James T. Callahan: “the gentleman from Ohio just said that Members of Congress should assert themselves on foreign policy. I would like to…”

“the gentleman from Ohio just said that Members of Congress should assert themselves on foreign policy. I would like to bring to the attention of the chairman of the Committee on the Budget the law, the law written by the Committee on Appropriations and passed by this House. The law, in accompanying report language, specifically denies the ability of the administration to spend more than 15 percent of the total expenditures in Kosovo. So we have already addressed this issue. The percentage that the gentleman from Ohio is using is going to be confusing because it appears to increase the ability of the United States. I wish the gentleman from Ohio would listen to this because I am responding to his indication. But it appears as if his amendment, although it is not his intent, might even say with the higher percentage factor that we are backing down on our insistence that our administration only spend 15 percent. So I would invite the gentleman from Ohio to read existing law whereby this Congress prohibits the administration from spending more than 15 percent. Under the law, the President must come back to the Congress if indeed they violate that. They came to us in December of 1999, and they certified that the United States' contribution was only 14.9 percent. So I share the sentiment of the gentleman from Ohio; I think he is moving in the right direction, but fortunately, the Congress has very responsibly already addressed this issue and the law is the law.”