While the U.S. Government directly or indirectly supports population and family planning activities in some countries, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides aid to 140 countries. It provides support to countries which cannot or will not accept direct aid from the U.S. UNFPA receives millions of dollars worth of requests for family planning aid from the developing world that cannot be met due to lack of funds. In 1986, the United States cut off all funding for UNFPA, charging that it funded coercive programs in one country's program, China. This policy has continued. UNFPA does not fund abortion.

Hoping to remove proposed re-funding for UNFPA, Representative Christopher Smith (R NJ-4) introduced an amendment to the Foreign Aid Authorization bill to strip the $20 million which the bill originally provided. Representative Peter Kostmayer (D PA-8) offered a substitute amendment to the Smith Amendment to preserve the original language of the bill and ensure restored funding for UNFPA.

The Kostmayer Amendment was adopted 234-188 on June 12, 1991. YES is the pro-environment vote.