Chris Dodd: “for 37 years now, the Peace Corps has been promoting international peace and friendship through the service abroad of…”

“for 37 years now, the Peace Corps has been promoting international peace and friendship through the service abroad of American volunteers. More than 150,000 Americans from every background have served in the Peace Corps in 132 countries. Right now, more than 6,500 Peace Corps Volunteers are living and working alongside local people in 84 countries. The Peace Corps is a model of citizen service on international scale and a model of American leadership in the world. In their engagement abroad, American Peace Corps Volunteers share and represent the culture and values of the American people, while living and working alongside local people, and speaking the local language. In doing so, they earn respect and admiration for our country. This is a different type of American Leadership and an important complement to our formal U.S. foreign policy. From the day of its establishment, the Peace Corps has seen strong bipartisan support for its programs. I regret that this year the subcommittee has not been able to fund the Peace Corps at the administration's full request. However, I do understand the difficult budgetary constraints facing the subcommittee this year.”