James M. Jeffords: “the decision by the House Republican Conference to abolish legislative service organizations brings to an end the proud…”

“the decision by the House Republican Conference to abolish legislative service organizations brings to an end the proud and productive history of the Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus. With regret that the caucus will not be able to play a role at this critical time of debate over the role of U.S. foreign policy in the post-cold-war world, the caucus will cost its doors in 1995. We are pursuing the possibility of establishing a new private entity to perform certain caucus roles, but at this time we plan to transfer caucus papers to the Legislative Archives Center of the National Archives. We also plan to transfer any unobligated caucus funds to the Treasury. For 30 years this bipartisan caucus--formerly named Members of Congress for Peace through Law--has played a constructive role on issues of war and peace in our time: in the 1960's it opposed the war in Vietnam; in the 1970's and 1980's it championed efforts for nuclear arms control; in the 1980's it built a powerful congressional coalition seeking negotiated solutions to the wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua; and in the 1990's it sought to focus on the post-cold war problems of weapons proliferation and the need for a strengthened United Nations. Throughout, it has also worked to promote human rights and improve the economic situation of peoples in the developing world.”