Narcotics funds
Stop playing games with drugfighting money

The House Appropriations Committee has recommended $230 million for
international narcotics control under the Foreign Operations, Export
Financing and Related Programs Appropriations Bill. On the face of it,
it appears the sum is $17 million more than what was appropriated in
1997. Because international narcotics smuggling is rapidly becoming a
threat to nations as well as individuals, such an increase would be
fully justified.

But appearances can be deceiving. The Clinton administration is playing
games again, and Congress seems to be going along to get along. What is
being represented as an increase is exactly the opposite.

It so happens that $25 million of the $230 million authorization is
earmarked for training police in Bosnia. So a $17 million increase is
really an $8 million cut. Now, there may be an argument to be made for
extending police aid to Mexico, which is the major transshipment point
for drugs entering the United States, but Bosnia?

After having been misled about whether U.S. troops would be sent to
Bosnia and how long they would remain there, it is doubtful that the
American people want $25 million of their money spent on Bosnian cops.
But if the administration and Congress think it's necessary, they should
have the decency to let the issue stand or fall on its own merits.

If this nation's leaders want to recoup the eroding confidence of the
American people, coming in under radar with misleading appropriations
requests is not the way to do it. This is especially true when they are
also misleading the country about stepping up the fight against
narcotics. Congress should authorize a real increase in narcotics
control funding and debate the funding for Bosnian police in another
context.