Eni Faleomavaega: “I rise in support of H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007. I want to thank…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007. I want to thank Chairman Henry Hyde and Ranking Member Tom Lantos of the International Relations Committee for their leadership in crafting this legislation and moving it to the House floor for consideration and vote. I also want to thank them for supporting my efforts to include a number of provisions in the base text of H.R. 2601 including the authorization of funding for South Pacific scholarships, a review of the marginalization of Pacific Island students in the awarding of Fulbright Scholarships, a requirement for the State Department to report on developments in West Papua--including a review of human rights violations committed by Indonesia's brutal military, Indonesia's Special Autonomy Law for West Papua and the 1969 Act of No Choice in which 1,025 Papuans were selected to vote on behalf of 800,000 West Papuans to join Indonesia in circumstances that were subject to both overt and covert forms of manipulation. I also thank Congressman Donald Payne for working with me to make sure authorization to fund the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program at Howard University was included in the base text of H.R. 2601 and, again, I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for being fully supportive of our efforts. I am also appreciative that Chairman Hyde and Mr.…”