Group will Honor Congressmen Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
for Their Support of U.S. global Engagement
Washington DC – USA Engage today honored Representatives Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) for their strong records of achievement in pursuit of pro-engagement policies on behalf of the United States. Both Kolbe and Meeks have voted consistently in favor of opportunities for expanded U.S. international trade and cultural and humanitarian assistance, and have opposed efforts to either impose or continue counterproductive and ineffective unilateral U.S. sanctions.
“Representatives Kolbe and Meeks share a common belief that America’s values and interests are best advanced by sustained involvement in world affairs by both public and private sectors,” said USA*Engage Co-Chair and National Foreign Trade Council President William Reinsch. “We applaud their leadership in Congress and their ongoing efforts to encourage U.S. global engagement at all levels.”
Among his current duties, Representative Kolbe serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs, which maintains oversight and funding of most U.S. foreign aid programs, including the Agency for International Development; the Peace Corps; development banks including the North American Development Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Kolbe, who has served in Congress since 1985, will retire at the end of the 109th Congress.
A Member of Congress since 1998, Representative Meeks includes among his duties a position on the House International Relations Committee where he is a Member of the Subcommittee on Africa, and the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. With a real interest in the development of small economies, he has made strides toward using trade and international relations as tools of both diplomacy and development.
“Jim Kolbe and Gregory Meeks are superb examples of how Republicans and Democrats can work together to advance the best interests of our country. Engagement abroad, at all levels – economic, diplomatic, educational and humanitarian – help advance America’s economic and strategic interests throughout the world. We commend these two leaders, and encourage other Members of Congress to join in the task of building a stronger America through engagement,” concluded Jake Colvin, Director of USA*Engage.
USA*Engage (www.usaengage.org) is a coalition of small and large businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations working to seek alternatives to the proliferation of unilateral U.S. foreign policy sanctions and to promote the benefits of U.S. engagement abroad. Established in 1997 and organized under the National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org), USA*Engage leads a campaign to inform policy-makers, opinion-leaders, and the public about the counterproductive nature of unilateral sanctions, the importance of exports and overseas investment for American competitiveness and jobs, and the role of American companies in promoting human rights and democracy world wide.
