Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005 - Continued
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005-CONTINUED
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be added as a cosponsor of this important amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I particularly wish to thank my colleague, Senator DeWine from Ohio, for his leadership, Senator Brownback from Kansas, and the Presiding Officer, Senator Alexander, for their leadership on this amendment.
In my hometown of Springfield, IL, my wife and I live next door to this family-we have lived in the neighborhood for over 25 years-and one of the young women in that family, after serving several years in the U.S. Air Force, left to work for the World Food Program, and then work for USAID. As we speak, she is in Sudan trying to bring necessary relief in this horrible situation.
It is in Robin May's honor that I am happy to add my name as a cosponsor to this important amendment.
I also acknowledge with gratitude the helpfulness of Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye in allowing us to offer this amendment.
If one reads the history of the last 10 years, one will be struck by the fact that at least in the situation of Rwanda, if not in other times, we in the United States turned a blind eye to genocide, to the massive killing of innocent people. We are not going to let that happen in the Sudan and Chad.
This commitment of funds, though modest in relation to the problems, shows that the United States is willing to step up and try to show leadership with the rest of the world in helping these poor innocent victims.
We are constantly defining ourselves to the world. Those definitions come out many times in photographs that are not complimentary and sometimes in photographs that are. I hope the world, in viewing this small but important effort, will understand that America does care, and cares for those who are suffering in the most remote regions of the world and in Africa, of course.
I am happy to add my name as a cosponsor to this amendment. I hope it is adopted with overwhelming support.
I yield the floor.