Lee Hamilton: “As I understand the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Chairman, it prohibits the State Department…”

“As I understand the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Chairman, it prohibits the State Department from paying U.N. peacekeeping assessment unless the Defense Department is fully reimbursed for its support to U.N. peacekeeping operations. Now I think everybody in this Chamber agrees that the Department of Defense should be reimbursed when appropriate for additional costs it incurs in U.N. peacekeeping operations. There should be no doubt about that. We all accept that. It is my understanding that the Department of Defense today has already been reimbursed by the United Nations for incremental costs in support of peacekeeping operations, and for most of its direct support to peacekeeping, such as provision of equipment in airlift where there are additional costs, and the Department of Defense should receive reimbursement for those additional costs as well. And when those additional costs occur, Mr. Chairman, we have a means to take care of that through supplemental appropriations, and we should.”