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Updated:5/12/00 |
| Joe
Lockhart, White House press secretary, press briefing, May 10, 2000 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room Q Joe, how damaging is it to fund Colombia -- to only have the money for one year, instead of the two the President asked for? MR. LOCKHART: Well, certainly, I think it's important that we make the commitment over the two years that we asked for, because I think this shouldn't be looked at in a vacuum of just the United States. There are a number of international -- countries around the world that are working with Colombia, as you know, and Colombia is providing the bulk of the resources. So I think it's important that we send the message that we're committed to this. I think, overall, what has the potential to cause damage, though, is the kind of process that we've got through here. It can best be described as a mess. You have the House moving this -- they moved it quite quickly in a supplemental. Now you have the Senate moving it in maybe one bill, maybe three bills; it may be 2000 money, it may be 2001 money. They haven't figured any of that out. These are urgent needs for the country. We don't need to play politics. We don't need to subject it to the kind of slow walking appropriations that we've seen over the last few years. I think we firmly believe that the Senate leadership should bring this forward in a way that we can rapidly conclude this debate and pass the supplemental. Q Do you actually think there's a chance that they'll regroup this into a stand-alone supplemental bill? MR. LOCKHART: It's hard to know. I think even those who are devising the strategy are not quite sure what they've got now. I mean, when you can't explain whether it's 2000 or 2001 money, you can't explain whether it's going to go on one bill, three bills or four bills, then you have to recognize that the situation has gotten out of control and it's a mess. And often the best way, when you've dug a hole, is to stop digging and to figure out a way to get it done in a way that meets the country's needs. As of May 12, 2000, this document was also available online at http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-res/I2R?urn:pdi://oma.eop.gov.us/2000/5/10/14.text.1 |
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