Senate-House conferees approve $225 million earmark for Ukraine (09/29/96)

Senate-House conferees approve $225 million earmark for Ukraine

by Eugene Iwanciw
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - The House-Senate Conference Committee on the Foreign Assistance Appropriations Act met on September 17 and resolved all, save one, of the differences between the two versions of the bill. The conference agreed to an appropriation of $625 million for the new independent states (NIS). The administration's request and Senate level were $640 million, while the House funded the program at $590 million.

Despite the opposition of the Clinton administration, the conference agreed to the Senate earmarks (mandates) of $225 million for Ukraine and $95 million for Armenia. (The administration's request for Ukraine, contingent on a $640 million NIS budget, was $167 million.)

The conference also agreed to the Senate-approved subearmarks for Ukraine, including $25 million for the U.S. obligation toward the decommissioning of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, $35 million for agricultural projects, $5 million for a small business incubator project, $5 million for screening and treatment of childhood mental and physical illnesses related to Chornobyl, $50 million to improve safety at nuclear reactors, $5 million for a land and resource management institute, and $15 million for commercial law reform.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairman, included the subearmarks in the bill after receiving requests for funding of particular programs from Ukrainian Ambassador Yuri Shcherbak, Ukrainian National Association President Ulana Diachuk and Ukrainian Congress Committee of America President Askold Lozynskyj. The Clinton administration strongly opposed the subearmarks.

During the conference, Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.) offered an amendment to allow the administration to waive the earmarks. Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, responded that while he opposed earmarks on principle, he had agreed to these earmarks as a compromise for funding of programs supported by the House.

The compromise was negotiated in a pre-conference meeting of Sens. McConnell and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), ranking minority member of the Senate subcommittee, and Reps. Callahan and Charles Wilson (D-Texas), ranking minority member of the House Subcommittee.)

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) added her support to Rep. Obey's motion. Referring to a previously defeated motion regarding allocation of resources to Africa, she argued that she supported the previous motion because Ukraine had earmarks.

In spirited remarks, Rep. Wilson stated that "if there is anyplace where earmarks are justified, it's Ukraine." He went on to point out that "Ukraine is under constant pressure from Russia," that "the independence of Ukraine is vital to U.S. national security," and that "Ukraine has progressed substantially in building a democratic, free market nation."

In a vote among House conferees the Obey amendment was overwhelmingly defeated, with only Reps. Obey and Pelosi voting for the motion.

The Conference Committee also provided $208 million for the Peace Corps, an important and successful program in Ukraine, and granted the administration the authority to transfer $12 million from the Freedom Support Act to the Peace Corps, bringing the potential budget to $220 million.

Two years ago, under pressure from the Clinton administration, the House voted to soften the earmark for Ukraine. This year, despite continued opposition to the Ukrainian and Armenian earmarks by the administration, the House overwhelmingly supported the Senate's long-time position on the need to earmark this assistance.