John Kerry: “there are several provisions in this conference report which trouble me greatly. For example, the bill abolishes the…”

“there are several provisions in this conference report which trouble me greatly. For example, the bill abolishes the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) and merges its functions into the Department of State. As one who has always believed that there are sensible ways to reorganize our foreign affairs agencies, I do not oppose this merger. However, I am concerned that the bill fails to augment the State Department's budget in fiscal year 1999 to ensure that the vital activities for which ACDA is now responsible will continue. The bill also perpetuates and increases funding for international broadcasting activities--an approach which, in my view, is not the most effective use of scarce resources at a time when there are so many other sources of information available globally. However, the main reason why I am going to vote against this conference report is that it imposes unacceptable conditions on funding for international family planning organizations. Section 1816 of the bill was offered by Congressman Chris Smith in a sham conference process in which no Democrat from the Senate or the House was invited to participate.”