James T. Callahan: “it is my privilege today to summarize the work of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations as well as the full Committee…”

“it is my privilege today to summarize the work of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations as well as the full Committee on Appropriations in developing the fiscal 1998 Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Agencies appropriation bill. First, I want to publicly express my appreciation for the cooperation extended by my colleague the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Pelosi], San Francisco to be specific, and her staff for their help in crafting this bill. Like the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] and the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] before us, the ranking minority member and chairman do not agree with every detail of this bill, but we jointly recommend this bill to the House. Again, this year the committee recommends a bill that is less than in previous years. We as well as our counterparts in the Senate fully recognize that foreign programs are not entitlements and must be subjected to the same scrutiny as domestic programs. This year less than 5 percent of the money in this bill goes to the headline countries, such as Bosnia and Cambodia and Haiti. Another 43 percent supports the Middle East peace process, and that amount will not increase. But most of the money goes elsewhere to places where diplomats are seldom seen. What is it used for?…”