Pubdate: Wed, 11 Jul 2001
Source: The Herald-Sun (NC)
Copyright: 2001 The Herald-Sun
Contact:  http://www.herald-sun.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1428
Author: Carolyn Skorneck, Associated Press

HOUSE COMMITTEE OKS $15.2B AID BILL

WASHINGTON -- Republicans beat back two Democratic attempts to slash funds 
from the war on drugs in South America before the House Appropriations 
Committee voted Tuesday night to approve spending $15.2 billion in foreign 
aid next year.

The bill, which matches President Bush's overall request for foreign aid, 
is up 2 percent over this year and includes $474 million to fight HIV/AIDS 
overseas.

In some areas, it undercut Bush's requests. For example, the South American 
anti-drug plan would get $676 million -- $55 million less than Bush sought. 
Assistance for independent states of the former Soviet Union would total 
$768 million -- $42 million less than this year and $40 million less than 
Bush wanted.

The drug effort, which began as Plan Colombia under President Clinton and 
is now called the Andean Counterdrug Initiative, was targeted twice by 
Democrats, and both efforts were trounced by Republicans.

Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., the panel's top Democrat, backed a plan to strip 
all $676 million from the drug effort and used it to treat substance abuse 
in America.

"I don't understand why people think it's such a hot idea to fight the drug 
war a thousand miles away, but they don't want to fight it at home," Obey 
said, predicting that, like the Vietnam War, the South American drug war 
"is going to be a 10- or 15-year quagmire."

Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., chairman of the foreign operations subcommittee, 
denounced the attempt to wipe out "the whole shebang," saying, "This is a 
worldwide problem. I just don't think we can solve the problem" by focusing 
all the money on drug treatment in America.

Obey's amendment died with a 43-18 vote.

Separately, the committee approved a $38.5 billion measure financing the 
Commerce, Justice and State departments.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service, prison construction and grants 
to local law enforcement agencies were among the beneficiaries of a bill 
that would provide $1 billion more than this year and $600 million more 
than President Bush requested.

A Clinton-era program for hiring local police officers would get a minimal 
cut, while the Legal Services Corp. and payments for international 
peacekeeping would get the same they are receiving this year.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens