By Cliff Montgomery – Sept. 12th, 2010
The Obama Administration pushes for Congress to fund many of the foreign operations begun or supportedby George W. Bush, according to a recently released study from a federal research group.
But Obama also supports large funding increases for such things as global climate change and U.S.food security initiatives, and funding decreases in “contributions to international organizations, commissionsand foundations, and peacekeeping operations.”
The American Spark offers the Congressional Research Service report summary below:
“The annual State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies appropriations bill has been the primarylegislative vehicle through which Congress reviews the U.S. international affairs budget and influencesexecutive branch foreign policy making in recent years, as Congress has not regularly considered these issuesthrough a complete authorization process for State Department diplomatic activities since 2003 and for foreignaid programs since 1985.
“Funding for Foreign Operations and State Department/Broadcasting programs has been steadily rising sinceFY2002, after a period of decline in the 1980s and 1990s. Ongoing assistance to Iraq and Afghanistan, as wellas large new global health programs and rapidly increasing assistance to Pakistan, has kept the internationalaffairs budget at historically high levels in recent years. The change of Administration in 2009 did not disruptthis trend.”
“This report analyzes the FY2011 request, recent-year funding trends, and congressional action related toFY2011 State-Foreign Operations legislation.”
“On February 1, 2010, President Obama submitted a budget proposal for FY2011 that requests $58.49 billionfor the international affairs budget, a 16% increase over the enacted FY2010 funding level. If $1.8 billion in’forward funding’ of FY2010 priorities appropriated in FY2009 supplemental legislation is counted towardFY2010 rather than FY2009 totals, as it has been by the Administration, the increase would be 12%.
“The Administration has also requested $4.46 billion in supplemental FY2010 foreign operations funds foractivities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq and $1.7 billion for humanitarian relief and reconstruction effort inHaiti.
“If these supplemental funding requests were enacted, the FY2011 request would be 3% above the FY2010enacted level, or represent level funding if the FY2009 forward funding is attributed to the FY2010 total.
“This report focuses only on the $56.65 billion requested for programs and activities funded through the State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which excludes some portions of the International Affairs request andincludes funding for certain commissions requested as part of other budget functions.
“The Administration requested significant increases for building State and USAID capacity, aid to Afghanistan,Pakistan, and Iraq, and activities under the Administration’s Global Health, Food Security, and Global ClimateChange initiatives.
“Programs for which the Administration recommended reduced funding, compared with enacted FY2010levels, are contributions to international organizations, commissions and foundations, and peacekeepingoperations.”
