New Congress Reshapes Foreign Aid Priorities

Peacekeeping Funds Will Aid Darfur Efforts;
Strengthened HIV/AIDS Relief May Save More Than 100,000 Additional Lives

WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31) – The newly revised budget bill to fund much of the federal government for the rest of this year will strengthen U.S. efforts to secure peace and protect refugees in Darfur, while opening the opportunity to save more than 100,000 additional lives through HIV/AIDS relief efforts, according to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

Leahy, once again the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, says the revised spending plan also will ensure that compelling humanitarian needs are met – for example, by boosting efforts to combat TB and malaria and to provide humanitarian relief to refugees who have fled Darfur, Iraq and several other of the world’s hotspots.

“The new Congress is already beginning to reshape our priorities,” said Leahy.  “We have painstakingly forged a humanitarian aid budget that will enable us to relieve the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people.  If this is enacted, no longer will our federal budget needlessly cut off AIDS and malaria medicines that peoples’ lives depend on.  This bill reflects the bipartisan way we have worked together, as well as our common recognition of the desperate needs in some of the world’s poorest countries.  A country as blessed as ours should be doing far more to help destitute people far from our shores, but these are solid improvements that will save lives and offer hope.”

The new bill, H.J.Res.20, would replace the current “continuing resolution,” the placeholder budget that was passed last year when the previous Congress failed to finish work on nine of the 13 annual appropriations bills.  The current continuing resolution expires Feb. 15, and the newly crafted budget bill would replace it as the ongoing federal budget for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2007.  The Senate and House Appropriations Committees worked together in the arduous, line-by-line recasting of the budget.  While freezing spending at current levels and staying below the spending cap imposed last year by President Bush and ratified by the Republican Congress, the new bill makes several key adjustments in priorities.  The House will take up the new bill first, then the Senate will.

The changes reflect longtime priorities of Leahy, who again chairs the Appropriations panel that handles the Senate’s work in writing the annual budget bill for the State Department and U.S. foreign assistance programs.  Leahy praised the cooperative, bipartisan effort that produced the bill, which included the leadership of Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), House Appropriations Chairman Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), House Foreign Operations Appropriations Chairwoman Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Senate State-Foreign Operations Ranking Member Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and House Foreign Operations Appropriations Ranking Member Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.).

Highlights Of The FY2007 CR’s Funding For State, Foreign Operations

HIV/AIDS, TB AND MALARIA --

Under the continuing resolution enacted last year by the previous Congress, funding within State-Foreign Operations to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria totaled $2.68 billion, including $445.5 million for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria.  Under H.J.Res.20, those amounts would increase by $1.27 billion and $179.5 million, respectively, for new totals in the State-Foreign Operations section of the bill of $3.95 billion and $625 million. 

Currently only 20 percent of people needing AIDS drugs in poor countries are getting them, and only 10 percent of the people at risk of infection are receiving prevention services.  Continued funding at the FY 2006 level would have kept life-saving antiretroviral drugs from an estimated 350,000 more HIV-infected people.  According to the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, 110,000 to 175,000 people would die of HIV-related causes if the FY 2006 funding levels had not been increased in the joint resolution.

Funding to combat malaria would have been frozen at the FY 2006 level of $105 million under the continuing resolution passed last year.  Malaria is both preventable and treatable, yet it kills more than one million people per year – mostly African children.  Expansion of assistance to combat malaria would be stalled and the eight additional countries targeted for the next round of malaria prevention and treatment programs would be placed on hold.  The additional funding in the joint resolution will enable the United States to meet our commitment to cut malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 of the hardest-hit countries in Africa.  These funds will go to support the purchase of lifesaving drugs, distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets, and treatment of pregnant women at risk for malaria. 

INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING --

H.J.Res.20 provides an additional $113 million for international peacekeeping operations above the amount in the continuing resolution enacted last year.  This amount ensures that U.S. dues to the UN are paid in FY 2007 and that the United States not fall farther behind in support for troops in 13 countries including Lebanon, Sudan, Haiti and the Congo.   

The joint resolution also includes $50 million to support the African Union troops in Darfur and Southern Sudan.  These funds, which were omitted in the continuing resolution enacted last year, are needed to house and support 7000 troops at 34 camps throughout Sudan and to ensure a smooth transition this year to a UN force. 

ASSISTANCE FOR REFUGEES --

The joint resolution increases funding by $75 million to support refugees, over the amount enacted last year.  Leahy noted that these funds were needed because current resources would have been exhausted well before the end of FY 2007, resulting in great hardship to the world’s most vulnerable people.  These funds include $20 million to support Iraqi refugees. 

EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS --

The joint resolution provides an increase of $19.2 million above the amount enacted in the budget last year for international educational and cultural exchange programs.  These exchanges, Leahy said, are one of the most effective tools of public diplomacy the U.S. has available, particularly in predominantly Muslim countries. 

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