Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Department of State and Foreign Operations chapter of this supplemental totals $6.17 billion, which is the same as the President's request. The bulk of these funds are for emergency operations and programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Haiti. Senator Gregg and I supported most of the President's requests, but we could not support them all and there were other items, like pandemic flu and assistance for disaster victims and refugees in other parts of the world, which we could not ignore. We also provide additional assistance for Mexico, where drug-related violence spilling into the United States is a growing concern of many Senators, and for Jordan, a key ally in the Middle East. We include language requiring a determination by the Secretary of State that the governments of Afghanistan and Haiti are taking necessary steps concerning transparency and corruption. We require consultation with local communities and a central role for women in decisions about assistance programs. The funds in the State and Foreign Operations chapter of this bill are for programs that are strongly supported by both the Department of State and the Department of Defense, in countries where the United States has important national security interests. I very much appreciate the way Senator Gregg and his staff worked with me and my staff on our chapter of this bill.…”