Date: 2007-06-21
Speaker: ALBIO SIRES (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Jersey

restores funds for Cuba democracy assistance to the administrations requested level of $45 million by offsetting $36 million from the Department of State General Administration Budget. Unfortunately. as this chart so well demonstrates. the committee. while generally meeting or far exceeding the administrations requests for the rest of Latin America. something that I support. the bill funds Cuba democracy programs at approximately 20 percent of the Presidents request of $45 million. 20 percent for assistance for those brave- men and women who risk their lives and their families safety. unarmed. in a hardline totalitarian police state to peacefully press for democracy in Cuba. human rights activists. independent journalists. independent librarians. independent physicians. This aid goes to them and to their families. to the families of political prisoners. As explained. Mr. Chairman. in the letter from nine members of the prodemocracy movemebt to the six Cuban American Members of Congress. they attest and affirm that the assistance is key. and that it reaches them and that it has made and is making a great difference for the prodemocracy movement at this time. Now. Mr. Chairman. the opponents of this effort asked for a GAO report on these programs. and I thank them for it. First. the GAO report. after. 18 months of thorough investigation. confirmed that the program is working. And I quote from the GAO report. "Dissidents we interviewed in Cuba said that they appreciated the range and types of U.S. democracy assistance. that this assistance was useful in their work. and that it demonstrates the U.S. Governments commitment to democracy in Cuba." . Mr. Chairman. the GAO report detailed many successes. despite emphasizing the great challenges posed by the totalitarian police state for aid distribution. It talked about the GAO report. 385.000 pounds of medicines. food and clothing have been delivered to the prodemocracy movement and their families. more than 23.000 shortwave radios. millions of books. newsletters and other informational material. U.S. assistance reported independent journalists and including the publication of approximately 23.000 reports by those independent journalists. Mr. Chairman. I would call attention to the fact that the GAO report. while making absolutely no recommendation for any cut whatsoever in this program. does point out and make clear the case that it is an important and effective program. and after the GAO report. it has been significantly improved. I call the attention of all of my colleagues to the reply to the GAO report by the admiinistrating agency. the USAID. where it delineates that all the GAO reports recommendations have been implemented. All of the recommendations have been implemented. That has made an effective and important program even more- effective and important. Mr. Chairman. let us not turn our backs on the Cuban internal opposition. They will play a key role in the. inevitable democratic transition that is approaching. and we must do all we can so that they can survive the .brutality of a totalitarian police state. of violence and terror that. fortunately. to a great extent because of the prodemocracy movement in Cuba. will soon be but a tragic and perverse historical memory. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.