House Committee Advances State, Foreign Operations Spending Bill

On May 17, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2013 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered) that would fund the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and related international organizations for FY2013. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies advanced the bill on May 9 (see The Source, 5/11/12). The legislation would provide a total of $40.1 billion in funding for FY2013, $2 billion below FY2012 and $11.5 billion less than President Obama’s FY2013 budget request.

According to the committee report, the committee identifies combating human trafficking and sexual exploitation as a top priority. The committee “urges the secretary of State and the administrator of USAID to continue to incorporate efforts to combat human trafficking and slavery into all aspects of foreign assistance and expects that systems are in place to ensure programs contribute to decreasing vulnerability to, or prevalence of, human trafficking and slavery” (p. 50). Additionally, the measure would provide $18.7 million, equal to FY2012 and the president’s request, for the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and “urges the secretary of State to post the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline and website information in all appropriate United States diplomatic and consular facilities where visas are processed” (p. 10).

The committee recognizes the pervasiveness of sexual and gender-based violence and recommends continued support for programs that address violence against women in situations of armed conflict (p. 41), peacekeeping operations (p. 21), and the Peace Corps (p. 54). The committee “encourages the Department of State to support the attorney general’s Human Rights Unit to strengthen the investigative capacity to address sexual violence and to establish a national registry of sexual violence cases” (p. 59).

The legislation would provide a total of $8.018 billion for global health programs, $150.149 million below FY2012 and $163.711 million above the president’s request. The committee recognizes women’s health as a top priority, as “the health of a mother is directly related to the health of her children, and the committee is committed to maintaining an emphasis on expanding access to programs that have been proven effective in reducing maternal and child mortality” (p. 34). As a result, the committee supports FY2012 funding levels for maternal and child health programs, including programs to prevent maternal and neonatal tetanus, childhood blindness, tuberculosis, malaria, and iodine deficiency disorder. Additionally, the committee “recommends that USAID implement a multifaceted nutrition program that includes agriculture, food aid, and health interventions” (p. 34). The committee also recommends flat funding for microbicide development and implementation, which received $45 million in FY2012 and in the president’s request.

The bill would provide $461 million, the same as FY2008 levels, for reproductive health and family planning programs. The legislation would maintain the Tiahrt Amendment, named after former Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), which provided standards for voluntary family planning services; the Helms Amendment, named after former Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), which bans foreign aid from being spent on abortion services; and the Kemp-Kasten Amendment, named after former Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY) and Sen. Robert Kasten (R-WI), which prohibits funds to organizations the president determines to support coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. Additionally, the legislation would reinstate the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits U.S. assistance to nongovernmental organizations that promote or perform abortions (p. 35).

The committee supports women’s empowerment and education throughout the world. Basic education is identified in the report as a key component of growth in developing countries, and the committee “encourages USAID to prioritize the special needs of girls’ education and schools in conflict or post-conflict settings.” The measure would provide $20 million for women’s leadership training programs, as “empowering women to be leaders in their communities has transformative economic and social benefits” (p. 41).

The bill includes $276.5 million for international organizations and programs, $72.205 million below FY2012 and $50.8 million below the president’s request. The recommendation includes no funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which received $35 million in FY2012 and $39 million in the president’s request. The bill would provide $131.755 million for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), equal to FY2012 and $6.755 million above the president’s request. The committee “supports the UN [United Nations] Women’s mandate to streamline UN efforts to address the needs of women and girls globally and create accountability for the effectiveness of these initiatives,” but does not specify an exact funding level for this program, which received $7.5 million in FY2012 and $7.9 million in the president’s request.

The chart below compares funding levels for programs in the legislation to FY2012 and the president’s request.

*Includes funding for overseas contingency operations.