Date: 2003-07-22
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. House Resolution 327 is an open rule that provides for the consideration of H.R. 2800. the fiscal year 2004 Foreign Operations. Export Financing and Related Programs Appropriations Act. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member on Appropriations. The rule also provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. The legislation we bring today to the floor. Mr. Speaker. appropriates over $17 billion for operations across the globe. This bill is fiscally sound while at the same time. I think. is responsive to many of the needs that we are seekIng to address throughout the world where there are extraordinarily difficult issues related to disease and famine and many other forms of international disaster. H.R. 2800 provides over $1.4 billion to combat HIV/AIDS. tuberculosis. and malaria. It is $86 million above the Presidents request. The funding will continue its important mission to provide training and technical assistance to private and voluntary organizations that work to eradicate debilitating diseases from both individuals and. in fact. societies. The majority of this. funding will be included in the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund. dedicated to lowering infant. child and maternal mortality rates in developing countries. The fund will see. through this legislation. a substantial Increase of over $400 million over last years appropriation. The Agency for International Development. AID. will receive over $4.7 billion. $166 million above last fiscal year. Continuing its mission first defined by the Marshall Plan following World War I. AID has embarked on aggressive plans to promote health and economic strength through environmental protection. agricultural assistance and educational programs. As with many other agencies following September 11. 2001. AID has recently seen its work extend to essential tasks related to the elimination of terrorism and social unrest through programs that attempt to contribute to stability. Although AIDs work on terrorism is vital. H.R. 2800 goes much further. seeking to ensure significant funding for International security through assistance programs and activities in other realms. The bill provides over $2.6 billion for assistance to Israel. As the roadmap to peace in this very delicate process moves forward. it is our obligation. it is the obligation of this Congress to ensure support for Israel in every way necessary. In other foreign assistance. H.R. 2800 funds the Andean Counterdrug Initiative. at the Presidents request. $731 million. For years. terrorists in Colombia have plagued efforts in that democratic country for peace. We believe that proactive action must continue to be taken to help the Colombian people defeat the armed rebels and to. as much as possible. stabilize that democratic society. With the current landscape in the world today. foreign assistance is as strategically just. really. as it is a moral imperative. Instability in the world creates. Mr. Speaker. an environment in which terrorism finds it easy to breed new converts. We must not take progress. in the Andean region for example. for granted. If the United States turns its back on that region.. the possible scenarios are extremely worrisome. For the first time. Mr. Speaker. this bill appropriates $800 million for the Presidents Millennium Challenge Account. This historic expansion in foreign aid serves to bring economic security and basic tenets of democracy to those that really have not seen them in the past or to societies where democracy is extremely fragile. The Millennium Challenge Account will be administered by a government corporation held responsible to results and yet benefiting from flexibility to .provide innovative solutions to the problems of poverty. H.R. 2800. Mr. Speaker. was introduced by the gentleman from Arizona.