On the recordSeptember 28, 2023
The chairman and I respect each other. We have different points of view, and I consider us friends also. I know, and I think the chairman knows, that many of our Republican colleagues do support robust investments in the SFOPS bill because I have seen the thousands of requests that Members have submitted this year and in prior years. There is a long legacy of enlightened Republican support for foreign assistance. Congressional Republicans worked with Harry Truman to create the Marshall Plan which rebuilt Europe after a devastating war. I worked with President Bush to create PEPFAR, which has saved 25 million lives from HIV and AIDS. Yet, the majority has chosen to force this bill to the floor because they cynically believe that their Members will be happy to sacrifice the world's poorest people to make a political point. To my Republican colleagues--I see you here on the floor today, and I am asking you to stand up and, yes, oppose this terrible bill. Please vote ``no,'' and let's get back together and write a bill that helps build the better and safer world that we want for our children and our grandchildren. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
