Pelosi Statement on Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill

Pelosi Statement on Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement tonight on the Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which the House is expected to approve tonight:

"The Foreign Operations appropriations bill provides resources to fund the three pillars of our foreign policy - promoting democratic values, protecting our national security, and growing our economy. The assistance we provide for other countries is in the national interest of the United States. It is not about charity. It is about acting in our own self interest.

"We must address the root causes of instability by working to alleviate poverty so that the fury of despair will not provoke more violence. We know that impoverished nations such as Sudan and Afghanistan can be incubators for terrorism and conflict.

"In a few weeks, the Group of Eight Summit will convene in Scotland. The top of the agenda will be reducing poverty in Africa, 100 percent debt relief for the world's poorest nations, and protecting the environment. The G-8 Summit will be a tremendous opportunity for the President to join with our allies and propose a bold, new initiative to fight extreme poverty in Africa.

"The joint announcement earlier this month with British Prime Minister Tony Blair about U.S. assistance to Africa was woefully inadequate. While the need is great, the President announced no new funding for Africa. He simply moved existing funding from one account for Africa to another to give the illusion of additional assistance. The announcement fell far short of the generosity of the American people.

"It is in this global context, that I am most disappointed in the low overall funding levels in this bill.

"Unfortunately, the Republican budget resolution has put us in a place where the allocation for our foreign assistance is simply not enough to meet our foreign policy needs.

"Chairman Kolbe and Ranking Member Lowey are to be commended for making difficult choices under tight budget constraints. They were able to work together to provide adequate funding for critical priorities.

"This bill increases funding to fight the global AIDS pandemic to $2.7 billion, including $400 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. The fight against global AIDS is a long one. At this critical juncture in history, the United States has the opportunity and the responsibility to lead an ambitious global effort to combat AIDS.

"Funding for basic education, the heart of social and economic development, is increased by $65 million thanks to the efforts of Congresswoman Lowey. And $390 million is provided for humanitarian relief efforts in Sudan.

"Aside from the low overall funding level of the bill, I have a number of specific concerns.

"Funding for the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), the largest single financer of projects to improve the global environment, is zeroed out. GEF is vital in helping developing countries overcome many environmental challenges including polluted waters, biodiversity loss, access to clean, renewable and affordable energy, and the management of natural resources.

"For every dollar the U.S. invests, GEF leverages $14 from other sources. Zeroing out funding sends the message to the world that the U.S. simply does not care about the environment - especially in light of the President refusing to join our allies on the climate change issue.

"This bill provides military assistance to Colombia despite the failure of Plan Colombia to meet its promises. Six years and $4 billion later, coca cultivation has not been deterred and cocaine use in the U.S. has not been affected. We should support a more balanced approach focusing on decreasing the domestic demand for drugs, investing in alternative development to help Colombian farmers switch to legal crops, and supporting efforts to resume a peace process.

"Despite my reservations, I intend to support this bill. It provides critical foreign aid investments that will boost the economy of developing nations and take a significant step toward alleviating poverty."