| WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today declared victory
after defeating a backdoor attempt to give the President the authority
to unilaterally increase the number of U.S. funded private soldiers in
Colombia to any level without informing Congress. The House unanimously
approved an amendment by Schakowsky and U.S. Representatives John Conyers
(D-MI) and Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) to the Foreign Operations Appropriations
bill that eliminated that provision, which was hidden in the massive funding
bill.
Under
current law, a total of 500 U.S. personnel and 300 Private Military Contractors
(PMCs) are allowed to operate in Colombia. The amendment states that the
aggregate number of PMCs and U.S. Military personnel operating in Colombia
can not exceed 800, with no more than 500 U.S. military personnel operating
in that country. In addition, the amendment would ensure that in order
for the President to hire more than 300 civilian contract personnel to
carry out U.S. policy in Colombia, he must first report to the Congress.
“I
believe that the use of taxpayer-funded private armies in Colombia and
the Andean Region is a misguided policy and is a disaster in the making.
With the blessing of our State Department and other agencies, private military
contractors operate with little or no transparency or accountability to
the American people,” Schakowsky said.
“Until
we end the use of private soldiers in the Andean Region, there is no good
reason why Congress should surrender its oversight duties and give the
President the authority to unilaterally increase the number of private
military contractors operating in Colombia. We must not let
President Bush and his State Department escalate our involvement in Colombia
and waste hundreds of millions of dollars on private military contractors,
who continually operate under the radar,” Schakowsky said.
Schakowsky
concluded that she will continue to seek support for her legislation, the
Andean Region Contractor Accountability Act, H.R. 1591, to prohibit the
federal government from funding private armies in the Andean region. The
bill specifically states that the U.S. government cannot enter into a contract
with private organizations or individuals “to carry out military, law enforcement,
armed rescue, or other related operations in the countries of the Andean
region, including any operations relating to narcotics control efforts.”
This bill would not hinder humanitarian activities or aid. Currently, private
companies are being paid by the federal government to pilot drug-crop fumigation
aircraft, fly helicopters transporting Colombian army battalions, gather
aerial intelligence and perform armed search and rescue missions. |
