[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 23969]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          CLEAN DRINKING WATER

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, our Chaplain reminded us that our 
actions on the floor of the House are felt around the world. Well, 
today, one half of the people who are ill around the world are sick 
needlessly from water-borne disease, and up to 5 million are going to 
die this year as a result.
  We know how to solve this problem, and the solution is affordable. 
For less than what it costs our Europeans for perfume in a year, or 
less than what Americans spend on elective surgery, we could fulfill 
the United Nations commitment to cut in half the people without safe 
drinking water and sanitation by the year 2015.
  Sadly, the United States, despite its leadership in the United 
Nations on this issue, still does not have a comprehensive program to 
address this crisis. Our International Relations Committee is sending 
to the floor bipartisan legislation to correct this policy deficiency. 
H.R. 1973, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act, will 
establish safe drinking water and sanitation as a core foreign policy 
principle and create a plan. Today is the last day to add your name to 
the list of sponsors. I ask that you do so before it reaches the floor.

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