The Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 (CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008) -- (House of Representatives - December 19, 2007)
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Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the House amendment to H.R. 2764 to highlight the key elements of division J, the Department of State, foreign operations, export financing, and related programs appropriations act of fiscal year 2008.
This amendment reflects a bipartisan, bicameral process. We worked tirelessly with ranking member WOLF, Senator LEAHY, and Senator GREGG to create a product that addresses our strategic priorities and our national security interests, as well as increases assistance for programs that promote development, reduce poverty, meet humanitarian needs and respond to global health crises.
Despite our bipartisanship, the President's intransigence forced us to make difficult cuts to worthy programs. His unwillingness to compromise with Congress, while spending $12 billion a month in Iraq, is both fiscally and
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morally irresponsible. We have worked to limit the damage of this President's misplaced priorities, and I appreciate Chairman OBEY and Speaker PELOSI's commitment to robust foreign assistance.
Division J includes over $5.3 billion for State Department operations in the United States and abroad, and exceeds the President's request for worldwide security protection to ensure that our diplomats and development workers remain safe and secure. It also provides $501 million for educational and cultural exchanges, and $366 million for public diplomacy.
PROMOTING NATIONAL SECURITY THROUGH SUPPORT FOR STRATEGIC PARTNERS
The bill also provides $7.5 billion in economic and military assistance for our strategic partners throughout the world, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Indonesia among other countries. It fully meets the President's request of $2.4 billion for Israel and $1.715 billion for Egypt, excluding the 0.81% across-the-board cut required to reach agreement with the President, and provides assistance to Jordan, including debt relief critical to its economic revitalization.
ADDRESSING GLOBAL HEALTH AND HUMANITARIAN CRISES AND PROMOTING PEACE
Combating global health threats--including tuberculosis, avian flu, HIV/AIDS, and malaria--is a security imperative as well as a moral responsibility. We are leading the fight against HIV/AIDS and other global health emergencies--providing $6.5 billion, $796 million above the President's request and $1.4 billion over fiscal year 2007, to address these critical needs. Within the total provided for global health, $5 billion is for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care efforts internationally, $544 million above the President's request. We have also included, government-wide, $841 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria.
I must express my great disappointment that President Bush was willing to veto this entire vital bill because it would have allowed the U.S. to send contraceptives to poor men and women around the world. The President's dogmatic adherence to an illogical position diminishes our influence around the world and thwarts one of the most effective strategies for stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS and reducing unintended pregnancies and abortions. This is a fight we cannot win if our policy continues to put ideology ahead of proven results, and I will continue fighting to restore common sense to our international family planning initiatives.
I am pleased that we were able to provide significant funding to promote peace and address humanitarian crises throughout the world. Without the across-the-board cut, we would have provided the full request for the Peace Corps to support 7,749 volunteers in 67 posts serving in 73 countries.
The bill includes over $1 billion to help displaced people around the world, especially the growing number of Iraqi refugees. Additionally, over $430 million is provided to avert famines, provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters, and assist internally displaced persons in Iraq, Darfur and elsewhere.
Since declaring the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan, genocide in July, 2003, this committee has appropriated over a billion dollars to support the African Union peacekeeping mission and to provide emergency assistance. We are hopeful that the long-overdue United Nations mission will finally be able to bring stability to this region, and allow the Darfuri people to rebuild their lives. To that end, this bill provides over $550 million to support the UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur. We have made a strong commitment to international peacekeeping activities, and this bill includes $1.6906 billion for ongoing operations in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Haiti, Timor-Leste, Lebanon, and Kosovo.
I am also pleased that we were able to provide additional funding to meet our commitment to provide critical security sector assistance for Liberia.
INVESTING IN DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE WORLD
The bill also increases funding for development programs managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development. These resources will expand our basic education, safe water and environment programs.
Access to basic education has been one of my top priorities for many years because it not only improves an individual's chances for a better, more productive life, it creates a more tolerant and informed citizenry. We have provided a total of $694 million for basic education programs in this bill, including $189 million targeted to help developing countries with national education plans meet the international goal of quality education for all children by 2012.
This bill also provides $510 million for clean energy and biodiversity programs worldwide. This includes funding for the Global Environment Facility and international conservation programs that work with developing nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve national parks, and protect wildlife.
There is also $1.544 billion for the Millennium Challenge Account in this bill. While this funding level is lower than that provided by the House, it is $344 million above the Senate level, and it will allow the MCC to undertake all its planned compacts and threshold programs through fiscal year 2008.
RESPONDING TO DEVELOPING SITUATIONS
This bill responds to a number of evolving diplomatic needs throughout the world. In addition to providing the strong annual aid package to Israel, we must ensure that our assistance to the Palestinians supports the current movement toward negotiating a peaceful two-state solution between the two parties.
In addition to language on assistance to the Palestinians that has been carried in the Foreign Operations bill for many years, we have included additional accounting conditions on part of any funding provided as cash transfer to the Palestinian Authority. It also ensures that no funding goes to Hamas or to salaries of Palestinian Authority personnel located in Gaza. It is essential that we track every dollar of any cash transfer, and before funding is obligated or expended, I expect the Department of State to take the following steps:
(1) Representatives of the government of the United States and the Palestinian Authority will develop a list of mutually-agreed disbursements. Emphasis will be on funding projects in the West Bank that quickly demonstrate quality of life benefits for the population.
(2) The Palestinian Authority may not obligate or expend any funds on items not mutually-agreed upon and will repay any funds which are used in any way not mutually agreed by the United States and the Palestinian Authority.
(3) The Secretary of State shall certify that none of the funds will be used to support violence or terrorism. All contractors will be investigated through the same United States embassy process that is used to vet implementers of United States-administered assistance programs.
(4) The Palestinian Authority will establish a separate account to hold funds received in the cash transfer. Authorized United States officials will have complete and unfettered access to the records of this account.
(5) The Department of State will report bi-weekly to the Committees on Appropriations on all expenditures, disbursements and balances associated with the cash transfer assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
(6) The Secretary of State shall report to the Committees on Appropriations, in classified form if appropriate, on how much funding the Arab states are providing to the Palestinian Authority, and steps the Palestinian Authority is taking to end incitement.
I look forward to working with the State Department to ensure that these funds are fully accountable and used to support President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad as they work to end corruption and bring needed services to the Palestinian people in the West Bank.
Also related to peace in the Middle East, I remain gravely concerned about the smuggling operation from Egypt to Gaza, and funds in this bill for Egypt are conditioned on steps taken to detect and destroy these tunnels.
The developing situation in Pakistan, which continues to be an important ally of the United States, also demands action in this bill. I appreciate the recent steps towards restoring the constitution and advancing democracy and human rights. However, the actions of the past few months warranted measures in this bill to end cash transfers and condition military assistance on continued progress on political reforms. We remain steadfast in our support of the Pakistani people, and this assistance package maintains the robust development and security assistance that is central to reducing poverty, increasing stability, and fighting AI Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist groups.
Because our efforts to combat narcotics in Colombia have been ineffective for some time, this bill restructures assistance for Colombia. We have shifted greater resources to the development and interdiction programs. We have also increased funding for rule of law and justice efforts in order to strengthen the Government of Colombia's ability to combat and demobilize their criminal paramilitary organizations that fuel the drug war. It is time for the Colombians to take ownership over their eradication and military assistance programs, and restructuring of our assistance package reflects that position.
ADVANCING OUR PRIORITIES AT HOME
In addition to the many steps we have taken in this bill to advance international stability and security here at home, this bill also addresses many of our most important domestic priorities from education funding to worker training to biomedical research to public health activities.
It provides relief for families that desperately need child care and afterschool programs; for first responders in need of training and equipment that will help keep our communities safe; for teachers anxious to receive classroom training or professional development; for students who won't be able to attend college
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without an increase in the maximum Pell Grant; and for the elderly who depend on LlHEAP to help pay for the rising cost of home heating oil.
Initiatives funded in this bill literally make a life-or-death difference in the lives of countless individuals and families who are struggling to make ends meet. While we could have done much more with the cooperation of the President, the work that we have accomplished together in this final product will help make America more secure and will improve the lives of millions throughout the world.
In closing, I would like to thank our staff for their tireless work, and their many sleepless nights as they put together this final product. Nisha Desai, and her new baby Safya, Craig Higgins, Michele Sumilas, Steve Marchese, Lucy Heenan, Celia Alvarado, and our minority staff Christine Kojac, Rob Blair and Molly Miller. Lastly, I would like to thank Cherith Norman, as she prepares the leave the State Department, for her years of outstanding work with this Committee.
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