July 24, 2000 Contact: Karl Altau JBANC Action Alert—URGENT ACTION NEEDED! CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND SENATOR TO PROTEST MASSIVE CUTS IN DEFENSE ASSISTANCE TO BALTIC COUNTRIES AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE Following the recent vote in the House of Representatives, conferees from the House and Senate will meet on Tuesday, July 25 to decide on whether to proceed with a proposed plan to practically eliminate Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET) funding to Central and Eastern Europe. This unprecedented action will include the elimination of funding of up to $20 million to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in FMF funding. The funding is part of the Foreign Operations bill (H.R.4811), which is currently under consideration in Congress. The vote was 216-211 for the amendment (no. 982) which was sponsored by California Democrat Maxine Waters. Baltic Caucus co-chairs John Shimkus (R-IL) and Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) both voted against the amendment. Kucinich was one of only 16 Democrats to do so. See results of voting (rollcall vote 397). In opposition to the Waters amendment, House International Relations Committee chairman Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) stated that he is “troubled that it calls for a large reduction in our foreign military funding programs. The proposed $200 million reduction in this account could end up hurting some of the very countries we are trying to help…” Gilman also pointed out that these cuts will furthermore threaten the IMET account and cut the administrative budget of the Export-Import Bank. Reduction in FMF and IMET funding will threaten United States national security by undermining support for expanding democracy in the Euro-Atlantic region. It is a dangerous precedent. It would also be a serious blow to those countries, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are striving hard to integrate successfully into NATO and other democratic Western institutions. Conferees from the House and Senate are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, July 25 to discuss the Foreign Operations bill (H.R.4811) and the fate of FMF funding. Please call your congressman and Senator TODAY to urge opposition to the Waters amendment (no. 982) which will reassign FMF funding to pay for debt relief programs. This blow is compounded by the recent Senate amendment (no. 3491) to the Foreign Operations bill by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). The amendment states that assistance provided to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under FMF should not be interpreted as expressing the sense of the Senate regarding an acceleration of the accession of Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania to NATO. The amendment was agreed to by a voice vote, and was co-sponsored by Senators Warner (R-VA), Roberts (R-KS), Cleland (D-GA), Smith (R-NH), and Harkin (D-IA). In your appeals, please also express your opposition to the Bingaman amendment to the Foreign Operations bill, which constrains the democratic aspirations of not only the Baltic countries, but also U.S. policies that promote these ideals. The creation of a democratic, free-enterprise Euro-Atlantic community of free and secure countries is in the national security interests of the United States. For additional information on getting in touch with Congress, please contact JBANC, the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or check your telephone catalogue’s blue pages. |
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