Political Quotes

“I commend the gentleman from California for the intent of his amendment. He speaks the truth. No one has been more forthright or a stronger leader on this most vital issue than my friend and colleague from California. I believe, as he does, that voluntary family planning is the highest global priority. The closing comments of the gentleman from Louisiana almost lead me to support the amendment. Rampant population growth undermines economic gains in developing countries, puts pressure on the environment and food production and delivery systems, and can destabilize entire regions. The United States made a commitment to providing the resources to help other nations stabilize the world's population in the early part of the coming century. At the Amsterdam Conference in 1991, the U.S. delegation signed a document pledging to work toward providing our fair share of the funds necessary to meet this goal. This year our share would be about $800 million. By 2000, we should be providing a billion dollars to population programs. The gentleman from California, and many other Members, including myself, have worked with Mr. Obey and other members of the subcommittee to try to meet this funding goal. Given the tremendous budgetary pressures we face, I believe we have made very good progress in increasing funding for voluntary family planning. Funding for the population account has increased 50 percent in the past 4 years while many other accounts have been declining.”