Hurricane Relief Package Stalled in Congress

April 8, 1999

The following alert was sent out to members of the Stewardship of Public Life Latin America network on April 7.

ISSUE:

The emergency supplemental appropriation originally proposed as a relief package for the victims of hurricanes Mitch and Georges is mired in a congressional budget battle. The bill has become the first confrontation between Republicans and Democrats over high-stakes budget issues that have nothing to do with the actual relief package. Unfortunately, Republican leaders in the House and Senate decided that emergency funds to assist the region would have to be offset with equivalent cuts in other spending. The House and Senate made different offsets, or cuts, in areas including food stamps, low-income housing, development assistance, and anti-nuclear proliferation measures.

Lawmakers appear to have lost sight of the original reason for this bill. Mitch, the worst disaster of the century in this hemisphere, devastated Honduras and Nicaragua and did major damage in El Salvador and Guatemala. These countries, where the United States has long been deeply involved, are looking to us to be good neighbors in this time of crisis. Hurricane relief is desperately needed, but it should not have to come at the expense of needy people in this country and in other developing nations. Congress and the Administration must find an appropriate way to settle their budget dispute and get back to providing emergency hurricane assistance.

Due to the budget offsets, many Democratic members of the House who traditionally have supported development aid to Central America voted against the package, along with some conservative Republicans who are not sympathetic to foreign aid in general. The House bill narrowly escaped defeat on March 24, passing by a vote of 220þ211. The President has threatened to veto the bill if the offset issues are not resolved in conference committee.

ACTION:

Contact your Representative or Senator who sits on the Appropriations Committee in either the House or Senate (see list below). Send the following urgent message:

• There is still an emergency in Central America. U.S. citizens care about hurricane relief. Assistance must be provided now!
• Helping hurricane victims in Central America should not come at the expense of poor people in the United States, nor should it lessen our assistance to the poor in other developing countries. Congress should find a less destructive and more bipartisan way to deal with the offset issue.

WHEN:

Congress is in recess through April 12. Members will be in their districts. After that date, contact your legislators in Washington.

WRITE OR PHONE:

Honorable ________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Honorable ________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Also send your message to the White House:

President Bill Clinton
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

White House comment line: (202) 456-1111

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:

Republicans: Stevens (Alaska), Cochran (Miss.), Specter (Pa.), Domenici (N.M.), Bond (Mo.), Gorton (Wash.), McConnell (Ky.), Burns (Mont.), Shelby (Ala.), Gregg (N.H.), Bennett (Utah), Campbell (Colo.), Craig (Idaho), Hutchison (Tex.), Kyl (Ariz.).

Democrats: Byrd (W.Va.), Inouye (Hawaii), Hollings (S.C.), Leahy (Vt.), Lautenberg (N.J.), Harkin (Iowa), Mikulski (Md.), Reid (Nev.), Kohl (Wis.), Murray (Wash.), Dorgan (N.D.), Feinstein (Calif.), and Durbin (Ill.).

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:

Republicans: Young (Fla.), Regula (Ohio), Lewis (Calif.), Porter (Ill.), Rogers (Ky.), Skeen (N.M.), Wolf (Va.), DeLay (Tex.), Kolbe (Ariz.), Packard (Calif.), Callahan (Ala.), Walsh (N.Y.), Taylor (N.C.), Hobson (Ohio), Istook (Okla.), Bonilla (Tex.), Knollenberg (Mich.), Miller (Fla.), Dickey (Ark.), Kingston (Ga.), Frelinghuysen (N.J.), Wicker (Miss.), Forbes (N.Y.), Nethercutt (Wash.), Cunningham (Calif.), Tiahrt (Kan.), Wamp (Tenn.), Latham (Iowa), Northup (Ky.), Aderholt (Ala.), Emerson (Mo.), Sununu (N.H.), Granger (Tex.), Peterson (Pa.).

Democrats: Obey (Wis.), Murtha (Pa.), Dicks (Wash.), Sabo (Minn.), Dixon (Calif.), Hoyer (Md.), Mollohan (W.Va.), Kaptur (Ohio), Pelosi (Calif.), Visclosky (Ind.), Lowey (N.Y.), Serrano (N.Y.), DeLauro (Conn.), Moran (Va.), Olver (Mass.), Pastor (Ariz.), Meek (Fla.), Price (N.C.), Edwards (Tex.), Cramer (Ala.), Clyburn (S.C.), Hinchey (N.Y.), Royball-Allard (Calif.), Farr (Calif.), Jackson (Ill.), Kilpatrick (Mich.), and Boyd (Fla.).

GENERAL ASSEMBLY GUIDANCE:

This action is in line with General Assembly guidance on development aid contained in "Hope for a Global Future: Toward Just and Sustainable Human Development," adopted by the 1996 General Assembly.