Congressional Statements

Pallone Joins India Caucus Colleagues In Countering India-Bashing Rhetoric

Press Release
July 13, 2000

Congressional supporters of India won yet another victory today as Rep. Dan Burton, R-IN, the most persistent opponent of improved U.S.-India ties in the House of Representatives, withdrew an amendment to the fiscal year 2001 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill to limit development assistance to India.

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ, founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, spoke out against the Burton amendment during this afternoon's brief debate on the measure, joined by other defenders of India.

"The arguments against this punitive, anti-India amendment are stronger this year than they've ever been," Pallone said in his floor statement. "In March, President Clinton completed the first visit to India by an American President in more than 20 years. The President's trip, accompanied by a bipartisan Congressional delegation, produced a range of new agreements on trade and investment, security partnerships and cooperation on energy and the environment. In September, India's democratically elected Prime Minister will be visiting the U.S., to further build upon this progress, especially in the area of economic relations.

"India is the world's largest democracy, with over a billion people. It is a country that has made tremendous progress in free-market economic reforms over the past decade.

"More to the point, since Mr. Burton has been critical of India's human rights record, India's National Human Rights Commission has been praised by our State Department and many international agencies for its independence and effectiveness. Indeed, India has become a model for the rest of Asia, and the rest of the developing world, in terms of democratization, economic reform and human rights.

Finally, cutting development aid to India will only serve to hamper America's efforts to reduce poverty, eradicate disease and promote broad-based economic growth in the world's second most populous nation."

Under a unanimous consent order, debate on the Burton amendment was limited to 20 minutes (10 minutes per side).

In addition to Pallone, opponents of the measure who spoke on the floor included both the Chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Rep. Sonny Callahan, R-AL, the Ranking Democrat of the Subcommittee, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, and other leading Members of the Congressional India Caucus, including Reps. Gary Ackerman, D-NY, Caucus co-chair, Sherrod Brown, D-OH, Nita Lowey, D-NY, Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, Jim McDermott, D-WA, and Edward Royce, R-CA. In addition to Burton, only one other Member spoke in support of the amendment to cut aid to India, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, RCA, and even Rohrabacher acknowledged that India is a democracy that is making significant economic progress.

"Ironically, Mr. Burton paid us a little tribute, even if it was a backhanded one, in recognizing that the pro-India forces have succeeded in creating a solid majority in the House of Representatives in support of a strong U.S.-India relationship and against gratuitous attacks on India," Pallone said. "Since the India Caucus was formed in 1993, we have seen the Burton amendment defeated by ever-wider margins.

"Although Mr. Burton ultimately backed down, I believe it was very important for us to counter some of his anti-India rhetoric. While his amendment had no chance of becoming law, it was part of the Congressional record. It was necessary for the debate to reflect the other side of the issue."

The amendment offered, and then withdrawn, by Burton would have limited development assistance to India to $35 million.

The Clinton Administration has proposed $46.55 million in development assistance in India for the coming fiscal year, as well as $20.676 million in child survival funds, $92.485 million in food aid and $5 million under the Economic Support Fund (ESF).