Benjamin Gilman: “I bring before the House, the conference agreement on H.R. 1561, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal…”

“I bring before the House, the conference agreement on H.R. 1561, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal years 1996 and 1997. We bring to the floor a bill that eliminates at least one Federal agency, cuts spending $500 million before FY 1995 levels, and achieves savings of $1.7 billion over four years. The conference agreement requires the abolition of at least one agency from among the four international affairs agencies--the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the Agency for International Development, and the United States Information Agency and its consolidation into the Department of State. This consolidation--and the President is certainly encouraged to consolidate more than one agency--together with other provisions of the bill, will result in a savings in fiscal years 1996 through 1999 of at least $1.7 billion in the authorizations for programs under the control of the Committee on International Relations. The bill reauthorizes the Department of State and related agencies for fiscal years 1996 and 1997.”