George Miller: “I am truly sorry that Members were not allowed to offer amendments dealing with the IMF. I think the points made both by…”

“I am truly sorry that Members were not allowed to offer amendments dealing with the IMF. I think the points made both by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan), chairman of the subcommittee, and by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the ranking member, are absolutely the reasons why we should have had an opportunity to debate the funding level for the IMF. I also wanted to offer an amendment to deal with the questions of the IMF funding policies with respect to their negative impacts that they have had on environmental resources and protection. My amendment would have required the International Monetary Fund to review proposed loans for their environmental impact. In 1989 and 1992, Congress passed laws telling the IMF to consider the environmental impacts of its policy. Unfortunately, IMF has not done so and the results have been disastrous in Indonesia and many other countries. In many cases with the IMF, one of the solutions that they pose to these countries is to export their way out of their difficulties.”