mr. speaker , i rise to question the omission of an amendment sponsored by mrs. maloney , ms. sanchez , mr. crowley and myself , which was agreed to by the chairman of appropriations . 
the amendment took $ 3 million from the `` economic support fund '' and put it toward the `` tsunami recovery and reconstruction fund , '' for the express purpose of the providing the united nations population fund , unfpa with these funds . 
this past january , i toured the region that was overwhelmed by the tsunami . 
the extent of the destruction was massive , and i was glad to see the world contributing to relief efforts . 
however , i was concerned that the special needs of women were not being adequately addressed . 
i visited the remains of a three-story maternity hospital . 
there were 300 women and infants in that hospital when the first wave hit . 
the tsunami toppled a cement wall , flattened utility polls , and shattered all of the glass windows in the front of the building . 
of the 300 women and their babies , all but one , a newborn , were saved from the crashing waves . 
i met a doctor who finished a c-section in absolute darkness , after the generators were underwater , as the rest of the building was evacuated . 
the hospital was practically destroyed . 
the beds were pushed and piled against each other by the flooding , and shards of glass crunched under our feet . 
the sheets were strewn about like wet rags , and saturated packages of medicine were thrown in useless piles . 
it is conditions like these that the unfpa addresses . 
the organization has experience working with women in disaster areas ; they have participated in emergency projects in more than 50 countries and territories . 
they already have offices in tsunami-affected countries , and they understand the distinctive ways that disasters affect women and children . 
when i visited in january , there were an estimated 150 , 000 pregnant women in the tsunami-affected areas . 
the unfpa has worked to supply safe-birthing kits and emergency obstetric equipment . 
women who are in refugee camps need personal hygiene kits , soap , sterile cotton cloth , antibiotics , and drugs for treating sexually transmitted infections . 
although relief efforts often overlook these supplies , and the unfpa has done its best to fulfill these needs . 
unfpa 's priorities are reproductive health , including safe childbirth , prevention of violence against women and girls , and counseling for those affected by the 26 december tsunami . 
for many of these women , they must now become the head of the household . 
they have become widows overnight , and must deal with the emotional and economic issues involved with being the sole breadwinner in an area with no jobs . 
in early january , unfpa asked for $ 28 million to support its tsunami-related work . 
our amendment would have given them $ 3 million , which is about 11 percent of what they requested . 
by late february , over 70 percent of the requested funding had been received or pledged . 
germany gave $ 8 million . 
japan gave $ 5.5 million . 
the netherlands gave $ 1.5 million . 
norway gave $ 1 million . 
new zealand gave $ 700 , 000 . 
the united states has not given anything to this organization that is the most experienced and successful in addressing the distinctive needs of women during times of natural disaster . 
but this is not unusual . 
we have not given the unfpa the money they need for some time . 
the omnibus for 2005 earmarked $ 34 million for unfpa , however , the unfpa has not and will not receive it . 
the unfpa also received no funds from the united states in 2002 , 2003 , and 2004 . 
unfortunately , the president will not release these funds to this organization , because of issues related to abortion . 
the money would not have been used for abortion . 
the money would have helped women deliver their babies . 
it would have helped women who have been sexually assaulted . 
it would have given women some of the tools they need to take care of themselves and their children . 
it is unconscionable that this congress would not allocate this $ 3 million to unfpa . 
