The Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 22, 2007)

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2764) making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes:

* Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the realignment of funding for Colombia in the FY2008 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. I would like to begin by thanking Chairwoman Lowey for her leadership on the issues facing Colombia and for crafting such a forward-thinking piece of legislation.

* I visited Colombia a few years ago, and learned so much about that beautiful country. On that trip I heard chilling accounts of the tragedy that our policies have created. A lot has changed since my trip, but many of the fundamental problems still exist, and in some cases, have worsened.

* I heartily support the new balance of aid in the FY2008 Foreign Operations bill. As outlined in the bill, now 55 percent of aid for Colombia will go toward military functions while 45 percent will go to rural development, social development, and strengthening the judicial system. This new approach is a dramatic change that will help remedy the problems that our policies have caused.

* Just this month, the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced that more than 387,900 acres of coca were detected in Colombia in 2006, an increase of 32,120 acres from the previous year. The increase in coca production is a huge blow to the proponents of Plan Colombia, which was created in 2000 to reduce drug cultivation.

* This Foreign Ops bill recognizes the failure of past policies--especially our counter-drug initiatives, and moves U.S. policy in the right direction. The funding in this bill will help families persecuted by paramilitaries, farmers struggling to grow crops other than coca, those displaced by fighting, and the Colombian justice system, which is valiantly struggling to bring justice to victims of violence.

* Thank you, once again to Chairwoman Lowey. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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