Haley Stevens: “I will discuss this matter later, but I will say that the Senator's amendment is consistent with my understanding of the…”

“I will discuss this matter later, but I will say that the Senator's amendment is consistent with my understanding of the purposes for which we passed the 1999 supplemental. The moneys in that supplemental were for assistance to the refugees and for conducting the air war. It is my understanding that there was no money for the ground war, no money for the subsequent force--whatever it may be--that follows after the cessation of hostilities in that area. As the Senator stated, it would be for the long-term reconstruction and not for the temporary things that might be done to assist the Kosovo refugees to go back to their former homes. I think that will be probably something that will have to have money immediately, once we have a cessation of hostilities, which I pray will be very soon. I think this ought to be a marker that we put down that we want to see how these costs are going to be met in this area after the hostilities cease. The economy of the European Union now is greater than ours. Their employment picture is even better than ours. I don't see any reason why there should be an assumption that we will carry on at the past level of expenditures. There is no question that the expenditures made in the war so far are overwhelmingly U.S. expenditures.”