Update of Previous Action Alert dated Dec. 1, 1994
Because of the pressure to date, there is now a better than even chance that the Africa Subcommittee in the House of Representatives may be preserved. The decision originally slated for December 7 was postponed for further consideration, and it is now predicted that the decision will be taken later this week, perhaps as early as tomorrow, Dec. 14. If the Africa Subcommittee is merged with the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, the joint committee will be chaired by Representative Dan Burton(R-IN). If the Subcommittee is maintained separately, Burton is slated to take the Asia position, and it is possible that the choice for Africa will be a less conservative Republican.
The decisions already taken to bar members of Congress from funding Caucus offices from their own budgets, including the Congressional Black Caucus, represents an assault on the potential for representation of African and African-American interests in Congress. And Republican proposals just announced to eliminate the Development Fund for Africa will pose a major threat to funding for African development. Having the Africa Subcommittee as one forum for presentation of alternative views next year becomes even more important.
Phone calls, faxes and email messages to the Republican leadership are urgently needed to prevent the proposed merger. Those of you who have already sent messages might want to send a follow-up. For those who have not yet done so, now is the time.
Irrespective of which party controls Congress, the Africa Subcommittee is one of the key places where African issues are constructively debated. The merger would reduce attention to Africa during a period in which it is likely to become more marginalized in spite of the presence of both on-going crises of war, food insecurity and economic underdevelopment and significant opportunities represented by many transitions to peace and democracy.
Two years ago the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), supported by the efforts of advocacy groups such as the Washington Office on Africa and others, was able to prevent Democratic leadership from agreeing on a similar merger. The CBC continues to argue that "the Africa's Subcommittee's continued existence is critical to the effective operation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Over twenty-five million Americans of African descent live in the U.S. and the dismantling of the Subcommittee would be an affront to their conerns."
Today congressional staff inform us that while even greater effort is necessary to save the Subcommittee, we can succeed if sufficient pressure is applied.
(1) Please write, phone, fax key Republican leaders, asking them to oppose the Africa Subcommittee merger. In the case of the incoming Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who has an email address, you can also send email messages.
The key leaders to target are:
Rep. Newt Gingrich (incoming Speaker)
2428 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-4501
Fax: 202-225-4656
Email: georgia6@hr.house.gov
Rep. Benjamin Gilman (expected to chair Foreign Affairs)
2185 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3776
Fax: 202-225-2541
Email: n/a
Rep. Doug Bereuter (Republican member of Foreign Affairs sympathetic to African issues)
2348 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-4806
Fax: 202-225-1148
Email: n/a
(2) Please send copies of your messages to:
Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (ranking Democratic member of Foreign Affairs)
2187 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5315
Fax: 202-225-1101
Email: n/a
Rep. Donald Payne (ranking member of the CBC on Foreign Affairs)
417 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3436
Fax: 202-225-4160
Email: n/a
(3) If convenient, also send copies of messages by fax or email to the Washington Office on Africa (fax: 202- 546-1545; email: woa@igc.apc.org).
(4) Please post or rebroadcast this alert to appropriate conferences, bulletin boards or individuals.
Please send messages as soon as possible.
Note: Please be firm but polite. Please avoid flame-type language which may have negative rather than positive effects.
*******************************************************
This material is made available by the Washington
Office on Africa (WOA) and the Africa Policy
Information Center (APIC). WOA is a not-for-profit
church, trade union and civil rights group supported
organization that works with Congress on Africa-related
legislation. APIC is WOA's educational affiliate.
To receive basic information with list of publications send a blank email message to woa-info@igc.apc.org.
For additional information:
Washington Office on Africa 110 Maryland Ave. NE, #112 Washington, DC 20002. Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545. Email: woa@igc.apc.org.
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 13:36:18 -0600 From: "Newbury, David" dnewbury.ham@mhs.unc.edu Subject: Re: Save Africa Subcommittee
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
| Previous Menu | Home Page | What's New | Search | Country Specific |