rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (06/13/91)
/** carnet.congress: 21.0 **/ ** Topic: C.Am. Legis. Hotline 7 June '91 ** ** Written 3:36 pm Jun 8, 1991 by cawg in cdp:carnet.congress ** You've reached the Central America Legislative Hotline, updated Friday 7 June 1991, about impending action in the House on Guatemala, and in the Senate on El Salvador. For more information on legislative developments, call the office of the Central America Working Group: (202) 546-7010. On Tuesday June 4th, House Foreign Affairs gave final Committee approval to their fiscal year 1992-93 foreign aid authorization bill. It does not include El Salvador provisions (more on that later). On Guatemala, the Committee legislation would: 1) prohibit military aid and sales of weapons, ammunition, or armed aircraft; 2) create a fund for demobilizing former combatants, and monitoring a future ceasefire between the government and URNG rebels; 3) restrict use of economic support funds to basic human needs, human rights and reform programs. ESF could not be used for balance of payments support unless the U.S. Administration reports "progress in eliminating human rights violation and in investigating and bringing to trial those responsible for major human rights cases..." Congressional committees can review such a report and object to release of funds for balance of payments purposes. We do not expect this language will be challenged on the floor when the House votes on the authorization bill as early as Wednesday, June 12th. The exact same language was included in the Senate foreign aid authorization bill drafted by the International Economic Policy Subcommittee this past week, and should be approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, June 11th. The next place where this restrictive language on Guatemala might be considered is in the House Appropriations Committee, which will consider foreign operations appropriations as early as June 13th. Members of the House Appropriations Committee should be urged to include in their foreign aid appropriations bill the strong Guatemala language approved by House Foreign Affairs Committee. Negotiations between the Salvadoran government and rebel-FMLN ended June 3rd, to resume later this month, returning to the question of reform of the armed forces and the terms and mechanisms for an eventual cease- fire. There have been significant developments in Congress. Monday, Matt McHugh, Democrat, and Bill Green, Republican, both of New York, delivered to House leaders a letter on El Salvador policy signed by 99 Representatives. McHugh and Green argued for significant cuts in military aid; congressional control over possible release of withheld funds; and creation of a fund for reconstruction after a permanent settlement. The range of signers, on short notice, demonstrates broad support for strengthening last year's legislative accomplishments. House leaders discussed strong legislative options but decided to let the House foreign aid authorization and appropriation bills come to the floor over the next two weeks without El Salvador provisions. They reiterated support for negotiations and action on the Jesuit case, but moved House votes on El Salvador to September. On Thursday, in the House Rules Committee, Representative Moakley of Massachusetts made a strong statement stressing the need for incessant U.S. pressure on the Salvador government, military and the FMLN to negotiate in good faith, and criticizing the military's actions in the Jesuit case. "The lies, the obstruction of justice and the general level of non- cooperation cannot be tolerated and I believe -- unless there is a change in that attitude -- will not be tolerated by this Congress in September." House leaders wrote to President Bush calling on him to not obligate the $42.5 million in military aid withheld last year. We need to do everything we can to amplify the demand that the Bush Administration not obligate more military aid. We need to insist that Members of Congress strongly resist this possibility. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to mark up their foreign aid authorization bill on Tuesday June 11th, and will consider El Salvador legislation. Senator Dodd of Connecticut is expected to offer an amendment, updating conditions from last year's legislation, and including two important steps forward. First, the withholding of military aid would apply not only to new funds, but also to money yet to be delivered from previous years. There is some $180 million in undelivered military aid, half of which would be withheld. Second, the President's ability to restore withheld funds would be severely restricted by "reprogramming procedures", meaning that committees with foreign policy jurisdiction could object to, and hold up, release of funds. Dodd's amendment will be viciously opposed by the Bush Administration because of the withhold military aid in the pipeline and the increase in congressional control through reprogramming procedures. Prospects are good for winning this language in Committee, but the Senate floor is always difficult. Victory is crucial if legislation like this or something even stronger is to prevail in 1991. Three Foreign Relations Members are particularly important this Tuesday: Wofford, the new Democrat from Pennsylvania, and two Republicans -- Kassebaum of Kansas and Pressler of South Dakota who voted with Dodd and Leahy and against the Administration last fall. It would be hard to get these Members to support strong restrictions later if we lose their vote this coming week. The bill is expected to go to the floor of the Senate either late in June in July. After Tuesday we'll report on Committee action and floor prospects. The first priority is to urge Senate Foreign Relations Committee Members to support the Dodd El Salvador amendment and to win the support of their colleagues. Members include Senators Pell, Biden, Sarbanes, Cranston, Kerry of Massachusetts, Simon, Sanford, Moynihan, Robb, Wofford, Kassebaum and Pressler. The Capitol Switchboard is (202) 224-3121. The Washington Office on Latin America has just published an excellent fifteen page resource entitled "Holding Fire: Prospects for a Cease-fire in El Salvador and the Role of U.S. Policy". You can order the resource, authored by veteran journalist Tom Gibb, by calling WOLA at (202) 544- ** End of text from cdp:carnet.congress **