Dick Lugar: “I rise to thank Senator Inhofe for the excellent work he has done on this amendment and his generous efforts to…”

“I rise to thank Senator Inhofe for the excellent work he has done on this amendment and his generous efforts to accommodate my previous concerns. In my view, his original amendment may have had some unintended foreign policy consequences. In particular, it might have produced some far-reaching changes to the way that our country makes foreign assistance decisions. The amendment as now written leaves the authority for deciding which countries, and when, how, and why foreign assistance should be provided, in the hands of the Secretary of State. The amendment does not provide statutory authority to the Secretary of Defense to establish a new foreign aid program outside the purview of the Secretary of State. It does authorize the Secretary of Defense to provide funding to the State Department for a new train and equip foreign assistance program, as well as to address overseas emergencies where the two Departments need to join forces to meet the crisis successfully. I support the $750 million train and equip program and the $200 million emergency funding. Both programs can be successfully carried out under the Secretary of State's existing authorities. The Secretary of State should retain full authority over decisions as to which countries should receive assistance, the timing of its provision, and the way in which it should be provided. The Department of Defense should continue implementing train and equip programs under the purview of the Secretary of State.…”