In From Policy to Practice, MFAN argued, “U.S. policy should be guided by modern legislation that codifies a shared Executive-Legislative vision for the U.S. approach to poverty-focused development.” Six months later, two key initiatives in Congress have been released, both of which build on the reform efforts started under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
As we look forward to Thanksgiving celebrations, IREX President Ambassador W. Robert Pearson reminds Congress to appreciate the importance of foreign assistance. This entry originally appeared in the Voices of IREX blog. The Thanksgiving holiday in America gives us all a chance to reflect on gratitude, on generosity, and on reaching out to those in … Continue reading Thanksgiving and the American Mind
See below for a post from Linda Delgado calling upon the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to protect poverty-focused development assistance. Linda Delgado is Director of Government Affairs at Oxfam America. It is street theatre everywhere these days. Standard decision making processes and procedures are OUT. Legislating on appropriations bills is IN. And twelve … Continue reading Street Theatre: Superheroes or supervillans?
In a new op-ed for Roll Call, House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX-2) and former Rep. Jim Kolbe argue that modernizing the U.S. foreign assistance system will helps us confront challenges abroad while making the most effective use of every dollar spent.
MFAN applauds Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) for introducing the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2012 (HR.3159), which calls for more coherent and consistent monitoring and evaluation of U.S. foreign assistance programs. The proposed legislation has attracted a strong list of co-sponsors from both parties, signaling broad support for U.S. development programs that are critical levers of U.S. influence in an increasingly complex global environment.
My hat’s off to Congressman Berman and his staff, led by Diana Ohlbaum, for their long-awaited discussion draft of a new foreign assistance act, titled the Global Partnerships Act of 2011. It took three years to complete this draft, and we now know why. Rep. Berman’s staff produced a comprehensive, coherent, thoughtful draft and they did it through a meaningful, consultative process. They did not just clean up the tired old Foreign Assistance Act. They drafted a whole new law that reflects lessons learned and recent innovations, but most importantly,that sets U.S. foreign assistance squarely on a path to address the challenges of the 21st century
On the low estimate end, this would achieve $2 billion in savings annually, or $20 billion over ten years. On the high end, it would be $8 billion in savings in one year, or $80 billion over ten years.
Now, Senator Patty Murray, co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, has requested that organizations who signed onto the letter submit a separate letter from their organization in support of the International Affairs budget. Once collected, Sen. Murray will submit these letters to the official record during the committee’s deliberations.
Of all the cuts to emerge from last month’s House Foreign Affairs Committee draft authorization bill and the fiscal 2012 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee bill markup, the cut from USAID’s operating expenses budget may turn out to be one of the most painful for U.S. foreign policy.
In the midst of a misguided and disproportionate effort to slash the international affairs budget, the House of Representatives has proposed to cut nearly 27% ($365million) from USAID’s operating budget for fiscal year 2012. Such a drastic cut would cripple the agency’s ongoing and aggressive internal reform effort, while undermining bipartisan efforts to increase the effectiveness and accountability of U.S. foreign assistance.
