Date: 1999-08-05
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of my time. Those are all interesting arguments from my colleague from Maryland. They are just not factual. It is just not the situation as it exists. This is not an agreement to work out payment in the future. This is the treaty. This is what they agreed to: "The proportion of joint expenses to be paid by each high contracting party shall be related to the proportion of the total catch of the fisheries covered by the covenant." That is not what they have agreed to do. They suggest here. well. the dolphin agreement will. fall apart. If it falls apart. they lose their access to the American market. They have been trying for a decade to pry that market open. It is now there based upon this agreement. You say they are going to start meeting in October to negotiate these. Every day they do not negotiate them they win because Uncle Sam is picking up the tab. So there is no urgency in this. There is no urgency in this. Why do you not send them a message that we are more than willing to pay our fair share and even then some. but they have to contribute something to this effort? They ought to participate in this. They are getting the benefit. I mean. we argued here for a couple of hours about our unwillingness to pay a debt owed to the United Nations and here we are willing to pay money we do not even owe. that is not even called for under the treaty. This is turning Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker. What is going on here? People signed an agreement. they signed a covenant. they signed a treaty. they signed a contract. they say this is what we are willing to do to have access to the American market and then they do not do it. And so what happens? You go out and you pass the hat among the American taxpayers. we cough up a few million dollars and the bureaucrats and the diplomats just continue on about their way. This has nothing to do with the safety of the dolphin. They have agreed to fish in a dolphinsafe fashion under the guidelines that the gentleman promoted. We had that fight. They also agreed to the terms and conditions of this treaty. If they fish differently. if they start killing dolphins. then they lose the American market. and we know what that means to them. Because that is the biggest financial plum they possibly have. Why do we keep selling the American market so cheap? This Is not a lot of money but it is an important principle. it is a very important principle. that people should pay their fair share. Again. we go back to the debate earlier about who is paying their fair share and who is paying too much at the United Nations. Well. this is just a small commission. But if the other countries do not pay their fair share. we pay more here and then other international fisheries commissions do not get the allotment that is necessary to them to do the kinds of protective programs that you say you want. That is why this amendment is supported by the Humane Society. by the Defenders of Wildlife. by the Friends of the Earth. the American Humane Association. the Fund for Animals. because they recognize the need to get these countries to pay their share as they agreed to do. That is the nature of contracts. that is the nature of treaties. that is the nature of binding agreements. What do we have? Do we have an invisible clause that is known only to the diplomats. only to the negotiators that says in the event you decide not to pay. the U.S. treasury will pick up the difference? I do not think so. I do not think that is the way it should be. but that is the way it has been on this commission since 1949. We have been shoveling the money to this commission and these countries have been going along for the ride. Now we have provided a very. very substantial benefit and access to the American markets and we are not requiring that they pay their fair share. Remember. under this amendment. we are picking up 50 percent of the cost. We are harvesting 5 percent of the tuna. So I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are small and they are poor and they are a lot of things. But this is 50 percent of the cost. Do your taxpayer a favor tonight. Support this amendment. support it in the same manner that it was supported in the United States Senate and. that is. on an overwhelming 2to1 vote on a bipartisan basis. recognizing the need to enforce the agreement as it is written. as it was agreed to and the need to protect the taxpayer. We talk a lot in these international agreements about mission creep. Well. this is sort of cost creep. The budget keeps going up. they keep agreeing to it. and we just keep laying off a little bit more on the American taxpayer. Let us stop the cost creep. Let us stop the unfairness creep. if you will. and let us go with the guidelines in the treaty. As I say. we will continue to pick up 50 percent. They can then negotiate and they can negotiate whatever terms they want. but the fact of the matter is. we will not be sitting around waiting for them to do that and continuing to dip into the U.S. Treasury on behalf of these countries that have just decided they are simply not going to pay in spite of the fact that this Congress in a dramatic move opened up the best market there is for this tuna and the least expensive market there is for them to get this tuna to market. So when we talk about the expenditures that they might have. we have done them a tremendous favor. I hope it will all work out. and they ought not to take advantage. They ought not to take advantage of our goodwill. they ought not to take advantage of our taxpayers. they ought not take advantage of our patience in terms of complying with this agreement that provided them with such incredible. incredible benefits.