NEWS

Congress Update

March 17, 2008

Last Thursday night, the Senate passed its version of the budget resolution.  Originally, the international affairs portion was set to be cut by $4.1 billion from the President's request.  However, the Senate voted in favor of the Biden-Lugar amendment to restore the $4.1 billion to the Senate budget resolution.  The vote was 73-23, enjoying bipartisan support with 36 cosponsors.

Earlier, the House passed its version, cutting $1.3 billion from the President's request.

The differences between the resolutions now must be resolved in a Senate/House Conference meeting.  We urge you to support the full funding within the Senate budget by contacting members of Congress.

Berman Elected Chair of House Foreign Affairs Committee

March 14, 2008

            The House Democratic Caucus today voted to appoint Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) chairman of the House Foreign Affairs  Committee. Berman made the following  statement:

 "I deeply  appreciate the confidence that my colleagues have shown in me today.  While  I can never replicate the unique historical perspective and natural eloquence  that Chairman Tom Lantos brought to this position, I'll work veryhard as chairman to repair the damage  done to America's standing in the world over  the past seven years by this Administration.  My highest priority will be  to reassert the role of Congress in developing a foreign policy that reflects  our national interests and is true to our values. 

 "I believe  it is extremely important for the Foreign Affairs Committee to increase its  legislative activity.  I intend, in the next Congress, to work with the  Senate to resume the practice of passing foreign aid and State Department  authorizations bills, both of which are essential for strengthening the tools of  effective diplomacy.  I also expect to begin laying the groundwork for a  major overhaul of U.S. assistance to other  countries.  I want to explore how we can make foreign aid more effective,  ensure that our money isn't wasted or diverted, and make sure we get the best  bang for our buck.

"Perhaps  the most serious threat facing the world today is the nexus between terrorism  and weapons of mass destruction.  Our most immediate challenge is to  dissuade Iran -- the world's  most active state sponsor of terrorism -- from developing nuclear weapons, and  to complete the job of denuclearizing North Korea, consistent with the  Six-Party Talks.  But the committee will also work to develop a comprehensive, long-term strategy to prevent the proliferation of nuclear,  chemical and biological weapons and the means to deliver them.  This  strategy will include steps the United States should take -- as outlined by Sam  Nunn, Henry Kissinger, Bill Perry and George Shultz -- to devalue the currency  of nuclear weapons."

Congress Holds Hearings on FY09 Budget

March 4, 2008

          On Thursday, February 28th, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign and State Operations held a hearing regarding the FY09 budget.  On March 4, the Senate counterpart held its own hearing on the USAID budget.  Members generally supported the President's Budget request, but raised a few concerns regarding the Civilian Stabilization Initiative and embassy construction.  Following are links to summaries of those hearings.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations

FY 2009 Budget Request Summary 

February 7, 2008

            The budget request that President Bush released for FY09 saw moderate increases for the International Affairs (150) account while many other departments saw decreases.  The total requested budget for FY 2009 is $39.5 billion, a $3.1 billion (8.5% increase) over the total enacted FY 2008 budget.  Not all programs benefited from an increase, however, as some either saw decreases or whose budget allocation was removed altogether.  The account includes both the Department of State and the Foreign Operations programs including USAID, Peace Corps, etc. 

Full Summary (PDF)

Supporting U.S. Engagement Abroad

Phone: 202.994.5519 :: Fax: 202.338.6820 :: 2101 E St. NW Washington, DC 20036 :: colead@afsa.org

Last modified: 05/02/08