USIA - CONGRESSIONAL REPORT, THURSDAY, JUNE 6 (96-06-06)

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From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>

(FY '97 foreign aid appropriations, Turkey, Haiti, Budget Resolutions)(980)

HOUSE BEGINS DEBATE ON FY '97 FOREIGN AID APPROPRIATIONS

The funds allocated for several foreign assistance programs have been reduced, including:

-- $525 million for the International Development Association ($175 million less than in fiscal year 1996 and $409 million less than the president's request);

-- $2.4 billion for the Agency for International Development ($30 million less than in fiscal year 1996 and $130 million less than the president's request); and

-- $2.3 billion for the Economic Support Fund ($4 million less than in fiscal year 1996 and $72 million less than the president's request).

The bill also:

-- provides Israel with $3 billion and Egypt with $2.1 billion in economic and military assistance;

-- consolidates funding for child survival and disease programs into a single $600 million account;

-- consolidates funding for antiterrorism and antiproliferation of dangerous weapons into a single $135 million account; and

-- provides $150 million for international narcotics control activities -- an increase of $35 million from the fiscal year 1996 level.

The House is expected to continue debate on the foreign operations appropriations bill next week.

Before the bill goes to President Clinton for his approval or veto, the House and Senate both must act on it and differences in the two versions must be resolved by a conference committee of the two houses.

HOUSE APPROVES TWO AMENDMENTS ON TURKEY

Last year Congress enacted a similar provision, but that formulation allowed the president to provide the aid for national security reasons. This year's version permits no such waiver.

While the amendment did not name Turkey specifically, the debate left no doubt as to the intended target.

The amendment by Democratic Representative Pete Visclosky was approved by a vote of 301-118. It was supported by a bipartisan group of legislators, many of whose districts contain substantial constituencies of Greek- Americans and Armenian-Americans.

Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi said the United States had to act because "there is an immoral action going on in the blockading of Armenia."

But Republican Representative Dan Burton opposed the measure, citing Turkish assistance in NATO, in the Persian Gulf War and in the ongoing Operation Provide Comfort, a military operation that protect Kurds in Northern Iraq.

"Turkey has been there every single time we needed them," Burton said. "We should think long and hard before we kick in their teeth."

Following that vote, the House voted 268-153 to withhold $3 million of the $25 million for economic aid for Turkey until that country acknowledges that it committed genocide against the Armenian people under the Ottoman Empire and takes steps to honor the memory of the victims.

"All of us have the responsibility to remember the victims, to speak out, to make sure that tragedies like this never, ever happen again," said Democratic Whip David Bonior, the second ranking Democrat in the House leadership.

HOUSE APPROVES AMENDMENT ON HAITI

House International Relations Committee Chair Benjamin Gilman said "we are calling on the Clinton administration to come clean on what the Clinton administration knew about political murders in Haiti and when they knew it."

The House later approved an amendment by Republican Representative Dan Burton that would require Haiti to investigate three 1995 murders in order to receive any funding under the bill.

SUMMARY ON FISCAL YEAR 1997 BUDGET RESOLUTION

The House passed its version of the fiscal year 1997 budget resolution on May 16 by a vote of 226 to 195. The Senate passed its version on May 23 by a vote of 53 to 46.

Each chamber's resolution is different and conferees from the House and Senate are continuing to meet to iron out the differences.

The House resolution would achieve a federal budget surplus of $3.2 billion in 2002 while the Senate resolution would achieve a federal budget surplus of $100 million in 2002.

The summary is broken down into different categories. In the section on International Affairs, it states that the House resolution "assumes the President's requested cuts for the Department of State, peacekeeping operations and foreign military financing loans. Assumes that much of the United States Information Agency will be gradually privatized or eliminated. Assumes that funding in the Agency for International Development will continue to be reduced, and that the replenishments for several multilateral development banks will soon be completed. Recommends maintaining funding in 1997 for export finance and trade promotion programs. Also recommends maintaining funding for Bosnia's reconstruction through 1998, but assumes that other Eastern European countries and the former Soviet Union will graduate from U.S. aid programs."

The summary states that the Senate resolution "assumes the President's requested cuts for the Department of State, the United States Information Agency, the Agency for International Development, and various multilateral development banks. Recommends maintaining funding in 1997 for export finance and trade promotion programs. Also recommends maintaining funding for Bosnia's reconstruction through 1998, but assumes that other Eastern European countries will graduate from U.S. aid programs."

From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.gov

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