Patrick Leahy: “Archbishop Francis is said to be the only man in Liberia that Charles Taylor feared. This is because of the archbishop's…”

“Archbishop Francis is said to be the only man in Liberia that Charles Taylor feared. This is because of the archbishop's tireless criticism of Charles Taylor and his brutal regime. If we don't move decisively to help solidify the fragile peace in Liberia, fighting could easily resume and spread throughout the region. Guess who the world will look to help solve the crisis? The United States. More lives will have been lost, more time will have been wasted and it will be more difficult and expensive to act. Mr. President, this amendment gives the Senate a chance to take decisive action to address the crisis in Liberia. This amendment provides $200 million in badly needed aid, and it allows the administration to determine the best way to spend these funds. How did we arrive at this figure? Two hundred million dollars is what the Bush administration says we should spend to respond to this crisis. On October 2, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Walter Kansteiner told the House International Relations Committee that $200 million is what the U.S. should contribute to Liberia. In other words, this is the administration's own number. This amendment is fully offset--it does not add one dime to the total amount of the supplemental. It also allows the administration to use these funds for virtually any purpose: humanitarian, reconstruction, or security assistance. We have an $87 billion bill before the Senate. But there is no money in this bill designated for Liberia.”