William Helms: “I have a bit of a dilemma. I have been in Foreign Relations Committee meetings and other things most of the day. I am…”

“I have a bit of a dilemma. I have been in Foreign Relations Committee meetings and other things most of the day. I am not aware of precisely what has happened on one issue which is of great interest to me and which I consider to be an outrageous invasion of the taxpayers money. It involves the 1995 appropriations bill containing $30 million that would be spent to build housing for Russian military officers. My understanding is that there may have been some action to delete part of that $30 million. I will speak my opinion about this and then I will consult with the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who is now on the floor, about whether my understanding is correct. This program was begun, as I recall, in 1993 by President Clinton. In my judgment, it is a perfect example of how the United States conceives a bad foreign aid giveaway program, shrouds it in doubletalk to protect it, and then scrambles to spend the money when elected officials in Congress raise questions about it. In April 1993, President Clinton met at a summit with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in Vancouver. At that time, Mr. Clinton proposed that the United States would pay--meaning the taxpayers of the United States would pay--to construct housing in Russia so that Russian troops occupying the Baltic States could be withdrawn to Russia.”