Jim Kolbe

Mr. KOLBE

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the citizens of southeastern Arizona, my deepest sympathies go out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. While we are saddened by this tragedy, our compassion in this time of adversity will prevail. I am confident the spirit of community and generosity will be seen from across the country as we begin to clean up and rebuild from this horrible disaster. Whenever Americans get knocked down, they always get back up. Southern Arizona is ready to do its part, by opening its arms and its heart to shelter the homeless from Louisiana and Mississippi. This is just the first bill that Congress will need to enact to recover from this terrible disaster. It will provide an immediate infusion of money to allow FEMA and the Department of Defense to address the most immediate needs, ensuring there is no disruption in funding for relief efforts. Because much of the region is still underwater, the full extent of the damage is unknown. It will take some time to assess the scope and cost of this disaster, but Congress will ensure that FEMA and other federal agencies have the resources they need to assist the citizens of this region to get back on their feet.

Mr. KOLBE

Mr. KOLBE. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. CAFTA is a little trade agreement with small economic consequences for our country, but it is a huge national security issue with enormous implications for our entire foreign policy. With CAFTA, we can close the book and forever put the decade of the 1980s behind us, or we can start at the beginning and relive the nightmares of earlier chapters in U.S. relations with Central America. In a single generation, Central America has been transformed from a region of conflict, instability, and authoritarian regimes to a region of peace, emerging democracies, and growing prosperity. Today we cast our votes for more than a trade agreement. We are voting for an initiative that will strengthen democracy and promote prosperity in our hemisphere. It is a vote that will have enormous consequences for U.S. national security, because without economic growth and opportunity for the nations and people of Central America, the U.S. will inevitably be confronted with growing political instability and social unrest in our own backyard. Deprive Central America of economic opportunities, and we run the risk of a return to authoritarian regimes and a rising tide of illegal immigration from people without jobs and without hope. None of us want to return to the dark days of the 1980s when the Sandinistas and the rebel groups prospered from economic policies that left people desperate for a better life, but no one stands to gain more from the defeat of CAFTA than President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Fueled by $100 million each day of oil money, President Chavez is already meddling in Central American affairs and would like nothing more than to pick up the pieces of an economic policy in a region shattered by the defeat of CAFTA. The Washington Post editorialized that Mr. Chavez has spread his money around the region, sponsoring anti-American and antidemocratic movements and promoting alternatives to U.S. initiatives. Those in opposition say CAFTA will increase poverty, spur immigration, ruin the environment, and exploit workers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly CAFTA does not fix all the problems facing Central America, but increased economic integration can only add jobs and help alleviate poverty, reduce the flow of migration northward, and make our region more competitive in world markets. Mr. Speaker, let us turn the page and write a new chapter of partnership with the peoples and the countries of Central America. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Mr. KOLBE

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, though I am not in opposition, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have looked at this amendment and I think the gentleman has made some very good points. It does not change in any substantive way the bill, and I am prepared to accept the amendment.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis). (Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth). (Mr. HAYWORTH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), who is a member of the Task Force on Drugs.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham), a distinguished member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I would just say simply that the program is certainly a worthwhile one and we have no problem with it. We simply did not earmark specific dollars from this account for it. This would suggest that certain dollars are to be spent, and we do support what is being done. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 70, line 19 be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, though I am not in opposition, I will claim the time in opposition.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I would just say the bill that we do have does provide that not less than $27 million of the funds appropriated under this section should be allocated for the Human Rights and the Democracy Fund. What the gentleman has been talking about I think is a very worthwhile program. The addition of the additional funds to that I think is worthwhile. For that reason, we would accept the amendment.

Mr. KOLBE. I yield to the gentlewoman from New York.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 132, line 13, be considered as read, printed in the Record and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I concede the point of order.

Mr. KOLBE. I yield to the gentlewoman from New York.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, the statement is made. The gentleman from New York has just confirmed what I thought. The statement is that the Saudi Government is officially involved in helping to kill American troops in Iraq. And I think that statement is an absolute outrage, and I do not think there is any basis of fact whatever for that. I would urge my colleagues to defeat this amendment. It does not belong here. We should not do it. We should not be sending this kind of signal. I urge defeat of this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I do.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time to close the debate. Let me just note that we have just been advised by the State Department that this would affect Colombia. Of course, as the gentleman said, it does not affect the international narcotics control and law enforcement account, which is one of the big sums of money that goes to Colombia, but this would affect foreign military financing, FMF, for Colombia. It would cut off the money for IMET, the International Military Education Training programs. And it would affect the anti- terrorism programs that come under the NADR category. So it would have an enormous impact on our efforts in Colombia. I think for that reason, I would certainly hope that this body would not accept this amendment, and I urge its defeat. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time and, again with the understanding that we are all in agreement that the intent of this prohibition is not to extend to medical equipment or other excess property used for humanitarian purposes, I accept this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I urge an ``aye'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and therefore violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' The amendment proposes to state a legislative position. Mr. Chairman, for that reason I would insist on the point of order.