Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 868) to amend section 527 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 to require that certain claims for expropriation by the Government of Nicaragua meet certain requirements for purposes of the prohibition on foreign assistance to that government.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, section 527 of the ``Foreign Relations Authorization Act, fiscal years 1994 and 1995,'' sanctions or stops certain U.S. bilateral assistance and U.S. support for assistance from International Financial Institutions for a government of a country that has confiscated a U.S. citizen's property. Nicaragua sadly falls amongst these rules of section 527, but has received Presidential waivers of the sanctions every year since the legislation was enacted.

American citizens have had nearly 12 years to come forward to file property claims with the American embassy. This bill amends section 527 to afford American citizens a reasonable opportunity to file a claim with the American embassy in Managua.

Any American citizen who has not yet filed a property claim with the American embassy will have 120 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register to do so. Any claims already on file or that are filed within the 120-day period can continue to be considered by the State Department in making its annual determination as to whether to apply the waiver or the sanctions authorized under section 527.

This bill would not, however, prevent American citizens from filing property

claims after the 120-day period and seeking help from the American embassy in Managua to engage on their behalf with the Government of Nicaragua regarding their claim.

At the same time, the bill sets a date certain that the Nicaraguan government can look to as an end date for registering new property cases for the purpose of the prohibition on assistance currently in law. This will provide important encouragement for the government of President Enrique Bolanos, who is an ally of the United States. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and continued American assistance to Nicaragua is vitally important.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Nicaragua has incurred $236 million in debt to pay these claims. The Bush administration supports the bill. I also want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt), for cosponsoring this bill with me. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, to most Americans coffee is nothing more than a morning pick-me-up, a drink over which to socialize, or an excuse to reacquaint ourselves with old friends or even to make new ones. But to Latin America, our neighbors down there, coffee is a way of life, a key to survival, and a hope for the future.

As many of my colleagues may know, coffee prices are at a record low. Latin American families who once made a good living at farming coffee are now being forced to leave the farm to find other work. Oftentimes, that means risking life and limb to emigrate to the United States or to engage in the illegal production and trafficking of narcotics just to survive.

As a businessman, I fully comprehend the ebbs and flows of commodity trading and the effects that oversupply can have on a market. But there is much more to the current coffee situation than profit margins. Latin Americans produce the highest-quality coffee anywhere in the world, but they cannot make a living from it. Without immediate action, the consequences will be felt well beyond the coffee fields.

It is important to remember that democracy is still young and fragile in Latin America. Growing poverty and an increasing lack of real economic opportunities are now threatening the very democracy that thousands of Latin Americans have risked, and sometimes lost, their lives to establish. Over the years, I have worked with Latin leaders to promote economic opportunities that would strengthen new democracies and improve the lives of their citizens. The production of real quality coffee, for instance, once brought unheard of prosperity to many of the communities in Central and South America. But with the price of quality coffee falling to historic lows, the flood of lesser- and cheaper- quality coffee entering the global market, these very communities are now left destitute and questioning the benefits of democracy.

Last July, the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, which I chair, held a hearing on what some have termed the ``coffee crisis.'' Some may refute the premise that there is such a crisis. The abandoned coffee plantations of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, and elsewhere, coupled with the thousands of people who are now out of work, tell a different story. There is a crisis.

During the hearing, witnesses testified that the trade in coffee is negatively affecting the local, national, and regional economies of our hemisphere. The overproduction of coffee is the result of unrestricted imports from places like Vietnam, where coffee is not a traditional crop and the farmers are heavily subsidized by the communist government. In a span of just a few years, Vietnam has emerged as the second leading exporter of coffee in the world. This oversupply has driven coffee prices to their lowest level in 30 years, to just a fraction of what they were a few years ago.

As a result of this hearing, the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr) and I cosponsored House Resolution 604, along with eight other Members of Congress. The resolution simply expresses the sense of the House that the United States should adopt a global strategy with coordinated activities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to address the short-term humanitarian needs and long-term rural development needs of countries affected by the collapse of coffee prices. It encourages the President to explore measures to support and complement multilateral efforts to respond to the global coffee crisis. But more importantly, it urges the private sector coffee buyers and roasters to work with the United States to seek their own solution to the crisis which is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable.

Numerous foreign firms are already helping farmers move away from drug production and improve the local economies. A French grocery company, CarreFour, entered into a contract with the Colombian organic and specialty coffee farmers to buy their coffee at slightly higher prices to be marketed in CarreFour stores. While I am not prone to say anything really nice about the French, especially recently, this is the type of corporate citizenship

that should be emulated. This simple act of corporate citizenship is providing coffee consumers the best coffee available while giving the farmers and their families a way to earn a living without having to produce drugs. I also understand that Starbucks and Green Mountain engage in outreach programs for the Latin coffee farmers that allow them to purchase quality coffees for their shops.

In conclusion, if we stand by and allow the crisis to worsen, we are committing ourselves to more drastic action in the medium to long term when the crisis will have spiraled to our further detriment. As the crisis deepens, so do the problems at the U.S. border, such as massive migration and the inflow of more illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin. Although there are efforts under way to address this problem, more action must be taken. I encourage my colleagues to join me in solving this crisis.

Madam Speaker, I am privileged to speak today in honor of my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson). The gentleman is one of the kindest, most thoughtful human beings I know, a principled and unwaivering man. He fights like a lion for what he holds dear. He is truly a man of mettle and conviction.

Sam is also a war hero if ever there was one. I cringe when I think of the incredible price he paid for the freedom of this great Nation, 7 years as a prisoner of war. We all owe him a debt of gratitude.

Today Congress recognizes Sam Johnson's sacrifice and his service to America. In so doing, we again acknowledge freedom at its high cost and remember those soldiers who did not return home. Fortunately for us, Sam did.

I thank the Chair for the chance to honor Sam.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 21, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 19, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''