mr. chairman , i am pleased to have worked with the gentleman from arizona ( chairman kolbe ) to develop recommendations on the international assistance portion of the bill . 
as the gentleman from arizona ( chairman kolbe ) said , the bill does cut $ 1.2 billion in nonemergency initiatives from the administration 's international assistance request as well as rescinds an additional $ 1 billion in previously appropriated funds that are no longer needed , and i certainly concur with most of the chairman 's recommended cuts . 
however , i do want to express my concern that we will be expected to fund some of these items on the fiscal year 2006 bill , and as i anticipate a 302 ( b ) allocation for the foreign operations bill that may cut the 2006 request , these needs will be tough to accommodate . 
we are now into year three of the reconstruction programs in afghanistan ; yet the administration continues to rely on off-budget emergency supplementals to fund ongoing reconstruction . 
there are clearly many nonemergency items in the $ 2 billion requested for afghanistan in this bill . 
the establishment of a stable democracy in afghanistan with their own security forces is the key to bringing our troops home . 
the administration , i am concerned , has set back that effort by overuse of the emergency supplemental mechanism instead of providing appropriate assistance within the normal appropriations process , and i do hope in working closely with the gentleman from arizona ( chairman kolbe ) , we will be able to provide sufficient funds that are so important for the future of afghanistan . 
i am very pleased that the committee was able to protect funds for continued urgent needs in afghanistan , especially for initiatives that support women and girls . 
the supplemental contains approximately $ 63 million in support of education , health , economic , democracy programs that target women and girls . 
and i am pleased with the generous amounts in the bill for the tsunami relief and reconstruction , as well as other items that advance our foreign policy interests . 
i will be supporting the jackson amendment to add $ 100 million for unmet needs in africa because in my judgment the ongoing complex crisis in the democratic republic of the congo , liberia , northern uganda , ethiopia , and somalia may be out of the media spotlight , but the human suffering continues and additional funds are urgently needed to provide food and medical assistance to refugees , to facilitate refugee returns , and to provide drought-related aid . 
the congress does have a responsibility to real disasters and to ensure that the united states is generous in our response to crises throughout the world . 
we have been extraordinarily generous with our tsunami relief , and i think we need to follow suit to meet the real needs in africa . 
i would also note that the bill contains $ 200 million for the west bank/gaza program with appropriate safeguards for monitoring and auditing . 
fifty million of the $ 200 million will improve the flow of goods and people with israel and will thus improve the security of israel and the region . 
finally , i will be also supporting the maloney amendment to transfer $ 3 million from esf accounts to unfpa to assist tsunami victims . 
the unfpa , with its proven track record and longstanding presence in the tsunami-affected areas , is uniquely placed to immediately respond to the needs of women and children , populations among the most vulnerable after disasters such as the tsunami . 
in closing , i just want to say for me i want to applaud the important efforts of the gentleman from california ( chairman lewis ) ; the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. obey ) xz4003000 , ranking member ; the gentleman from pennsylvania ( mr. murtha ) xz4002860 ; and the gentleman from arizona ( chairman kolbe ) . 
we wrote the bill together . 
i think it is a good bill , it is an important bill , and provides very vital services to important places around the world where there are ongoing emergencies . 
