The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“GREEN CLIMATE FUND” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S4815 on July 6, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
GREEN CLIMATE FUND
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, on June 29, 2016, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up S. 3117, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriation Act, 2017. During the mark-up, the Senator from Oregon offered an amendment to strike language that would have prohibited the Department of State from expending funds appropriated by the bill to make a Federal Government contribution to the Green Climate Fund. The Appropriations Committee adopted Senator Merkley's amendment by voice vote.
The committee's voice vote did not afford me the opportunity to record my opposition to Senator Merkley's amendment in the committee record. I oppose the Merkley amendment and any transfer of funding to the Green Climate Fund.
As Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in March, Congress did not authorize the Green Climate Fund. Congress also failed to appropriate any funding for the Green Climate Fund in fiscal year 2016. In March 2016, the Department of State transferred $500 million from the Economic Support Fund to the Green Climate Fund, despite the lack of any authorization or appropriation from Congress.
This $500 million transfer represents 26 percent of all appropriations to the Economic Support Fund--intended to promote economic and political stability around the globe--at a time when combating the Zika virus, addressing the threat of international terrorism, and dealing with the risks posed by Russian aggression in Eastern Europe all would have been better uses of State Department funds.
For these reasons, I oppose Senator Merkley's amendment to S. 3117.
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