Angie Craig: “I want to discuss some concerns I have about section 569 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, H.R.…”

“I want to discuss some concerns I have about section 569 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, H.R. 3540--limiting funds for Burma. Before I begin outlining my concerns, I want to thank my colleague from Kentucky, Senator McConnell, for pursuing this issue. While we may disagree on the details of the best policy to pursue with Burma, we wouldn't even be having this important discussion without his leadership on this issue. In addition, I doubt that we would be pursuing a much needed comprehensive, multi-national policy toward Burma. Without such an effort, we could certainly find ourselves on the floor of the Senate in the future, reacting to some catastrophic event in Burma, having done nothing constructive in the interim. Mr. President, Burma is a nation I have never visited or studied. I do not come to the floor today to debate this issue as an expert on Burma. However, I know more than a little about its poor record on human rights. What we need to debate here is the efficacy of mandatory unilateral sanctions in the case of Burma. While we all hope for some small signs of change, I think we all share the concern that hope is not enough to live on--especially for the Burmese people. We recognize the problem there and want to develop a policy to address that problem. Any change will be slow in coming.”