On the recordDecember 17, 2011
As Chairman of the Department of State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I want to speak briefly about the agreement that I and the ranking member, Senator Lindsey Graham, have reached with the House and that is reflected in division I of this Omnibus bill. I want to thank Senator Graham, along with House Subcommittee chair Kay Granger and ranking member Nita Lowey and their staffs, for working in such a bipartisan way to resolve our many differences. It is a good example of how a divided Congress can deal with controversial issues and produce an outcome that protects a broad range of interests. The Department of State and Foreign Operations conference agreement is a compromise. It is neither a Democratic nor Republican bill. It will not make anyone completely happy. But while it does not include everything that I or Senator Graham wanted, it does a good job of addressing the key national security needs of the country. This is a must-pass bill. The alternative is another year of a continuing resolution, which would force drastic cuts in funding for programs about which Republicans and Democrats feel strongly. This conference agreement does many things.…
