Speech #1020032759

I Introduced a bill. H.R. 2258. the Freedom From Want Act. In that bill. which contains a long series of measures to reduce hunger not only In its immediate symptoms but at its root causes. one section of the bill deals with refugees. Mr. Chairman. the worlds 18 million refugees and roughly equal number of displaced people remain among the most miserable. neglected people in our world. As chairman of the Hunger Committee. I have visited refugee camps and seen the suffering of displaced people around the world. Most recently. I and four of my colleagues witnessed this misery firsthand on our trip to the refugee camps at the Turkish border. The Select Committee on Hunger has held hearings on refugees and displaced people and requested a GAO report on the problems of refugees. These all show that humanitarian organizations are underfunded to an extent that hampers their ability to respond to emergencies like those In the mountains of the Iraq. the flood plains of Bangladesh. and the Horn of Africa. This bill. by authorizing appropriations of $600 million for fiscal year 1992 and $650 million for fiscal year 1993 for "Migration and Refugee Assistance." will enable the U.S. to better support the International response to emergency situations around the world. Including In and around Iraq and in SubSaharan Africa. These numbers are the same as those contained in the Freedom From Want Act.