Foreign Policy

Pat Leahy has been a leader in the protection of human rights and in the promotion of peaceful solutions to world-wide conflicts. He's worked as the head of his party on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee for more than a decade, fighting to make a priority of constructive international efforts, including those having to do with HIV/AIDS, disaster relief, refugee aid, global vaccinations and health programs.

Iraq

Standing up to pressure from the Bush Administration, Pat Leahy was one of only 23 Senators who voted against the war in Iraq. He later also opposed giving President Bush a blank check to continue the use force in Iraq rather than explore diplomatic solutions.

However, after the war began Pat Leahy worked to make sure that active and deployed troops going to Iraq had the best equipment, the best benefits and the support of the American people.

Calling for Greater Accountability

• CALLED FOR MORE THOROUGH UN INSPECTIONS -- Before the war, he called on the Bush Administration and the U.N. Security Council to conduct a complete inspection for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
• WHERE'S THE PLAN? -- After troops entered Iraq, he praised the work of the American soldiers in ousting Saddam Hussein. But he continues to call on the Administration to explain why there is no plan for the future or truthful explanation for why we went to war and why companies with close ties to the Administration are greatly profiting while the goal of a self-sustaining Iraq remains far away.
• WHERE ARE THE WMDs? -- Pat Leahy has demanded that the Administration produce evidence for its decision to rush to war, and he is paying close attention to the investigation that is looking into this issue.

Voting Against Giving the Administration a Blank Check

AN $87 BILLION BLANK CHECK – When the Administration asked for $87 billion, Pat Leahy asked for answers. He wanted a detailed proposal for how the situation in Iraq would be improved compared to the President's irresponsible, take-it-or-leave-it approach. Senator Leahy created and supported amendments to the Iraq spending bill, including ones that would have:

1. Separated money for the troops from the controversial reconstruction funding, in order to expedite support for our troops while leaving the issue of reconstruction for further examination and debate;

2. Required the Administration to build an international coalition, including the United Nations and our global friends and allies;

3. Put Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, rather than the Pentagon, in charge of the relief and reconstruction activities, as has been the case for every post-conflict reconstruction effort for the last 50 years;

4. Paid for the reconstruction by repealing a small amount of the tax cut for the wealthiest Americans, rather than placing the burden of yet even more debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren;

5. Provided assistance to innocent civilians who are injured by military operations; and

6. Created tough new criminal penalties for war profiteering in Iraq.

Protecting American Interests

WAS IT WORTH RUSHING IN? – More than 1900 American troops have died and our relationships with allies around the world have suffered due to our rush to war—allies whose help we need in the global war on terrorism.

Foreign Assistance

Although more than two billion people worldwide live in diseased and poverty-stricken communities, the U.S. spends less than 1 percent of the budget on foreign assistance programs. Most industrialized nations do far better. Pat Leahy has been a leader in urging the United States—a nation that the entire world expects to provide leadership—to significantly increase foreign assistance help in order to more effectively combat these problems.

Funding the Fight

• MORE THAN A SLIVER – Pat Leahy has urged Congress and the Administration to triple foreign assistance. This would promote U.S. security, values and humanitarian interests around the world.
• HELPING THE WORLD'S POOREST COUNTRIES -- Pat Leahy has long supported debt forgiveness for the world's poorest countries and the U.S. commitment to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. In addition, recognizing the ravaging effects of the countries hit hardest by HIV/AIDS, he has led the way for increased aid for those countries.

Global Health

Pat Leahy has worked hard to reduce the threat of infectious diseases and to increase funding to improve health care in poor countries.

• FUNDING VACCINATIONS -- After requesting a study of the problem of low vaccination rates in poor countries, Pat Leahy launched an initiative to dramatically increase help for programs to combat infectious diseases. This initiative has resulted in hundreds of millions of additional dollars to strengthen international surveillance of disease outbreaks and development of tactics to combat these problems.
• COUNTERING THE PRESIDENT'S CUTS -- The President's budget slashes essential international health programs by 11.4 percent and cuts programs for vulnerable children by 64 percent. In March 2004, Pat Leahy increased support for global health programs by $330 million, rolling back cuts that President Bush's budget would impose on key global health programs, as well as adding enough resources to strengthen those efforts.  

HIV/AIDS

• INCREASING THE FUNDING -- Pat Leahy has been a leader in Congress fighting to secure and increase help for programs to combat HIV/AIDS, including the Global AIDS Initiative, the Global Fund, and the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Cluster. In 2004, he worked to increase the level of funding to the Global AIDS Initiative by $289 million, and he fought for a $1.64 billion funding level, $400 million more than President Bush requested.

Human Rights

• NOT ACCEPTING HUMANS RIGHTS VIOLATIONS -- Pat Leahy protected human rights internationally, including creating the "Leahy Law," a law which cuts off U.S. aid to nations where evidence exists of human rights violations.
• CALLING FOR INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE -- As a longtime supporter of the International Criminal Court, he has urged the Administration to re-join this important court which prosecutes the most serious international crimes, including war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. On numerous occasions, Pat Leahy has spoken out about the need for the United States to be a part of this essential element in the role of international justice.

Landmines

Pat Leahy has long been the leading U.S. official in the fight against the use of cluster bombs and landmines by the world's militaries.

• BANNING ALL LANDMINES -- Throughout the Clinton and Bush Administrations, Pat Leahy has tirelessly urged that the U.S. enter into the Ottawa Treaty, which would ban the use of antipersonnel landmines. He also wrote and passed the world's first law banning the U.S. export of landmines.
• HELPING THE VICTIMS – Pat Leahy created the Leahy War Victims Fund to support medical clinics throughout the world that treat the victims of landmines.
• EXPOSING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION -- Pat Leahy has been outspoken in exposing the Administration's policy toward the use of anti-personnel landmines.. When the Administration publicized that it would eliminate the use of "dumb" landmines, Pat Leahy blew the whistle by letting the American people know that it has been decades since the United States has in fact used this type of landmine.
• SAVING INNOCENT LIVES – Pat Leahy urged the Administration to change its policy so that the U.S. military would not be using cluster bombs in Iraq. Roughly 2 to 20 percent of bomblets dropped by the U.S. are ‘duds,' meaning they do not explode on impact and remain on the ground where they remain for unsuspecting farmers, children, or U.S. troops.