through the Economic Support Fund, I hope that the 
Committee will join me in encouraging USAID to commit a portion of 
those additional funds specifically to expanding the CASS program in 
Haiti. The success of the program there and its strength in training 
individuals in fields which can truly make a difference in Haiti's 
future: infrastructure repair, environmental management, sustainable 
agriculture, among others, offer an opportunity to see that these 
additional funds are put to work quickly through a program that will, 
no doubt, bring quick returns in terms of enhanced economic and social 
well being for the people of Haiti.
  Again, I appreciate the Committee's attention to this particular 
program, and I hope that through CASS and other programs, we will seize 
the opportunity to assist our neighbors through the promotion of 
economic and social development in Latin America. I appreciate the 
Committee leadership's commitment to work on further increasing funding 
for the Latin America region during conference and I lend my support to 
that effort.

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