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Major Issues
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Foreign Assistance
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Other Foreign Policy Efforts
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Senator Leahy is among the Senate's most ardent proponents of humanitarian
and development aid to the world's poorest countries. For the
past decade, he has been either the Chairman or the Ranking Member of the Foreign Operations
Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.
Every year,
Congress considers a foreign aid appropriations bill that contains
funds to combat HIV/AIDS and many other diseases that kill or sicken
hundreds of millions of people each year. It funds
international environmental programs which, among many other things
protect tropical forests, endangered species, and the ozone layer.
It contains billions of dollars for disaster and famine relief, aid
for refugees, and other humanitarian programs. It funds activities
to protect human rights, support war crimes tribunals, and train
judges and lawyers in countries with no tradition of the rule of
law. It funds reconstruction programs in
Afghanistan, as well as our
contributions to the African peacekeeping force in Darfur, Sudan,
and our programs to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and
the trafficking of women and children. |
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It provides hundreds of millions of dollars in
aid to the Palestinians, and aid to more than 100 other
countries. It supports contributions to UN
peacekeeping, the World Bank, and educational and
cultural exchange programs. It funds the costs of operating
and protecting U.S. embassies and consulates around the
world. And it funds emergency efforts when needed, such as
in the aftermath of the December 2005 tsunami.
The
relationships between the U.S. and other countries, and the
U.S.'s role as an
international leader, are supported by our willingness to
aid other countries in need. Foreign aid is essential to
many U.S.-backed programs around the world, as well as
protecting our national security interests abroad.
Senator Leahy is
committed to promoting efforts abroad that improve the
quality of life for people around the globe. |
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Sen. Leahy met with
former United Nation's Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The United Nations is active in human rights issues
around the world. |
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