President Trump’s Attempt to Block Aid to Central America Reflects Ineffective Use of American Resources, Influence

By: MFAN
April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin. The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network is concerned by President Donald Trump’s decision to block aid to three Central American countries. U.S. foreign assistance is a tool that advances American … Continue reading President Trump’s Attempt to Block Aid to Central America Reflects Ineffective Use of American Resources, Influence

A Note on Aid Reform: Applying the Fundamentals

By: Lester Munson
March 21, 2019

Friends, At our core, MFAN is committed to three principles: transparency of U.S. foreign aid, accountability of our assistance programs, and the local ownership needed to achieve meaningful results. As 2019 gets well underway, MFAN is looking at a number of opportunities to put these principles to practice and increase development effectiveness: The new U.S. … Continue reading A Note on Aid Reform: Applying the Fundamentals

Plan for New U.S. Development Finance Corporation Includes Strong Role for Development

By: MFAN
March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin. The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network is pleased that the Trump Administration’s plan for the new Development Finance Corporation prioritizes linkages with USAID, a strong Chief Development Officer role, … Continue reading Plan for New U.S. Development Finance Corporation Includes Strong Role for Development

Trump Administration Again Slashes Resources for Effective Development and Diplomacy

By: MFAN
March 12, 2019

March 12, 2019 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin. MFAN is alarmed for the third consecutive year by the Trump administration’s massive proposed cuts to the U.S. foreign affairs budget. Yesterday, the President released his budget request to … Continue reading Trump Administration Again Slashes Resources for Effective Development and Diplomacy

Congress Once Again Champions Strong Development and Diplomacy in Final FY19 Spending Bill

By: MFAN
February 19, 2019

February 19, 2019 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin. The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network is pleased that Congress has overcome gridlock to pass the State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) FY19 appropriations that rejects the Trump administration’s proposed … Continue reading Congress Once Again Champions Strong Development and Diplomacy in Final FY19 Spending Bill

MFAN Applauds First Congressional Clearance on USAID Restructuring and Encourages Further Action

By: MFAN
February 13, 2019

February 13, 2019 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin. The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network applauds Congress for clearing the first of nine Congressional Notifications (CN) detailing the proposed reorganization and restructuring of the United States Agency for … Continue reading MFAN Applauds First Congressional Clearance on USAID Restructuring and Encourages Further Action

A Note on Aid Reform: A New Year Agenda as the Government Returns to Work

By: Larry Nowels
January 28, 2019

Happy New Year everyone, I’m excited to write you for the first time as MFAN’s interim Executive Director. After 30+ years at the Congressional Research Service and a decade consulting for various MFAN members, I’m eager to work directly on MFAN’s aid reform issues. As you may know, MFAN has been going through some changes, … Continue reading A Note on Aid Reform: A New Year Agenda as the Government Returns to Work

Budget Instability and Development Effectiveness

By: MFAN
December 13, 2018

The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network advocates for more effective and accountable U.S. foreign assistance that will deliver greater results for people in need and U.S. taxpayers. A chaotic budget environment beleaguered with cuts, delays, and rescissions does not enable effective aid nor efficient use of American taxpayer dollars. To shed light on the issues with this … Continue reading Budget Instability and Development Effectiveness

MFAN Joins Congress in Calling for Foreign Aid Transparency Progress Report

By: Courtney Cauthen
December 13, 2018

December 13, 2018 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin. The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network thanks eight congressional leaders and joins them in calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to report on … Continue reading MFAN Joins Congress in Calling for Foreign Aid Transparency Progress Report

A Year in Review, A Decade of Reform

By: George Ingram, MFAN Co-Chair
December 7, 2018

Dear Colleagues, On Tuesday, Tessie and I (Les was in far-off places) had the pleasure of joining leaders from the aid community, MCC, USAID, and OPIC to honor ten dedicated members of Congress on Capitol Hill. It was a pleasure to be joined by former MFAN Co-Chair and current Honorary Co-Chair, former Representative Jim Kolbe, … Continue reading A Year in Review, A Decade of Reform