Speech by Rep.
Tom Davis (R-Virginia), June 9, 2006
Mr. TOM
DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to any attempts
to cut funding for the Andean Counterdrug Initiative. President Uribe's
reelection to a historic second term reaffirms the Colombian people's
commitment to his program of democratic security and the war on drugs.
His popularity among Colombians illustrates how important the struggle
against narcoterrorism is and it helps measure success over the last
few years.
Under Uribe's leadership, Colombians finally have the courage to fight
back against the FARC and the drug traffickers. And as the rest of the
continent is moving away from the United States, Colombia remains our
staunchest ally in South America. We need to reaffirm, not dismantle,
our commitment to this program, to the people of Colombia, and to American
citizens who want illegal drugs off their streets.
I have led several congressional delegations to Colombia during my time
as chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and I can say firsthand
that our significant investment is paying dividends. Together, with
the strong commitments of the Uribe administration and historic levels
of support from the Colombian people, U.S. involvement in Colombia is
beginning to hit narcoterrorism where it hurts.
Mr. Chairman, how can we cut funding when we are seeing tremendous results
in illegal crop eradication and record reductions in coca productions
and the destruction of drug labs? Coca eradication through spraying
have gone from 47,000 hectares the first year of Plan Colombia to 138,000
last year. As a result of ACI funding, we are seeing unprecedented levels
of drug interdictions. Drug flow to the U.S. has dropped by 7 percent,
making American streets safer for our youth. Progress like this would
not be possible under the amendment.
The Colombian Government is reestablishing state presence in areas of
the country that for decades have lacked it. All 1,098 Colombian municipalities
now have a permanent presence thanks to President Uribe's fearless efforts.
Criminals who have remained at bay for years are being captured and
extradited to the U.S. for prosecution. Colombia has extradited over
300 Colombian citizens to the U.S. since August of 2002, mostly on narcotics-related
charges. How can we justify pulling the plug on the ACI funding when
we are seeing record numbers of extraditions to the U.S. of FARC and
drug cartel members?
Over 30,000 paramilitaries have now been demobilized since President
Uribe took office. Thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition have
been surrendered. The demobilization and reincorporation of illegal
armed groups is part of a peace process that is providing stability
to the entire Andean region. Colombians are finally beginning to feel
safe and secure in their own country. Kidnappings are down by 51 percent
and the murder rate has dropped to 13 percent.
Mr. Chairman, Plan Colombia is working. I have seen firsthand the devastation
that drug production and trafficking has on Colombia. To those who question
our investment, I would ask them to visit, as I have, Colombian soldiers
who have lost their limbs or eyesight or sustained permanent disability
in their battle to return peace to their nation and to keep drugs off
American streets.
I would also ask them to visit Barrio Nelson Mandela, a USAID-sponsored
facility for internally displaced people who have been forced from their
homes by drug traffickers and guerrillas. This facility showed me how
work on behalf of Colombia's millions of internally displaced people
is offering suffering men, women, and children a second chance at a
violence-free and productive life.
On a trip to Colombia last year, I accompanied the Colombian National
Police to a manual eradication site in the Andean mountains and helped
them pull the coca crop from the mountainous terrain that helicopters
can't reach. These are dedicated people who literally risk their lives
to destroy the drug trade and rid their country of drugs and violence.
My travels to Colombia have shown me just how critical U.S. assistance
is to their government. With such promising results over the last 5
years, we have to sustain this momentum, not wipe it out. Of course
obstacles remain. The progress is slower than we would like it to be.
But now is not the time to turn our backs on this battle that is so
intrinsically tied to the war on terrorism and the scourge of illegal
drug use.
The Uribe administration, reelected with 62 percent of the vote last
week, needs U.S. assistance to improve mobility, intelligence, and training.
Make no mistake, Colombia today is doing its share. Spending on security
forces has increased under President Uribe and continues in his second
term. We simply cannot afford for President Uribe to fail in this heroic
effort to rid his country of the narcoterrorist threat, nor would Colombians
understand such a step if this amendment prevails. Full funding of the
Andean Counterdrug Initiative for FY 2007 is critical to sustaining
our success in Colombia.
It is simple, Mr. Chairman. Now is not the time to turn our backs on
the progress we are making against narcoterrorism in Colombia. We can't
win this war on drugs and drug-supported terrorism without the proper
tools and resources. And the message this sends to our allies would
be devastating.
I ask my colleagues to vote "no" on the McGovern amendment.
As of June
13, 2006 this page was also available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/R?r109:FLD001:H53648
