Nancy Pelosi: “I commend Chairman Callahan and Ranking Member Wilson for their successful efforts for the second year in a row in…”

“I commend Chairman Callahan and Ranking Member Wilson for their successful efforts for the second year in a row in putting together a foreign aid bill which has bipartisan support. As a member of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I know the work that has gone into this bill and the efforts that have been made to bridge many differences on the purpose, the priorities, and the funding level of our foreign aid programs. In the current fiscal climate, we have to make many difficult choices cutting funding for many worthy programs. Our decisions must be based on fact, not myth. We have before us today one of the most misunderstood and maligned bills the Congress is regularly privileged to consider. The misperceptions surrounding foreign aid are legion and we, as leaders, have an obligation to set the record straight. The American people's overwhelming humanitarian response to crisis, to famine, to tragedy overseas, is evidence of their concern.”