Jeff Fortenberry: “I thank the ranking member for the time. I also want to thank the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Graves, for the gentlemanly…”

“I thank the ranking member for the time. I also want to thank the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Graves, for the gentlemanly way in which we have conducted this debate. This is a transpartisan issue. We have got Democrats and Republicans divided on each side of the aisle, which is a bit unusual, but nonetheless, this is important. I support the Open World Leadership Center. I am on its board. It has been mentioned that this is better nested within the State Department. The State Department does have a myriad of programs. However, this is a legislative branch program, and we should not outsource our responsibility there. This program was formed in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union in order to give a chance for the development of legal structures, stabilized civil society, and the opportunity for democracy to evolve. While the primary focus was on Russia, that component has been suspended, and this program has taken a very substantial cut down from $10 million to about $6 million now. To jettison it gets rid of very important deliverables. Over 23,000 judges, politicians, emerging civil society leaders, and young people have participated in this program, including 15 members of Ukraine's parliament, 15 members of Moldova's parliament, 8 Russian governors; 51 percent of the participants are women. Mr. Chairman, the military tells me: Send us in last.…”