Political Quotes

“There are obviously choices made all over the place in terms of programs being cut. The point of this is that the Senator from Florida and I are proposing that we get back to the level the President suggested. This is about the Andean region. In the past we dealt with Colombia. There were concerns raised by many about that program. This deals with the Andean region. It is more than just one country. This is a critical issue. I know our attention today is focused on Central Asia, as it should be, and Afghanistan and the Taliban. But we will have to have a continuing effort in other parts of the globe on threats we face. Clearly, we will lose thousands of people every year in this country in drug-related deaths, and about 98 percent of the product which is the source of this devastation in our country comes from the Andean region. Our attention today has shifted. All we are suggesting is that we get back to the level the President suggested, $164 million. It is a cut of 22 percent dealing with several countries in the region, not just one.”