Speech by Rep.
Ike Skelton (D-Missouri), June 9, 2006
Mr. SKELTON.
I thank the gentleman for yielding. I might point out, Mr. Chairman,
that I take a back seat to no one regarding fighting the scourge of
illegal drugs. And being a former prosecuting attorney, I know full
well the scourge of that problem.
However, Mr. Chairman, the American taxpayers have spent over $4.7 billion
on the Andean Counterdrug Initiative since the year 2000. Despite that
commitment, the production in that country is higher now than ever.
We need to ensure we are spending money wisely. We must ensure we are
addressing the root causes of the drug problem in Colombia.
Let me point out that the committee provides $545 million for this program
and we are diverting, by way of this amendment, a very good amendment,
only $30 million, which, by the way, if you subtract carefully, still
leaves more than the President recommended for this program.
I am glad that we have been able to support President Uribe and the
Colombian military against guerrilla groups, but I still question the
stability of our military efforts in that country. And I think we are
also working our special operation forces very, very hard during this
time of war elsewhere.
It has been a long time since the House Armed Services Committee has
seriously focused any attention on the security changes in Latin America.
We ought to take our congressional oversight role seriously. We should
hold hearings, give full consideration to American policy in this critical
part of the world. If we are not careful, the gathering storm in Latin
America could come back to bite us in years to come.
This amendment, which I support, sends a clear message to Colombian
and other Andean countries that while the American people will support
their governments to a point, the financial assistance is not unlimited
and should not go unchecked. Colombia must decrease coca production
and better account for human rights concerns.
This amendment transfers $30 million out of the Andean Counterdrug Initiative
account to humanitarian assistance in the Sudan and in Darfur, which
is highly needed and necessary, in my opinion, and it still leaves more
money than what the President recommended for this antidrug program
in the Andean area.
As of June
13, 2006 this page was also available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/R?r109:FLD001:H53648
