Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 2003, pages 32-33

Congress Watch

 

Amid Criticisms of Bush War Plans, Congress Finally Passes 2003 Appropriations

 

By Shirl McArthur

Finally, on Feb. 13, both houses of Congress passed H.J.Res. 2, the “omnibus” FY2003 appropriations bill, incorporating the 11 appropriations bills the 107th Congress failed to pass. The parts affecting the Middle East contained few surprises. The financial foreign aid essentially was as described in previous issues of this magazine: for Israel, $600 million in economic aid and $2.1 billion in military aid, plus $60 million for refugee resettlement; $615 million in economic aid and $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt; $250 million in economic aid and $198 million in military aid for Jordan; and $35 million for educational programs in Lebanon.

The bill did not include the much-publicized $8 billion to $10 billion in loan guarantees and $4 billion in additional military aid Israel requested in January. Nor were the additional funds mentioned in the budget for FY2004 that President George W. Bush presented to Congress on Feb. 3. The president’s budget also did not include money for a war on Iraq, however, and Bush reportedly plans to submit a “supplemental” anti-terrorism budget soon. The money for Israel could be slipped into that supplemental on the tenuous grounds that it will contribute to the fight against terrorism.

The omnibus bill also did not include the $200 million for Israel and $50 million for the West Bank and Gaza that was part of the portion of the supplemental appropriations bill not approved by Bush last year. However, the bill does include $1 million “to further legal reforms in the West Bank and Gaza.” In addition, the bill earmarks $15 million for “democracy, transparency and rule of law programs in Muslim countries,” and $3 million for an “international youth exchange program for secondary students from countries with significant Muslim populations.”

Also, the State Department portion of the bill includes only one of the three provisions similar to those included in the Foreign Affairs Authorization bill passed last year that effectively amount to official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The provision retained says that, for registration of birth, certification of nationality, or issuance of a passport, a U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem may, upon request, have the place of birth recorded as Israel. (In signing the Authorization bill last year, Bush issued a signing statement that he considered the provisions unconstitutional and therefore non-binding.)

The current bill also includes a slightly modified version of the “Palestinian Statehood” section from the version of the foreign aid bill passed by the House last year. It says that no funds may be provided to support a Palestinian state unless the secretary of state certifies to Congress that (1) the new leadership has been democratically elected through credible and competitive elections; and (2) the elected governing entity has demonstrated a commitment to peaceful coexistence with Israel, is taking measures to counter terrorism, has established a security entity that is cooperating with Israeli security organizations, and “is working with other countries in the region to vigorously pursue efforts to establish a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that will enable Israel and an independent Palestinian state to exist within the context of full and normal relationships.” The section also says it is the “sense of Congress” that the newly elected governing entity should enact a constitution assuring the rule of law and other reforms. The section includes full presidential waiver authority, plus an “exemption” that says this restriction shall not apply to assistance intended to help reform the PA or a newly elected governing entity to help it meet these requirements.

 

Some Members Still Skeptical About Precipitous War on Iraq

Although most members of Congress seem to agree with Bush that now is the time to confront Saddam Hussain, some members, mostly Democrats, remain unconvinced that Hussain poses an imminent threat, and are questioning Bush’s apparent willingness to attack Iraq without broad international support and without allowing the inspectors sufficient time to finish their work.

On Jan. 24, before the president’s State of the Union address and Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation to the U.N., 123 House members (see box) signed a letter to Bush originated by Reps. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Ron Kind (D-WI), urging him to remain “committed to the diplomatic approach and comprehensive inspections process.”

Then, the day after Bush’s address. Sens. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) showed that they were unconvinced by introducing two resolutions aimed at braking Bush’s headstrong rush to war. The first, S.Res. 28, introduced by Byrd with Kennedy and Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) as co-sponsors, says the inspectors should be given time to finish their work, and the U.S. should seek specific authorization from the U.N. Security Council before initiating offensive military action. It also says the U.S. “should re-engage in the Middle East peace process.”

The second resolution, S.Res. 32, introduced by Kennedy with Byrd as co-sponsor, says simply that Bush should provide full support to the inspectors and should get additional, specific congressional legislation before initiating military action against Iraq.

Powell’s presentation to the U.N. did appear to firm up support from some members of Congress who were wavering, but for the most part those who opposed precipitous action prior to Powell’s presentation remained opposed. In the House the same day as Powell’s presentation, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), along with 29 co-sponsors (see box), introduced H.J.Res. 20, aimed at repealing last fall’s resolution authorizing the use of force.

Senator Byrd, one of the most vocal and persistent critics of the administration’s rush to war (see p. 6), said after Powell’s presentation that he still was not convinced of the need to go to war with Iraq now, and “there are more immediate threats to security around the globe.” House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who also has been a persistent critic of the administration’s war plans, said she was not convinced that “war now is the only way to rid Iraq of these deadly weapons.”

While House International Relations Committee chairman Henry Hyde (R-NY) and ranking minority member Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN) have been consistent if not vocal supporters of Bush’s war plans, the Senate committee’s ranking minority member Joseph Biden (D-DE) has supported the need to disarm Saddam Hussain, but at the same time has been critical of the administration. On Jan. 28 Biden gave a long and impassioned speech on the floor of the Senate, saying—ever so politely—that he thought the administration was misleading the American people about the costs, both human and monetary, and the possible consequences of a war on Iraq. He also forcefully explained why the U.S. must have the greatest possible international support for any major action. “It matters what other nations think because our most basic immediate interests cannot be fully secured without a longer term cooperation with these other nations.”

Following Powell’s presentation Biden repeated the need to have full U.N. support and a broad international coalition, and the need for Bush to explain in advance to the American people “that we are about to embark on a costly and complicated effort that may require American forces to be in Iraq for several years.” He also said, however, that “the choice of war is Saddam’s.”

 

Committee Changes Both Positive and Negative

House International Relations Committee chairman Hyde did not abolish the Middle East subcommittee after the retirement of former chairman Benjamin Gilman (R-NY). Instead, he named as new subcommittee chairman Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). This is not good news for America’s interests in the Middle East, because the Cuban-American congresswoman’s record on Arab-Israeli issues is, if anything, even worse than Gilman’s. The committee also lost its only Arab-American member, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who was named to the more prestigious Energy and Commerce Committee and had to give up his seat on International Relations.

In the Senate, newly elected Arab-American Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) was named to the Foreign Relations Committee, but not the Middle East subcommittee. The good news in the Senate is that Sam Brownback (R-KS) no longer will head the Middle East subcommittee. The new chairman is Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), who is considered open-minded on Middle East issues, and was a member of this magazine’s most recent “Hall of Fame.”

 

Bill on Jerusalem as Capital of Israel Reintroduced

Even though the provisions essentially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel were included in last year’s Foreign Affairs Authorization bill, on Jan. 7 Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY) along with 16 of the usual suspects introduced H.R. 167 containing the same provisions. In addition to Reynolds, the co-sponsors were Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Jerry Costello (D-IL), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Peter Deutsch (D-FL), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Tim Holden (D-PA), Steve Israel (D-NY), Sue Kelly (R-NY), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Butch Otter (R-ID), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Mark Souder (R-IN), John Sweeney (R-NY), Lee Terry (R-NE), Zach Wamp (R-TN), and Jerry Weller (R-IL).

Shirl McArthur, a retired foreign service officer, is a consultant in the Washington, DC area.

 

 

sidebar

 

123 House Democrats Urge Bush to Continue Iraq Inspections Process

The 123 Democratic representatives who signed the Brown-Kind letter to President George W. Bush urging him to remain “committed to the diplomatic approach and comprehensive inspections program” in disarming Iraq were Reps. Neil Abercrombie (HI), Thomas Allen (ME), Joe Baca (CA), Brian Baird (WA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Frank Ballance (NC), Xavier Becerra (CA), Shelley Berkley (NV), Marion Berry (AR), Earl Blumenauer (OR), Leonard Boswell (IA), Rick Boucher (VA), Allen Boyd (FL), Robert Brady (PA), Corrine Brown (FL), Sherrod Brown (OH), Lois Capps (CA), Michael Capuano (MA), Benjamin Cardin (MD), Julia Carson (IN), Ed Case (HI), William Clay (MO), John Conyers (MI), Jerry Costello (IL), Joe Crowley (NY), Elijah Cummings (MD), Danny Davis (IL), Jim Davis (FL), Susan Davis (D-CA), Peter DeFazio (OR), William Delahunt (MA), Rosa DeLauro (CT), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Eliot Engel (NY), Anna Eshoo (CA), Lane Evans (IL), Sam Farr (CA), Chaka Fattah (PA), Bob Filner (CA), Barney Frank (MA), Luis Gutierrez (IL), Raul Grijalva (AZ), Alcee Hastings (FL), Maurice Hinchey (NY), Joseph Hoeffel (PA), Rush Holt (NJ), Mike Honda (CA), Darlene Hooley (OR), Jay Inslee (WA), Jesse Jackson (IL), Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX), Sam Johnson (TX), Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Dale Kildee (MI), Ron Kind (WI), Jerry Kleczka (WI), Dennis Kucinich (OH), Jim Langevin (RI), Rick Larsen (WA), Barbara Lee (CA), John Lewis (GA), Zoe Lofgren (CA), Nita Lowey (NY), Karen McCarthy (MO), Betty McCollum (MN), Jim McDermott (WA), Jim McGovern (MA), Michael McNulty (NY), Carolyn Maloney (NY), James Matheson (UT), Marty Meehan (MA), Kendrick Meek (FL), Gregory Meeks (NY), Mike Michaud (ME), Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA), George Miller (CA), Jim Moran (VA), Jerrold Nadler (NY), Grace Napolitano (CA), Richard Neal (MA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), James Oberstar (MN), John Olver (MA), Major Owens (NY), Bill Pascrell (NJ), Donald Payne (NJ), David Price (NC), Nick Rahall (WV), Charles Rangell (NY), Ciro Rodriguez (TX), Lucille Royball-Allard (CA), Bobby Rush (IL), Tim Ryan (OH), Martin Sabo (MN), Linda Sanchez (CA), Bernie Sanders (VT), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Adam Schiff (CA), Bobby Scott (VA), Jose Serrano (NY), Louise Slaughter (NY), Adam Smith (WA), Pete Stark (CA), Ted Strickland (OH), Bart Stupak (MI), Ellen Tauscher (CA), Mike Thompson (CA), John Tierney (MA), Edolphus Towns (NY), Tom Udall (NM), Chris Van Hollen (MA), Nydia Velazquez (NY), Maxine Waters (CA), Diane Watson (CA), Mel Watt (NC), Henry Waxman (CA), Anthony Weiner (NY), Robert Wexler (FL), Lynn Woolsey (CA), David Wu (OR), and Albert Wynn (MD).

 

30 Representatives Co-Sponsor Bill to Repeal Iraq War Resolution

Rep. Peter DeFazio was joined by 29 colleagues to co-sponsor H.J. Res. 20, to repeal the authorization for use of military force against Iraq resolution of 2002. They were Reps. Baldwin, Capuano, Carson, Conyers, Davis (IL), Farr, Filner, Frank, Grijalva, Jackson, Jones (OH), Kleczka, Kucinich, Lee, McDermott, Norton, Oberstar, Olver, Owens, Ron Paul (R-TX), Rush, Sanders, Schakowsky, Serrano, Stark, Towns, Waters, Watson, and Woolsey.

—S.M.

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