House of Representatives passes Bill Supporting Colombia's Drug Fight, U.S. Embassy to Colombia, March 30, 2000

House of Representatives passes Bill Supporting Colombia's Drug Fight, U.S. Embassy to Colombia, March 30, 2000
House of Representatives passes Bill Supporting Colombia's Drug Fight

A bill providing U.S. aid to anti-narcotics efforts in Colombia and the Andean region was approved March 30 by the House of Representatives by a vote of 263 to 146. The measure, which awaits consideration by the Senate, would provide some $1,700 million to help Colombia fight its illegal drug trade.

The aid for Colombia is part of the $12,700-million "2000 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act," which would also finance U.S. peacekeepers in Kosovo and aid victims of natural disasters in the United States. As approved by the House, the bill adds $400 million to the $1,300 million President Clinton requested for Colombia. Another $300 million in aid is already in the pipeline.

The $1,700 million would represent the U.S. contribution to the $7,500-million plan proposed by the Colombian government to fight drug trafficking and its related ills. Clinton said during his March 29 press conference at the White House that the aid for Colombia is needed to "help keep illegal drugs out of our nation by supporting the Colombian government's courageous fight against drug traffickers."

The House vote followed an attempt the day before to slash $522 million of the Colombian aid. Congressman David Obey (Democrat of Wisconsin), who introduced the amendment to slash the aid, said he was worried the United States will "enter into a huge new long-term commitment to underwrite a war in Colombia," adding: "We have been told [the war] will last at least five years, and I suspect it will last probably 10."

But House Speaker Dennis Hastert (Republican of Illinois), a staunch supporter of the Colombian package, responded to Obey's concern by saying: "I understand that we do not want to get in a prolonged war. But we helped Peru and we did not get in a prolonged war because we did not have our troops down there."

"We are not going to do this" in Colombia either, he added.

Hastert said the United States has a "responsibility to stop drugs in Colombia, to stop them in transit, to stop them at our border, to stop them in our streets and in our schools." He cited statistics showing that Colombia is the source of 90% of the cocaine and 65% of the heroin that reaches U.S. shores, and that more than 52,000 people in the United States die each year from illegal drug use.

"We cannot ignore this issue," Hastert emphasized.

Following the House vote, Colombian President Andres Pastrana issued a statement welcoming the strong expression of bipartisan congressional support for Colombia. "We look forward to a similar expression of support and commitment for Colombia by the United States Senate in the days ahead," he said.

Washington, D.C.
30 de marzo de 2000

As of May 17, 2001, this document was also available online at http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/co1/wwwhpc13.html