House passes Appropriations Bill with reduced funding for aid to Ukraine (07/29/01)

House passes Appropriations Bill with reduced funding for aid to Ukraine

Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives on July 24 passed the $15.2 billion Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill (HR 2506) by a vote of 381-46. The bill included a provision that lowers U.S. foreign assistance allocations to Ukraine for Fiscal Year 2002.

Despite a bipartisan effort to remedy the situation, the House would not budge. As presented by Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, the House of Representatives felt that current events in Ukraine called for a reduction in assistance levels rather than sustained support.

During a Foreign Operations Subcommittee mark-up in early July, assistance to Ukraine was capped at $125 million, down from $169 million as requested by President George W. Bush - a drop of $44 million.

As recently as several years ago, Ukraine had received nearly $200 million in aid from the United States. The drop in assistance levels for FY 2002 has led many experts to speculate that Ukraine will interpret the U.S. action as a loss in interest, pushing Ukraine closer to Russia and preserving the corrupt Soviet legacy.

On the initiative of Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), during discussion of the foreign aid bill on the House floor on Tuesday evening, July 24, an amendment was offered to increase the level of aid to Ukraine. The amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill (which includes assistance to Ukraine) was worded to change the assistance cap to an assistance floor, granting Ukraine "not less than $125 million."

In presenting the amendment, Rep. Kaptur outlined the fears of many on the House floor by emphasizing that "This kind of ill-advised action by this Congress is going to give the forces that are against reform a greater share of authority inside that country [Ukraine]."

The congresswoman also noted that U.S. ascension toward freedom and democracy took nearly 200 years, and reminded her colleagues that Ukraine would need reassurance to complete its transition to a full-fledged democratic society.

Three letters supporting continued higher levels of funding to Ukraine were inserted into the Congressional Record by Rep. Kaptur. The letters were from: the Department of Energy, addressed to Ambassador William Taylor, coordinator of U.S. Foreign Assistance Programs to the NIS, regarding the need to continue in nuclear safety programs in Ukraine; Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. Kostyantyn Gryshchenko; and Myroslava Gongadze, wife of the slain journalist Heorhii Gongadze.

Proponents of the Kaptur amendment recognized the problems in Ukraine, but noted that these were exaggerated in various ways. Several members of Congress offered reasons to continue supporting Ukraine, thus enhancing its chances for a full democratic transformation.

In particular, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), co-chair of the Helsinki Commission, emphasized Ukraine's positive accomplishments over the past 10 years. "While we were troubled by the developments in Ukraine," said Rep. Smith, "including the situation of the media and the April ouster of Ukraine's reformist prime minister, we cannot deny the positive developments either." He went on to cite Ukraine's economic achievements, as well as accomplishments in regional and global relations, as major reasons to maintain $169 million in support for Ukraine.

Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-Colo.), one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (CUC), also rose in support of the Kaptur amendment. Rep. Schaffer focused on the timing of the Congressional action: "It has been a consistent struggle for Ukraine to come so far, and I think, frankly, the timing of the cut proposed in the bill here could not be worse."

Rep. Schaffer referred to the upcoming celebration of Ukraine's 10th anniversary of independence on August 24 as a "monumental achievement." He also reminded his colleagues that he understands "the concerns that were raised by the committee" and does not wish to "minimize them," but he pointed to the "very, very many positive achievements in Ukraine that have been achieved with the support and assistance of this Congress."

As the colloquy neared an end, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), ranking member on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, extended her remarks by congratulating Rep. Kaptur for "her strong support of the people in Ukraine." Rep. Lowey reassured Rep. Kaptur that she "supports maintaining a robust assistance program in Ukraine ... The current situation dictates that we maintain support for those in Ukrainian society who seek democracy, freedom and stability."

The chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Rep. Kolbe was the main opponent of the Kaptur amendment. He explained that, "this committee has decided to send a strong message to the government of Ukraine, and that our admiration for the long-suffering and freedom-loving people of Ukraine does not excuse the abysmal failures that we have seen demonstrated over and over again by its government." He expressed an effort to coerce Ukraine into complying with international standards of economic, political and social freedom, as opposed to attempts at coaxing the government into conformity. "There are sometimes differences over how we achieve that objective," stated Rep. Kolbe. "Sometimes it is a carrot, and sometimes it is a stick. Sometimes we do not always agree on which is the right time to administer either the carrot or the stick, and we may have that disagreement here, but we do not have any disagreement over the objectives that we are trying to achieve for Ukraine."

During the debate on the Kaptur amendment, Chairman Kolbe did indicate that in conference with the Senate Foreign Operations Committee (generally held in September) funding levels for Ukraine might change. The decision, according to Rep. Kolbe, "is going to hinge on what happens in Kyiv between now and then - if that happens, we will certainly, in the conference committee, be able to make changes to the amount of aid that we make available to that country. But, until then, I think clearly we were sending the right message."

At press time, the Senate's version of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill was scheduled to be voted upon on July 26.

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