Speech #1060027655

Export Financing. and Related Programs. I have the responsibility to recommend to the gentleman from Florida (Chairman YOUNG) the funding level for the programs that come under the jurisdiction of our subcommittee. We have one overwhelming priority. and that is assistance to the refugees who have been driven from their homes and separated from their loved ones. The President requested a total of $566 million from our subcommittee as part of his supplemental request. We have approved the entire amount of this funding level. but we made some modifications. The funding would be allocated as follows: -$96 million for international disaster assistance: -$105 million for support of frontline States. including $5 million to document war crimes: -$75 million for Eastern Europe assistance to assist refugees within the borders of the frontline States. and -a total of $290 million for the refugee assistance accounts. Part of the original request was $170 million for an account normally used for longterm development projects. We have tried to discover how the funds would be used. We were told that $95 million of this amount would be made available for refugee assistance. but we already have separate accounts for the refugee and humanitarian services. When the administration officials were asked about that. we were told these funds could be used for such things as. and I quote. NGO development and microcredit activities." I have nothing against either of these programs. but they are part of an ongoing program in Eastern Europe. They are emphatically not part of emergency refugee and humanitarian assistance. The President and Secretary of State have also discussed plans for a Southeastern Europe initiative. I fear they could use these fund to begin such an initiative. and I do not think they should. without adequate consultation and further approval by the Congress. Therefore we moved $95 million from these vaguely defined activities and made that additional amount available for direct support for refugees and humanitarian assistance. Indeed. this money. the $566 million. may not be sufficient. The administration is constantly changing its policies. It is difficult to know when enough is enough. One day the President announces that we are going to send 20.000 refugees to Guantanamo Bay. A few days later. the Secretary of State says. no. we are not going to do that. we are going to keep the refugees there because we then would be ethnically cleansing the region. The next day the Vice President of the United States. Mr. GORE. announces that 20.000 refugees are coming to the United States. At the drop of a hat. the Vice President committed $40 million for the transport and relocation of refugees to our country. I was not consulted about this. Neither was anyone else in Congress.