Speech by Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-California), March 29, 2000

Speech by Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-California), March 29, 2000
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise reluctantly to oppose the amendment by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), who is the ranking member of the subcommittee.

It is my privilege to serve on the subcommittee with the gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), and I very much admire their work and the total responsibility we have for foreign operations.

Unfortunately, I could not disagree more with the position that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) has on this specific item that her amendment addresses itself to. I could not disagree more strongly.

She would strike that money that allows us to provide for the training of those Colombian troops who will be putting forth the effort to cut off this flow of coca leaves to the United States. I cannot really understand why she would even consider such an action.

In the final analysis, this amendment is little more than a mini-amendment of the Obey amendment that was before us a short time ago. The gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan), as well as the Speaker, expressed themselves eloquently and touched every point that needs to be made here.

The government of Colombia is doing their very best to put together a package that essentially would stop the production of coca leaves in Colombia that eventually comes into the United States. That flow provides 90 percent of the coca available in the United States. To not be willing to cooperate with that effort on the part of the government of Colombia is sort of a bit of insanity.

I cannot understand why the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) in this case, for some reason, chooses to eliminate the money for the training itself. It is a fundamental pillar of that effort. It is the essence of the American effort. Because of that, I would ask that the House consider this last vote and repeat it on the final question regarding the Pelosi amendment.

As of March 30, 2000, this document was also available online at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r106:H29MR0-173: