Frank Lautenberg: “the version of the State Department authorization bill reported by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee eliminates the…”

“the version of the State Department authorization bill reported by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee eliminates the position of Ambassador at Large for burdensharing which was created by the Congress in the fiscal year 1989 Defense Department Appropriations Act. Our amendment would restore the position. Eliminating this ambassadorial-level position would send our allies exactly the wrong signal at exactly the wrong time. It would undoubtedly be viewed as a sign of a reduced U.S. commitment, a declining level of American concern. It could even be viewed as a sign that our Government is satisfied with the progress our allies are making. That, Mr. President, would be a mistake. I believe this administration is committed to securing greater contributions from the allies. For example, when I proposed a burdensharing amendment to the Defense authorization bill last fall, Secretaries Aspin and Christopher assured us that they "share the Congress' concern about equitable burdensharing, and this remains a primary administration policy. We will continue to negotiate vigorously arrangements with our allies that seek to be more beneficial to the United States."”