U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY

Foreign Aid Bill Conferees Vote To Tap
Unused Iraq Reconstruction Funds
For Emergency In Sudan’s Darfur Region

WASHINGTON (Wednesday, Nov. 17) -- The Conference Committee on the Fiscal Year 2005 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill Wednesday approved a modified version of legislation, originally offered by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), to redirect $93 million in unused Iraq reconstruction funds for emergency relief efforts in Sudan, including support for an African Union peacekeeping force. 

The original Senate language would have transferred $150 million from Iraq reconstruction to Sudan.  The amendment was authored by Leahy, Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).  It was added to the Senate version of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill during a Senate Appropriations Committee markup on September 16.

Leahy is the ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, which handles the Senate’s work in writing the annual foreign aid budget bill.  McConnell is the panel’s chairman.  DeWine is a member of the committee.

During the conference, Leahy worked with the chairman of the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), who recently traveled to the region, to reach a bipartisan agreement that retained most of the original Senate amendment.       

The amendment triggers a provision Congress wrote into last year’s $18 billion supplemental appropriation for reconstruction assistance for Iraq, the bulk of which remains unspent.  In that bill, Congress opened the door to tapping up to 0.5 percent of any unused funds to be used in two countries, Sudan and Liberia.  The amendment mandates that the Administration exercise this transfer to provide $93 million to address the humanitarian crisis in Darfur within 30 days from enactment of the bill.

“A humanitarian tragedy is unfolding before our eyes, and the world’s response is inadequate,” said Leahy.  “This is an opportunity to save the lives of thousands of people who would otherwise succumb from hunger, exposure and disease, simply because of their ethnicity.”

“While I believe strongly that the conference committee should have retained every last dime that the Senate designated for Sudan, we made some progress on this issue.  I commend Chairman Kolbe for working with me to include this important amendment in the conference report.  Chairman McConnell, Congresswoman Lowey, Senator Corzine and Senator Frist also deserve great credit for this humanitarian breakthrough.” 

Leahy said the amendment is flexible and allows the Administration to use the funds for virtually any needs the Administration identifies in the Darfur crisis.  He expects that $75 million will be used to support the African Union mission in Sudan, which the State Department has identified as a key priority.  The remainder will likely be spent on humanitarian aid.

The House-Senate conference on the Fiscal Year 2005 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill on Wednesday resolved all issues but one and recessed in the afternoon, subject to the call of the chair.  

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