Department Of State Foreign Operations, And Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Fiscal Year 2010 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. I'd like to thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger for their hard work on this bill and take a moment to explain the need for this important piece of legislation.

This bill improves America's leadership in the fight against global poverty and disease. As Congress continues to debate the efficacy of our foreign aid against the backdrop of a post-9/11 world, many Americans do not make the connection between national security and development.

It's more than just a moral problem that billions of people around the world are struggling to survive. It is also in our security interest as a nation. Populations that struggle in extreme poverty are more likely to become mired in destabilizing conflicts, or worse, become havens or recruiting grounds for terrorist organizations. Taking action to help lift people out of poverty and addressing the critical issues that go hand-in-hand with poverty will help prevent threats to U.S. security, and will also help create goodwill toward the U.S. in places where it is desperately needed.

The United States sits near the bottom of government aid donations by country wealth, donating just 0.18% of our national income. Now is the time to bolster our funding and development efforts to developing countries. The current economic climate is seriously impacting developing countries and they are in dire need of our assistance. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, world trade is in the largest decline since 1929, and commodity prices, particularly for exports from developing countries, are falling.

* I am pleased to see that this legislation contains $13.4 billion for national security, counterterrorism and counternarcotics programs, including significant funding for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Yet, the funding focus in recent years on defense, while vital in our fight against extremism, has left behind the other D's--diplomacy and development. This bill helps remedy that by reforming and rebuilding America's diplomatic and development capacity. While it does not meet the full request by the President, the bill provides funding to hire 1,000 new State Department personnel and 300 new USAID personnel.

Unfortunately, U.S. efforts remain insufficient to counter violent extremist narratives around the world. Terrorist groups aggressively push their narrative through new and traditional media. I was pleased to see increased funding for public diplomacy programs in the FY2010 bill. The increase would support at least 20 new public diplomacy positions. Importantly, the funding also continues imperative programs which include the counterterrorism communication center, and the digital outreach team focused on engaging Arabic language websites to impart accurate information and counter misinformation about the United States. Strategic communication and public diplomacy should be at the front-and-center as we work to roll back al-Qaeda's and other violent extremists' influence among disaffected populations.

I would be remiss not to mention funding for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) which was increased over the current level. I am disappointed, however, that the allocation was less than the President's request. As the bill progresses I would urge continued support for global poverty reduction by funding the MCA at no less than the $1.4 billion allocated in this legislation. The Millennium Challenge Corporation's (MCC's) model of combating global poverty through initiatives that remove barriers to economic growth has not only been hailed as innovative, it has provided an effective complement to existing development aid streams.

The bill also provides $156 million for health and development assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and prioritizes peacekeeping operations funding for the country. I witnessed the urgent need for this funding first hand when I visited the DRC earlier this spring. This bill includes funding for addressing gender-based violence and I would hope that priority is given to the areas in conflict and post-conflict such as the DRC which are afflicted most by these dehumanizing acts. Too often in these areas acts of rape and sexual abuse are, unfortunately, common events. Gender-based violence is a major public health and human rights problem throughout the world and it is most apparent in the DRC. There, a devastatingly high percentage of girls are reported to have been raped. Yet, this is only a fraction of the actual number as most cases are unreported.

Again, I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger for their work on this legislation and urge my colleagues to support its passage. This bill would advance our ability to combat global poverty and is critical to our country's ability to address today's threats.

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