On the recordJune 20, 2012
I oppose the Kerry amendment and hope it will be defeated and that my amendment will be adopted. Senator Kerry has appropriately characterized the amendment as being food aid to North Korea. However, it is not just about abhorring North Korea's bad behavior but also the administration's bad behavior. On four separate occasions, the State Department assured Members of this Senate that food aid would not be used as a condition to negotiations with the North Koreans; that under no circumstances would the United States provide any incentives or rewards, is the way they put it, to North Korea. In each case, we inquired, and we specifically talked about the food aid. Four times they said no, it wouldn't be done. Two weeks before the negotiations were to begin this spring, all of a sudden, $240 million in food aid was put on the table, and only because the North Koreans launched their so-called satellite long-range missile were those negotiations canceled. So a national security interest that can simply be provided by the President based on his views---- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
