Letter from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts), July 22, 2003

Letter from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts), July 22, 2003

McGovern-Skelton Amendment Makes Modest Reductions

To Send a Big Message to the Colombian Military

Vote YES on McGovern-Skelton

Dear Colleague,

The McGovern-Skelton amendment, which would transfer $75 million for military aid for Colombia to the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund to support programs to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases (e.g. polio), will soon be debated during consideration of H.R. 2800, the FY 2004 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act.

H.R. 2800 includes $731 million for the Andean Counterdrug Initiative, of which, according to State Department documents, $158.7 million is designated exclusively for the Colombian military (not the police). The McGovern-Skelton amendment reduces that amount by $40 million.

The bill also includes $4.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programs, of which $110 million is slated for the Colombian military. McGovern-Skelton reduces this amount by $35 million.

An additional $1.6 million in IMET funding for the Colombian military remains untouched.

If McGovern-Skelton is approved, $195.3 million in military aid would still be appropriated for the Colombian military in H.R. 2800.

These funds would be in addition to the minimum of $120.5 million in military aid for Colombia included in H.R. 2658, the FY 2004 Defense Appropriations Act, which passed the House on July 8th.

If McGovern-Skelton is approved, the total FY 2004 military aid for the Colombian military would be a minimum of $315.8 million.

On April 16, 2003, H.R. 1559, the FY 2003 Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, was signed into law by President Bush. This bill included $105 million in supplemental military aid for Colombia.

As you can see, the McGovern-Skelton amendment is a reasonable and modest proposal, which, if approved, will send:

A strong signal to the Colombian government to make genuine and lasting reforms to its conscription law and to a sustained system for paying its fair share of its own defense.
A strong signal to the Colombian military to break, once and for all, its ties to paramilitary groups cited on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations.

A message to the Administration to clearly define the nature of the U.S. commitment to Colombia and, at a time when U.S. forces are severely stretched, how this might affect our ability to respond to military emergencies elsewhere in the world.

Sincerely,

James P. McGovern

Member of Congress