MARKUP REPORTS: FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS BILL CLEARS SUBCOMMITTEE

WASHINGTON (June 27, 2001) -- Delivering a significant boost for
international HIV/AIDS relief efforts, the House Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday approved a $15.2 billion
fiscal 2002 foreign aid bill -- but put off debate over anti-drug
initiatives in South America and controversy over international
family-planning restrictions until the full committee markup.

The bill, which was approved by voice vote, is the same as the
president's request and about $300 million over fiscal 2001.

Both Democrats and Republicans praised the bulk of the bill, which
provides $474 million for international HIV/AIDS programs, including
a $100 million "down payment" on President Bush's call for a $200
million U.S. contribution to a global AIDS trust fund. The other $100
million is likely to be culled from the Labor-HHS-Education spending
bill later this summer.

But sharp divisions remain between the two parties over key elements
in the bill, specifically the anti-drug Andean Regional Initiative,
formerly known as Plan Columbia, and over President Bush's decision
to reinstate restrictions on international family planning groups
that counsel on, or provide, abortions overseas.

On that issue, Subcommittee Ranking Member Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.,
offered an amendment late in the markup session to allow groups to
receive funds as long as their activities do not violate the laws of
the country in which they operate or the laws of the United States.

With the committee short on time, the panel barely debated the always
hotly contested issue, and the amendment was defeated by a simple
voice vote, despite the support of Subcommittee Chairman James Kobe,
R-Ariz. Lowey will likely re-offer the amendment at the full
committee.

As for anti-drug efforts in South America, Democrats weren't too
happy with Plan Columbia when it was released last year as a joint
initiative between President Clinton and the congressional Republican
leadership. They still aren't too keen on it this year, despite the
name change-- to the Andean Regional Initiative-- and the broader,
regional approach imposed on the year-old program by the Bush
administration.

The bill would appropriate about $676 million for the program, a
reduction in the president's request under the foreign operations
budget by about $55 million.

Lowey said she would like to see U.S. money distributed more quickly
to help economic development in the region rather than used to beef
up military forces. Full committee Ranking Member David Obey, D-Wis.,
said the whole project was misguided and a "colossal" waste of money.
"If I had my way, I'd rip it up and start over," Obey said.

Some Republicans on the subcommittee, notably Rep. Roger Wicker,
R-Miss., expressed reservations about the program. Kolbe also voiced
concerns but told the panel that members should give the plan some
time to work before drawing conclusions about its efficacy.

Still, several Democrats revealed their intentions -- likely to be
pursued at the full committee markup after the July 4 recess -- to
cut the program and redirect money into other areas.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former ranking member of the
subcommittee, offered but then withdrew an amendment that would
provide an additional $100 million to programs to help fight
infectious diseases by taking that money out of the Andean Regional
Initiative and restricting how much could be appropriated for
Columbia's military forces.

Also offered and withdrawn was an amendment by Rep. Steve Rothman,
D-N.J., to prevent fumigation efforts in the drug fields of South
America until the State Department could certify that 75 percent of
alternate economic development plans are signed. These plans are
agreed to by former drug-producing communities in order to receive
development aid. Rothman and Democrats complained about the potential
health effects of the fumigation efforts, but Republicans defended
them, saying that without the threat of fumigation, many of the local
communities would not agree to stop growing drug-producing crops.

But Rothman said he considered it "morally wrong" to be dropping
potentially dangerous chemicals into people's water supplies and said
he would pursue the issue at the full committee markup.

Pelosi also offered and withdrew an amendment that would provide $250
million in emergency assistance to El Salvador to help people
affected by the recent earthquakes. Kolbe said there was about $58
million available currently for the country, but agreed with Pelosi
that more needs to be appropriated. He vowed to see that happen
before the bill reaches the president's desk, and Pelosi subsequently
withdrew her amendment.

Obey also criticized language in the bill that would put restrictions
on Serbian aid unless the country goes along with demands from the
Hague War Crimes Tribunal. He also blasted language that would force
President Bush to punish the Palestine Liberation Organization unless
the administration can determine that it is complying with its
commitments to renounce terrorism and punish PLO personnel that
engage in terrorist attacks. Among the potential sanctions listed by
the subcommittee are the closure of the Palestine information office
in Washington, the designation of the PLO as a terrorist
organization, and the stopping of humanitarian assistance to the West
Bank and Gaza.

Obey said such restrictions are an "institutional problem" and a bad
example of mismanagement by Congress, but he did not offer any
amendments to excise the language from the bill.

The panel also approved by unanimous consent report language offered
by Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, on the drug certification process,
and by Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick, D-Mich., on the Treasury Department's
international affairs technical assistance account.

Among the bill's major accounts:

- -- $1.4 billion for Child Survival and Health Programs Fund -- a $169
million increase over fiscal 2001 -- including $120 million for
UNICEF.

- -- $805 million for the Export-Import Bank, a $118 million increase
above the president's request.

- -- $3.36 billion for the Agency for International Development, a $177
million increase over the president's request.

- -- $2.04 billion in military aid and $720 million in economic
assistance to Israel.

- -- $224 million for debt relief for poor countries, the same as the
president's request.

- -- $896 million for the World Bank, $25 million below the president's request.

- -- $83 million for the Global Environment Facility, a cut of $25
million to the presidents' request.