To register his disapproval, Grassley placed a procedural hold on the nominations for U.S. ambassadors to serve in Bolivia, Haiti, Jamaica, and Belize. In effect, such a hold blocks a legislative proposal or nomination from being brought to the Senate floor for debate or a vote. Senators may place holds on any item before the Senate.
"My goal is to get the attention of the White House and to put the administration on notice that it is not in compliance with the law. It is especially important to vigorously pursue illegal drug control at a time of rising teenage drug use. The nominations impacted by my hold are to ambassadorial posts in nations that have been on our certification list in the past. So, Senate consideration of the nominees is relevant to full compliance with the certification process," Grassley said.
The President has been required since 1987 to designate major drug producing or transit countries as 1) certified in fully cooperating with the United States in the fight against drugs, 2) decertified, or 3) certified with a national interest waiver. The last designation means that the country in question has not fully cooperated but other national interests override that concern. Congress, by joint resolution, may override a Presidential certification if it determines that the country in question has not cooperated to the extent intended by the law. This has never happened, but it has come close.
"Other countries that are the primary sources or major transit routes of illegal drugs coming to the U.S. need to do their part to combat money laundering and corruption. The standards for certification by the U.S. do not require that a country succeed totally in its efforts. But they do require commitment, seriousness of purpose, sustained effort, and credible implementation. Congress and the President have a responsibility to the American public to uphold and meet certain standards of international behavior and to take steps to secure our national interest. The certification process is one of the best ways to help us meet those goals," Grassley said.
Last year the Clinton administration asked Congress for an extension beyond the annual November 1 deadline and delivered its list of countries to be certified six weeks late. "Unnecessary delays in dealing with this important issue should not be allowed to become a habit," Grassley said. "When Congress returns to work in January, only a few weeks remain before the formal March 1 certification deadline. Therefore, it is important that members of Congress have time to carefully study and review the President's recommendations."
The countries currently on the list which were fully certified in March 1997 are: Aruba, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The countries that received a national interest waiver in March 1997 are: Lebanon, Pakistan and Belize. The countries that were decertified in March 1997 are: Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Iran, Nigeria, and Syria.
"In Iowa, unprecedented seizures of methamphetamine last month means there's no time to waste in fighting the war on drugs. The precursor chemicals used to manufacture this poison are pouring into our state from other countries. Meth is doing untold damage to Iowa workers, families and young people. Congress and the President must aggressively battle the illegal drug trade on every front," Grassley said. According to the Iowa drug enforcement and abuse prevention coordinator, law enforcement officers already have dismantled 51 meth labs in Iowa this year, compared with 31 in 1996.
Grassley serves as chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Last week, he co-chaired a hearing of the Caucus and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to consider cooperation by Mexico in U.S. efforts to control illegal drugs. Last year, Grassley supported conditional certification to Mexico. Grassley stated that the U.S. should send a signal to the Mexican government in 1997 that it had the support of the U.S. for another year. But, Grassley said that Mexico must demonstrate clear-cut progress against drug corruption in its political process, or he would urge the President to decertify Mexico in 1998.