ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN PROPOSES AMENDMENT TO CUT FUNDING TO OAS

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN PROPOSES AMENDMENT TO CUT FUNDING TO OAS
2009-07-08.
House Foreing Affairs Committe, U.S. House of Representatives

(www.miscelaneasdecuba.net).- Washington. U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
(R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today
offered an amendment to the State Department and Foreign Operations
Appropriations bill (H.R. 3081) to cut funding to the Organization of
American States.

Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

"The OAS is fast abandoning its founding mandate.

"From its warm overtures towards the Cuban tyrants to its knee-jerk
support of Manuel Zelaya, echoing the rhetoric and agenda of autocratic
leaders like Chavez, Morales, and Ortega, the OAS is losing credibility
as an entity that stands for democratic institutions, human rights, and
the rule of law.

"U.S. funds can be better spent elsewhere where they can truly be used
to advance the freedom agenda.

"For this reason, my amendment transfers funds from the OAS to the
National Endowment for Democracy, an organization which fights for
fundamental freedoms and democracy worldwide and which recently
recognized the brave efforts of five dissidents and peaceful opposition
leaders fighting for freedom in Cuba."

Note: Ros-Lehtinen's amendment reduces funding to the OAS by $15
million and transfers this amount to the National Endowment for Democracy.

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN PROPOSES AMENDMENT TO CUT FUNDING TO OAS -
Misceláneas de Cuba (8 July 2009)
http://www.miscelaneasdecuba.net/web/article.asp?artID=21636