Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Batavia, Illinois), an friend of Colombian President Andrés Pastrana since his days as mayor of Bogotá, pushed hard for the package's passage, even speaking on the House floor during debate on the aid bill to defend its military provisions. (See The Full House of Representatives for more information.)

• Press release by House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois), March 30, 2000
• Statement by Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, January 11, 2000

During the March 9 House Appropriations Committee markup of the aid package, Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-Mobile, Alabama), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, spoke against amendments offered by Democrats that would have delayed military aid and added human rights conditions.

• Press release by Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-Alabama), March 16, 2000

Rep. John Mica (R-Casselberry, Florida), the head of the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, is an outspoken critic of the administration's drug policy who has spoken frequently on the House floor in favor of greater aid for Colombia's security forces.

• Speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), June 20, 2000
• Speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), June 6, 2000
• Speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), May 23, 2000
• Speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), May 16, 2000
• Speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), May 9, 2000
• Speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), April 4, 2000
• Special order speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), March 14, 2000
• Special order speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), February 15, 2000
• Special order speech by Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), February 1, 2000

Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-Middletown, New York), the head of the House International Relations Committee, is a longtime proponent of greater aid for Colombia. Though he has favored an approach centered on Colombia's National Police, Gilman issued a statement on March 10 endorsing the aid package.

• Press release and speech by Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-New York), March 10, 2000
• Press release by Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-New York), February 15, 2000

During March 2000 , Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-Hickory, North Carolina) gave six speeches on the House floor in favor of the aid package.

• Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 23, 2000
• Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 16, 2000
• Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 15, 2000
• Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 14, 2000
• Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 9, 2000
• Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 8, 2000

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ft. Wayne , Indiana), who has been pushing for years to give helicopters and other equipment to Colombia's police, is a vocal proponent of the new aid.

• Speech by Rep. Mark Souder (R-Indiana), March 15, 2000

Rep. Porter Goss (R-Naples, Florida), a former CIA clandestine services officer, is credited with writing much of the House bill's Colombia military aid provisions.

• Press release by Rep. Porter Goss (R-Florida), January 11, 2000

Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Bloomington, Minnesota) has given three speeches on the House floor in opposition to the aid package, calling instead for greater domestic drug demand-reduction efforts. He sponsored an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill that would have cut out all aid to Colombia and its neighbors, both military and economic. The measure failed. (See The Full House of Representatives for more information.)

• Speech by Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minnesota), March 22, 2000
• Speech by Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minnesota), March 21, 2000
• Speech by Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minnesota), March 15, 2000

During the March 9 Appropriations Committee markup, Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Escondido, California) was among a handful of Republicans who supported Rep. David Obey's (D-Wisconsin) amendment to delay military aid. (The amendment failed.)

Cunningham voted against a similar amendment Obey introduced in the full House of Representatives on March 29.

Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Campbell, California) co-signed a letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young (R-Florida) opposing the aid package. He co-sponsored Rep. Ramstad's amendment to cut the aid to Colombia. (See The Full House of Representatives for more information.)

• Letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young (R-Florida) circulated by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Tom Campbell (R-California), Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) and Janice Schakowsky (D-Illinois), and signed by sixteen others, March 8, 2000

The ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. David Obey (D-Wausau, Wisconsin) offered an amendment during the committee's March 9 markup that would have delayed the military portions of the aid package. The amendment failed with 20 in favor and 36 against. (See House Appropriations Committee page for more information.)

Obey introduced a similar amendment on the House floor on March 29, during the debate on the supplemental appropriations bill that includes the Colombia aid. The measure failed but gained a proportionately higher vote, losing with 186 in favor and 239 against. Obey spoke several times in opposition to the Colombia military aid during the two-day House debate. (See The Full House of Representatives for more information.)

• Dissenting view of Rep. David Obey in House Committee Report 106-521 on H.R. 3908, March 14, 2000
• Dissenting view of Reps. David Obey and Nancy Pelosi in House Committee Report 106-521 on H.R. 3908, March 14, 2000

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco, California), the ranking member of the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, offered an amendment during the Appropriations Committee's March 9 markup that would have added $1.3 billion for domestic drug treatment. The amendment failed with 23 in favor and 31 against. (See House Appropriations Committee page for more information.)

Pelosi spoke often in the House of Representatives' March 29-30 floor debate on the Colombia package. Through a clever parliamentary maneuver, Pelosi used a protest amendment to gain several hours of debate on military aid to Colombia and U.S. drug policy in general. (See The Full House of Representatives for more information.)

• Press release by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), March 29, 2000
• Dissenting view of Reps. David Obey and Nancy Pelosi in House Committee Report 106-521 on H.R. 3908, March 14, 2000

Rep. Sam Farr (D-Salinas, California), who served in Colombia as a Peace Corps volunteer, introduced amendments during the March 9 Appropriations Committee markup that would have added human rights conditions to the assistance, increased funding for alternative development, and allowed future military aid to be reprogrammed if Colombia's peace process shows progress. These amendments were withdrawn before they came to a vote, though two smaller Farr provisions passed (calling for putting the AUC paramilitary group on the State Department's list of terrorist groups, and for helicopters used for human rights violations to be returned to the United States). Though Farr opposed the Obey amendment (listed above), he voted against the entire appropriation. (See House Appropriations Committee page for more information.)

• Special order speeches by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Rep. Sam Farr (D-California), U.S. House of Representatives, November 16, 1999

Rep. Jim McGovern (right, D-Worcester, Massachusetts) has criticized the aid package in a February 16 speech on the floor of the House and in a February 3 letter to Secretary of State Albright, also signed by Rep. John Joseph Moakley (left, D-Boston, Massachusetts).

• Special order speech by Rep. James McGovern (D-Massachusetts), February 16, 2000
• Letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright from Reps. James McGovern (D-Massachusets) and John Joseph Moakley (D-Massachusetts), February 3, 2000

Freshman Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-Chicago, Illinois) has been an outspoken critic of new military assistance, voicing opposition at a February 15 subcommittee hearing and in a letter to President Clinton.

• Letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young (R-Florida) circulated by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Tom Campbell (R-California), Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) and Janice Schakowsky (D-Illinois), and signed by sixteen others, March 8, 2000
• Press release by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois), February 15, 2000

Freshman Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison, Wisconsin) has visited one of Colombia's most conflictive areas and has led opposition to the military sections of the aid package.

• Letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young (R-Florida) circulated by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Tom Campbell (R-California), Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) and Janice Schakowsky (D-Illinois), and signed by sixteen others, March 8, 2000