Home Press Room

Analysis Of House And Senate Cuts

From President's Fiscal Year 2001 Request For Foreign Operations Appropriations And Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations

For every US federal government dollar, only 1 penny is spent on international affairs. International affairs appropriations include funding for the State Department, USAID, debt relief for developing countries, funding for the Peace Corps and Voluntary Peacekeeping Operations,as well as United Nations dues.

During the next few weeks, Congress will complete work on FY 2001 appropriations bills for Foreign Operations and Commerce-Justice-State. Currently, the House and Senate bills fail to provide adequate funding for critical programs and cut the President's request by as much as 11%.

The following chart identifies key cuts in particular accounts and describes their impact:

Appropriations Account House Cut Senate Cut Impact of Cut Peacekeeping Operations (Voluntary) -12% -37% Both bills prevent full funding of commitments in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Croatia; limit US support for transition efforts in East Timor; leave US unprepared to meet ongoing and emerging crises in Africa; undercut efforts to train African militaries for peacekeeping operations. For refugee women and children, especially those in Africa, these cuts could mean the difference between life and death.

Migration and Refugee Assistance -2% -7% Senate bill requires cutbacks in refugee admissions numbers and cuts overseas assistance to refugees. For refugee women and children, these cuts mean less protection and cuts in programs that provide basic necessities such as food and shelter

International Organizations and Programs -6% -5% Due to earmarks, both bills cut deeply into democracy programs and environmental treaty commitments; jeopardize core funding for UN development and population agencies, as well as contributions to WTO capacity building initiative.

Debt Restructuring -9% -71% Senate bill fails to meet President's commitment to debt relief; cripples efforts to alleviate poverty in world's poorest countries in Latin America and Africa; significantly limits US efforts to leverage other donors. Countries that don't receive debt relief cannot provide the services that their own people desperately need.