Political Quotes

“This photograph of a Laotian girl was taken a number of years ago. She was actually one of the lucky ones because she survived, but as you can see her left leg is gone and she uses a homemade crutch. This is what cluster munitions do to civilians. This happened after the war ended, and she stepped in the wrong place. I first became concerned with this problem in the late 1980s, and in 1990 the first assistance from the Leahy War Victims Fund was provided to help victims of U.S. cluster bombs in Laos. Since then, the Leahy War Victims Fund, administered by USAID, has provided medical and related assistance for thousands of Laotians. Also, as either chairman or ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, I have included funding each year above the amounts requested by successive administrations, Democratic and Republican, to support programs to locate and destroy unexploded ordnance in Laos. Since fiscal year 1995, the United States has contributed more than $100 million for UXO programs in Laos. There is $19.5 million for UXO clearance in fiscal year 2016, which has bipartisan support, including the current chair of our subcommittee, Senator Graham, and of the House subcommittee, Representative Granger, and the House ranking member, Representative Lowey. I appreciate their support for this.…”