Speech #890009103

In the 84th Congress. $158.234 was authorized. This year. the amount asked for is at the rate of $240.000that is. $120.000 per session. which shows an increase from the 84th Congress of 57.9 percent. I do not understand why the Subcommittee on Refugees and Escapees is still on the statute books. For the 84th Congress. it received $68.783. During the 89th Congress. 1st session. it is asking for $102.300. or an increase from the 84th Congress through the 89th Congress of 197.4 percent. Instead of going down. it seems that expenditures for this subcommittee are constantly going up. on the justification that they wish to look into the problem of Cuban refugees. There is already a special committee looking into that subject. We are providing all the funds in order to take care of Cuban refugees. Why a study by the Subcommittee on Refugees and Escapees is necessary. I do not know. I was disappointed to learn that whenever there were refugees in China. or refugees in Western Europe. good old Uncle Sam spent millions of dollars in order to assist refugees from Russia and countries behind the Iron Curtain. When the Cuban refugee problem faced us. we tried to obtain assistance from other countries. We knocked on the door. but there was no answer. Our allies said in effect. "That Is your baby. take care of It." We have been taking care of it ever since. singlehandedly. It is costing a great amount of money. As I pointed out during the hearings before the Committee on Appropriations. efforts were made to have some of the Cuban refugees taken by the nations of South America. To add insult to injury. those who promised to take some Cuban refugees stated: "You pay for it. You pay the expenses. and we will be glad to take care of them." With respect to the Subcommittee on Revision and Codification. from the 86th Congress through the 1st session of the 89th. there has been an increase in expenses of 62 percent. The Subcommittee on Trading With the Enemy has been on and off for some time.