Neil Abercrombie

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, I can fully understand why people would want to try and save money but this kind of approach is, I think, unpardonable. I wish the gentleman had discussed the issue perhaps with myself, with the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), with some others who are familiar with these programs. They perform an invaluable service, and to simply take the position that we are going to hack them in half or chop dollars out and let them try to fend afterwards as best they may is such a cavalier approach to cost cutting that it undermines, I think, entirely the thrust of any attempt to try and save money genuinely. These institutions are providing an intellectual foundation that gives us the opportunity, as Mr. Gejdenson indicated, to formulate policy in an intelligent way that saves the taxpayer dollars and allows us to carry foreign policy, in particular, forward in a manner that befits the strategic interests of this Nation. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is ill-timed. It is ill-founded and should be defeated. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak against this amendment to H.R. 2415, the State Department authorization for FY2000. The amendment makes an ill advised 31 percent reduction in the bill's funding for the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange between East and West, more commonly known as the East-West Center. The East-West Center has already suffered severe budget cuts during this decade. Further cuts would seriously compromise the national interests of the United States by weakening our full and constructive engagement in the Asia-Pacific area, which is emerging as the most dynamic region of the globe. The East-West Center was established by the Congress in 1960 to improve mutual understanding and cooperation among the governments and peoples of the Asia-Pacific region, including the United States. The Center helps prepare the United States for constructive involvement in Asia and the Pacific through education, dialogue, research and outreach. The Congress and Executive Branch agencies turn to the Center for advice and information. During the Center's 39 years of existence, more than 50,000 Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders from over 60 nations and territories have participated in the East-West Center's educational, research and conference programs. Presidents, prime ministers, diplomats and distinguished scholars and statesmen from all parts of the region have used the Center as a forum to advance international cooperation. The Center has become one of the most highly respected institutions in the region. The friendly relations which exist today between the United States and countries of Asia and the Pacific are attributable in large measure to the work of the East-West Center. The 21st century will be the Pacific Century. Our relations with the nations of the region will determine America's role in the Pacific Century. Will we retain our position of leadership, or will we be relegated to the margins of the Pacific Century? The answer depends to a large extent on our commitment to understanding the region, demonstrating our involvement with its future, and nurturing our ties to its leaders of today and tomorrow. I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment and send a clear signal that U.S. interest in and commitment to the Asia-Pacific region remain undiminished. Ms. McKinney. Mr. Chairman, I intend to vote against the cuts called for in the Sanford Amendment and I urge my colleagues to join me in defeating this amendment. Those of us on the International Relations Committee have been here before. These proposals were all offered to us at our markup, and they lost--badly. On both sides of the aisle, the conclusion then was that the East-West Center, the North-South Center, and the Asia Foundation deserved a substantial level of support. We were right then, and this amendment is wrong now. These organizations do a lot of good for a small investment. The East-West Center is one of the best methods we have to build long-term relationships with the nations of the Pacific Ocean--places we neglect all too much. Part of the funding we proposed for the East-West Center is intended to establish an Ocean Resources Institute to figure out the best way to use the great marine wealth in the Pacific in a way that is economically and environmentally sound. And the Asia Foundation, which has been in Indonesia for almost half a century, was one of the most important groups doing civic education before the Indonesian elections. They are also heavily involved in helping small to medium-sized businesses, especially those owned by women, get on their feet and keep going, even during Indonesia's economic crisis. The money that would be provided here is well justified and will be well used. Join me in demonstrating your support for a responsible investment with a long-term payoff. Vote against these cuts.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, I request that the time that has been yielded to me be divided, 2\1/2\ minutes each to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) and myself.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Buyer- Abercrombie amendment to provide, in law, a provision for disability separation and retirement for service members with pre-existing conditions. This amendment is one of the en-bloc amendments. Current law does not include a standard to establish eligibility for disability retirement and separation based on medical conditions that existed prior to members entry into military service. Previously, disability retirement and separation based on pre-existing medical condition had been authorized in regulations after eight years of service. In 1979 the Department of Defense recommended to the Congress that disability compensation be extended to personnel with less than eight years of service, in order not to ``worsen . . . the competitive position of the armed forces in attracting and retaining the numbers and quality of members essential to the proper functioning of the forces'' in context of the ``All Volunteer'' service. Congress, under the Military Personnel and Compensation Amendments of 1980, approved this request. The DoD disability directive written at this time maintained the eight years length of service requirement only for pre- existing conditions. That policy was removed from the regulations in 1996 after a legal finding that there was no law to support the policy. Only in very rare instances is medical evidence provided that states unequivocally that military service played no part in the progression of the disease. In fact, such evidence has been presented for just a handful of diseases i.e. (Retinitis Pigmentosa, Huntington's Chorea) and the Services have found their hands tied by current DoD policy and legislation. This amendment offered by myself and Mr. Buyer would place in law a well-conceived and once well-executed policy and has the strong support of the Department of Defense. Adoption of this proposal would provide compensation to a small number of deserving people--perhaps 50 annually--that are afflicted by hereditary or congenital disease undetected at the time they joined the military. These affected service members are patriots, who after faithfully serving their country for at least eight years, are now told they are no longer fit for military duty because of a pre-existing condition. These men and women joined the military in good faith and it is that good faith that we must return to them. Mr. Buyer and I strongly urge our colleagues to support the amendment.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Pickett).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), the senior Democrat on the committee, who has been a mentor to us all, and it is a great pleasure to have him speak on this most important amendment.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of what the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) has correctly characterized as a bipartisan amendment. I would think that we might even say that it is a nonpartisan amendment, to offer the thrift savings plan to our dedicated service members. As the senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, I am extremely proud of the compensation package that we have put in this bill to help military personnel. This package addressed pay and retirement, as the gentleman from Indiana indicated, in a comprehensive fashion. May I add parenthetically, Madam Chairman, that I give full credit to the gentleman from Indiana for the really fabulous job that he, the staff and the other Members did with respect to making this truly comprehensive and far reaching. We were unable to include, as he indicated, a provision that we both viewed as critical not only to the military, but to the economic security of this Nation, the Thrift Savings Plan. We have the lowest personal savings rate since 1950. Over the past year, the personal savings rate, the amount of savings divided by disposable income expressed as a percentage in this country, has been less than 1 percent. The savings rate in the country is important because it represents the resources that can be used to create, sustain or expand the Nation's capital. Savings represent the potential for long-term future growth and increase the national standard of living, and we want our military to be able to participate in it. As a Nation, we should encourage all people to save, and, as an employer, the government is remiss if we do not offer that same opportunity to the military. Service members should be extended the same benefits as other Federal employees. Madam Chairman, as my colleagues know, we, as Members of Congress, are permitted to participate in the Thrift Savings Plan, and we think that, at a minimum, equity requires us to open up this process to members of the United States military. There are currently 1.4 million employees who do not have the employer-sponsored savings plan; that is the military. The military is the largest employer that does not offer a 401(k) plan. We do offer the benefit to Federal civilians, as I indicated, of the Thrift Savings Plan. Extending this plan to the military will have a salutary effect on the economy. Participation in the Thrift Savings Plan is 86.1 percent of the FERS employees and 61.2 percent of the CRS employees. If only 61.2 percent of the people in the military were to participate, there would be 848,000 participants. This amounts to a total contribution of additional savings of almost $1 billion over a 10-year period. It is past overdue then for us to extend this benefit to the military and allow them the benefit from and contribute to the growth of the economy. So I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment and reiterate, if I might, in this closing portion of these remarks that this is the product, this amendment is the product of a work effort which has characterized the Subcommittee on Military Personnel of the Committee on Armed Services from the beginning under the leadership of the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) which was one of encouragement and cooperation not only extended to all Members, but extended to all members of the armed services who were invited to participate in our deliberations, and credit for that goes to the leadership of Mr. Buyer. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Maloney) to speak on the amendment.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, I do not oppose the amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that in the absence of opposition that I be allowed to control the time otherwise reserved for the opposition.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, in closing, I would like to thank the subcommittee staff for their very hard work. Additionally, I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer). It has been a pleasure to work with him, to develop such a comprehensive benefits package that I am certain will ensure the viability of the all-volunteer force well into the next century.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Chairman, with the Chair's permission and with the indulgence of the gentleman from Indiana, there was a request by a Member to speak, and I ask unanimous consent to extend the debate by 1 minute.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Yes, Madam Chairman.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. And so, I think it would be also fair to indicate that these two amendments that appear before us today, if anything, would be characterized by individuals on the Committee on Armed Services, such as myself, as possibly being even a little light in terms of what we might reasonably expect to impose given the sorry record that has appeared before us over the last 6 years.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman would yield further, has it not been a topic of discussion among Democrats and Republicans that these questions that have been raised and which are addressed in the amendments now before us have been, if anything, stated in just as strong if not stronger terms in trying to deal with the question of technology transfer in the security interests of this Nation?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. And would it not be fair to say that the question we had in the Committee on Armed Services was as to whether the Commerce Department was the best area to be making decisions with respect to national security interests of this country and technology transfer?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, I ask the gentleman, would it be fair to characterize some of the discussion that took place in the Committee on Armed Services since 1993 as addressing some of the very problems that the gentleman has outlined in that chart?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Princess Victoria Ka'uilani Elementary School, which has earned the prestigious Blue Ribbon Schools Award from the U.S. Department of Education. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program identifies and gives national recognition to a diverse group of public and private schools that have been judged particularly effective in meeting local, state, and national goals. In being selected, Princess Ka'iulani Elementary School displayed the qualities of excellence that are necessary to prepare our young people for the challenges of the next century. The school demonstrates its strong leadership by providing high quality teaching, instilling policies and practices that ensure a safe environment conducive to learning, initiating strong parental and community involvement, and helping all students achieve to high standards. The awarding of Princess Victoria Ka'iulani Elementary School as a Blue Ribbon School is made even more special by the fact that this year marks the school's centennial anniversary. The school opened its doors on April 22, 1899 and was named for the beautiful Princess Victoria Ka'iulani. The name Ka'iulani means ``Child from Heaven.'' The students come from diverse cultures and various social backgrounds in the Kalihi-Palama neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. And while the neighborhood is sometimes known for gangs and drug dealing, the school has a warm and friendly environment. The school definitely exudes the spirit of ``aloha'' and ``ohana'' (family). This nurturing atmosphere helps students to believe in themselves and offers an opportunity to learn and move forward. There are a variety of factors that contribute to the school's success. For example, at the beginning of each year, parents are given a student ready reference guide, a school profile, and a syllabus of the school's curriculum and activities. To further initiate parental involvement, a monthly parent bulletin is jointly authored by Title I, Parent-Community Networking Centers (PCNC), Primary School Adjustment Project (PSAP) and the Principal. Community involvement is also well established. Groups such as The Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu, the USS Louisville, 516th Signal Brigade from the Fort Shafter Army Installation and the USS Chicago have contributed to the school's various campus beautification projects, providing access to the Internet and even assisting in classes and chaperoning field trips. Also, English Second Language Learners (ESLL) provides support to 101 students whose native language range from Vietnamese, Ilocano, Cantonese, Samoan, Tagalog, Visayan, Lao, Korean, Mandarin, Tongan, Micronesian and Fijian. In fact, students have continued to improve in Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) scores and due to a strong focus on literacy, reading levels have significantly increased over the past few years. Again, I wish to commend and congratulate the students, teachers, parents, administration, and staff of Princess Victoria Ka'iulani Elementary School for its strong efforts and proud achievement in receiving the Blue Ribbon Schools Award.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the other Members who are here this evening. I will not take the full time, but I will merely read a brief excerpt as an addendum to the remarks that have been made at this point. We are very grateful to our colleagues who are here on another matter tonight who have graciously consented to allow this interruption because of the serious nature of the business that was conducted this past weekend. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read just some excerpts from a letter addressed to the ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Ike Skelton), a letter sent to him today in conjunction with the report that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) just cited and the activities that we engaged in in Vienna this past weekend. The letter was a cover letter also containing the resolution that we expect to bring forward to all of our colleagues here on the floor shortly that we hope will provide a path towards reconciliation and resolution of the crisis in Kosovo. Mr. Speaker, I will just read briefly from the letter: Dear Ike, as you are aware, I recently returned from a trip to Vienna as the senior Democrat on a congressional delegation that met with the leadership of the Russian Duma. My earlier trip to the region prompted me to lead a group comprised of Corinne Brown, Maurice Hinchey, and Dennis Kucinich. Since you are the ranking member on the Committee on Armed Services, I wanted you to have a copy of the report of the meetings to review. Not only did we arrive at a viable framework around which the Congress and the Duma can facilitate an end to the violence in the Balkans, we learned much from our Russian colleagues. Our Duma counterparts represented the full spectrum of ideology and Russian politics. Together we reached agreement on three important components of peace and a possible road to implementation. More than ever, I am convinced that the road to peace is through Moscow. Without movement towards peace, I see escalating costs, increasingly convoluted options, and unacceptable casualties just over the horizon. Undermining the Administration's objectives was certainly not our desire, and I wish to reiterate that the delegation was not on a mission to negotiate peace. Instead, we were on a mission to reach out to our Russian counterparts. Because of her unique historic and cultural ties to Serbia, Russia has the credentials to act as an intermediary in achieving a negotiated peace in the Balkans. Mr. Speaker, I submit this letter for the Record. The letter referred to is as follows: Neil Abercrombie, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, May 4, 1999. Hon. Ike Skelton, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Skelton: As you are aware, I recently returned from a trip to Vienna as the senior Democrat on a Congressional delegation that met with leadership of the Russian Duma. My earlier trip to the region prompted me to lead a group comprised of Corrine Brown, Maurice Hinchey, and Dennis Kucinich. Since you are the ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services, I wanted you to have a copy of the report of the meetings to review. Not only did we arrive at a viable framework around which the Congress and the Duma can facilitate an end to the violence in the Balkans, we learned much from our Russian colleagues. Our Duma counterparts represented the full spectrum of ideology and Russian politics. Together we reached agreement on three important components of peace and a possible road to implementation. More than ever, I am convinced that the road to peace is through Moscow. Without movement toward peace, I see escalating costs, increasingly convoluted options, and unacceptable casualties just over the horizon. Undermining the administration's objectives was certainly not our desire, and I wish to reiterate that the delegation was not on a mission to negotiate peace. Instead, we were on a mission to reach out to our Russian counterparts. Because of her unique historic and cultural ties with Serbia, Russia has the credentials to act as an intermediary in achieving a negotiated peace in the Balkans. The bipartisan delegation prepared a resolution expressing the sense of Congress in supporting the recommendations of the Vienna meeting to bring about a fair, equitable and peaceful settlement in Yugoslavia. That draft resolution is attached. Additionally, I have attached a letter I sent to minority Leader Gephardt. I ask that you also support a bipartisan caucus so that the delegation can brief all members of Congress. Absent a bipartisan caucus, I ask your support for the delegation to brief the Armed Services Committee. This meeting with members of the Duma represents a singularly important step toward a negotiated solution. I seek your counsel and recommendations on how to best proceed. Sincerely, Neil Abercrombie, Member of Congress. Mr. Speaker, I wish to conclude my remarks by merely saying that the road to the resolution of this crisis is not in Belgrade and is not in Brussels, but is in fact in Moscow. The 11 of us, the bipartisan delegation which went to Vienna, had as its sole purpose the reaching out to the Members of the Russian Duma in an attempt to bring resolution to this crisis and bring it to a resolution at the earliest possible moment. Mr. Speaker, thank you for the time and I thank my colleagues for their generosity in providing it.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. I think it is crucial for us to understand that this is not some kind of, even if it is bipartisan, it is not some kind of a bipartisan rump group that may have suddenly come together in an ad hoc way, attempting to substitute itself for either the State Department or the administration or, for that matter, the will of the Congress. I think that is an accurate statement, and we need to flesh it out a little bit in order to make clear that that kind of an accusation or that kind of a conclusion that someone might draw superficially is inaccurate. The reason I say that it is inaccurate is there not a Duma-Congress working group formally established between the Congress of the United States, the House of Representatives for certain, and members of the Duma that actually has a working relationship which, in fact, has been taking place over some period of time now, not only in Russia but in the very halls of the Congress.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. So this is not, in fact, a paper organization or merely something that was signed for the pro forma effect, but rather a working relationship that, if I remember correctly, just this year had over in the Rayburn Building a formal meeting complete with simultaneous translators and minutes being kept of exchanges between the Duma and Members of the United States Congress.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Yes. I had to explain myself ever since for supporting it.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. And is not one of the reasons, then, that we are trying to pursue this particular course, regardless of the individual items right now which may not make up an agenda that we might want to present, is it not the case, then, that what we are trying to do here with what might be called a Balkan working group is to try to take advantage then of the good relations that have been built up, to try to take advantage of the opportunity that exists as parliamentarians, fellow parliamentarians, reaching out to them to ask for them to utilize their good offices in this instance? It is not us dictating a particular set of terms or acting as some kind of front men for any particular stands or positions that have been concocted in one venue or another, but rather that we are making a good-faith effort to reach out to in this instance particularly members of the Duma, to ask them to utilize a diplomatic effort which has a long history, a long and honorable history, that is to say the utilization of good offices and in this instance with the Government of Yugoslavia?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. I was smiling a bit, because the Members of the other side, of course, are the Democrats, not the Russians. That does highlight the point we are trying to make here that this is an effort being made by American parliamentarians with counterparts in the Russian Duma on the basis that we have a vehicle for discussion that is formally established and institutionalized between the Congress and the Russian parliament, known as the Duma, and that we want to take full advantage of that in the interest of peace.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.