On the recordDecember 3, 2015
I want to thank the Senator from South Carolina and the Senator from Vermont for their important work in improving United States foreign assistance. I thank Senator Leahy for bringing this issue to our attention today. The Senator from Delaware and I have worked for years on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, and I look forward to continuing that work. Throughout our travels on the African continent, we have seen the beneficial effects of increased agriculture productivity and better access to markets, facilitated by U.S. economic development and trade preference programs. I am proud of our work to reauthorize the African Growth and Opportunity Act. We made it stronger, more accountable, and hopefully more accessible to sub-Saharan African countries and their people. Unfortunately, Congo's ineligibility makes export opportunities more difficult for Congolese businessmen and farmers. I echo my colleagues' call on the Congolese Government to become more transparent and responsive to the needs of its people.
