The Foreign Service Journal, October 2004

ed officials stand on foreign affairs. On the Senate side, out of a total of 163 votes on the floor as of July 22, we considered 79 foreign affairs-related votes and ultimate- ly chose eight for inclusion in the Scorecard. On the House side, we looked at 186 foreign affairs-related votes (out of a total of 421 votes as of July 22), and chose nine for the Scorecard. These are, moreover, all floor votes, taken after bills have been through the committee process where they are often massaged to the lowest common denominator that would pass. In some cases, the controversy is not worked out in committee but rather in a deal in the cloakroom. As a result, the selected vote does not nec- essarily reflect how a member who serves on a commit- tee that is important to the Foreign Service may have worked to help or impede our foreign policy in commit- tee. Nor does it reflect how a legislator may have been helpful in advancing AFSA’s issues by sponsoring or cosponsoring legislation valuable to us, or writing a letter in support of an AFSA position. Accordingly, while we hope that you will consider this voting profile AFSA has prepared, we urge you also to consider the many other sides of the incumbent or candidate seeking your vote. The profile is the product of three AFSA legislative affairs interns — Joanna McNamara (fall 2003), Meredith Richardson (spring 2004), and Victoria Sprow (summer 2004). We thank them all for their hard and diligent work on this project. In conclusion, it is AFSA’s hope and urging that you and those in your family eligible to do so vote this November. AFSA’S 108TH CONGRESS VOTING PROFILE SENATE 1. IMET. FY03 Omnibus Appropriations/IMET (H.J. Res. 2) — Bill to restrict funds for International Military Educational and Training Program (IMET) assistance to Indonesian military personnel unless certain conditions were met regarding the Indonesian government’s efforts to fight ter- rorism after the October 2002 terrorist bombing in Bali. VOTE: 36-61, 1/23/03 (R: 4-47; D: 31-14; I: 1-0). 2. CPA & SEC/STATE. Iraq Supplemental, 2004 (S. 1689) — Motion to table (kill) amendment that would place the Coalition Provisional Authority to Iraq under the direct authority and foreign policy guidance of the Sec/State. VOTE: 56- 42, 10/2/03 (R: 51-0; D: 5-41; I: 0-1). 3. STATE AUTHORIZATION. FY04 Foreign Operations Appropriation/State Depart- ment Authorization (S. 925) — Motion to suspend the Byrd Rule to allow Sen. Lugar to insert text of S. 925 into the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill under con- sideration. VOTE: 40-57, 10/28/03 (R: 35-16; D: 4-41; I: 1-0). 4. ABSTINENCE PROGRAMS AND AIDS. FY04 Foreign Operations Appropriations/Abstinence Programs and AIDS (H.R. 2800) —Amendment to clar- ify the definition of HIV-prevention programs to mean only those directed at preventing sexual transmission of the disease; requires that 1/3 of prevention funding must be for abstinence until marriage programs; and applies only to HIV prevention funds rather than all AIDS prevention funds. VOTE: 45-47, 10/30/03 (R: 3-46; D: 41-1; I: 1-0). 5. GLOBAL AIDS INITIATIVE. FY04 Foreign Operations Appropriations (H.R. 2800) — Bill to give $200 million to the Global AIDS Initiative and reduce the Millennium Challenge Account by $200 mil- lion. VOTE: 41-51, 10/30/03 (R: 0-49; D: 40-2; I: 1-0). 6. SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY. Syria Accountability Act/Passage (H.R. 1828)—Bill to halt Syrian support for terrorism, end its occupation of Lebanon, stop its development of WMDs, cease illegal importation of Iraqi oil and illegal shipments of weapons and other military items to Iraq, and by so doing hold Syria accountable for the serious international security problems it has caused in the Middle East, and for other purposes. VOTE: 89-4, 11/11/03 (R: 47-2; D: 42-1; I: 0-1). S C O R E C A R D 44 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 4