Senate Panel Approves FY2005 Emergency Supplemental Spending Bill

On April 6, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, 28-0, a number of amendments to an emergency supplemental spending bill for FY2005 (H.R. 1268). The House approved the measure on March 16 (see The Source, 3/18/05).

H.R. 1268 would allocate an additional $80.6 billion in FY2005 for programs administered by the Department of Defense, the State Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The total is $1.3 billion below the administration’s request and $700 million less than the amount approved by the House.

As requested by the administration, $1.3 billion in economic assistance would be provided for Afghanistan. The House allocated $372 million for reconstruction projects and health programs in Afghanistan.

The bill would provide $44 million for humanitarian assistance for the Darfur region of Sudan. According to the report, an additional $48.4 million should be used “to meet the needs of Sudanese refugees in Chad and internally displaced persons in the Darfur region of Sudan.” In addition, $5 million would be used to facilitate the return and resettlement of refugees in southern Sudan.

The Senate Appropriations Committee report accompanying H.R. 1268 states that the committee “recognizes the importance of adequate health care for Palestinian women and children and recommends [$3.5 million] be provided to support the activities of the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem.”

Finally, the measure would include $656 million for tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, $45 million less than the administration’s request and equal to the House bill.

During consideration of the bill, the committee unanimously approved the following amendments en bloc:

• an amendment by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) that would add report language stating that the committee expects the Department of State and USAID to place an emphasis on programs that address the needs of women and people with disabilities;
• an amendment by Sen. Harkin that would earmark $12 million of the tsunami relief funds for programs to address the needs of people with disabilities;
• an amendment by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) that would recommend $1.5 million for trafficking in persons monitoring and prevention programs and activities in tsunami-affected countries;
• an amendment by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that would recommend that not less than $3 million of the tsunami relief funds be used for teacher training programs in Aceh, Indonesia and Sri Lanka;
• an amendment by Sen. Leahy that would earmark $5 million for internally displaced persons in Afghanistan; and
• an amendment by Sen. Leahy that would earmark $5 million for programs assisting Afghan women.

The Senate is expected to consider H.R. 1268 next week.