Sam Farr: “I concur with the gentleman that has just spoken. It makes no sense to give money or weapons to militaries without…”

“I concur with the gentleman that has just spoken. It makes no sense to give money or weapons to militaries without making sure that they are used for the right purposes. This provision just does that. It is a one sentence provision. It is totally permissive. It ensures that our resources are not misused by human rights violators. I rise as a former member of the U.S. Peace Corps serving in Colombia. I know that there are human rights violations because a lot of the paramilitary down there we have no jurisdiction over have been using the military equipment that we have sent to Colombia. We need to make sure that we do not throw money at the problem of drugs if it puts human rights and innocent people at risk because, if we do that, we do not stand for anything. The credibility of America is gone. The provision is responsible and fair and should be kept in the final bill. I urge the Chair to rule against the points of order because this is made in one sentence that is permissive and does not mandate that expenditure has to be done as such.”