On June 27, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2013 Foreign Relations Authorization Act (H.R. 6018).
Sponsored by Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the measure would authorize $8.984 billion for diplomatic and consular affairs at the State Department, equal to the amount provided in the FY2013 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bill (H.R. 5857) (see The Source, 5/18/12). Diplomatic and consular affairs received $10.918 billion in FY2012; President Obama’s FY2013 budget requested $11.38 billion, which included funding for overseas contingency operations. Under H.R. 6018, educational and cultural programs would receive $598.8 million.
The legislation would authorize $1.828 billion for international peacekeeping programs, identical to FY2012, but $271 million below the president’s request. Funding for international organizations, such as the United Nations, would be level-funded at $1.551 billion. The Peace Corps would be authorized at $375 million.
Unlike versions of the legislation enacted in previous years, H.R. 6018 does not address authorizations for foreign aid agencies and programs. Such programs provide global health and food assistance services to women and children in other countries. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation are among the agencies that provide such assistance; bilateral economic assistance provides funding for global health programs, such as the President’s Plan for Emergency AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and maternal and child health programs.
