(August 6, 2009)
Thanks to all your support, our campaign to reform U.S. foreign aid is gaining momentum and legislative traction. We now have a bill in the Senate – the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 (S.1524) — and one in the House of Representatives – the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 2139). Both bills are essential building blocks in achieving our goals for the 2009 Offering of Letters.
With these crucial first steps in place, we will be able to move more briskly to overhaul the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The House is actively working on a rewrite of the act but we are not yet certain when this new bill will be introduced. We have indications that the Senate will also work on rewriting the act soon.
When we launched this campaign, we knew that it would take more than one year to achieve our goals. But in order to modernize our foreign assistance system, we need to make progress in 2009. This report covers what we have accomplished since January 2009.
Reaching Out to Congress
Since we started the Offering, we have conducted more than 700 workshops and other educational activities in communities across the country. Bread members have organized more than 800 Offerings of Letters in every place -- from churches to campuses to CROP Walks to bike rides. You have written and delivered more than 85,000 personalized letters and made more than 5,000 phone calls on H.R. 2139. You have also made countless visits to your representatives’ offices, both on Capitol Hill and in their districts.
During Lobby Day on June 16, 325 Bread activists from 38 states visited more than 180 congressional offices. On that day alone, four representatives agreed to cosponsor H.R. 2139. Today, we have 100 cosponsors, and we hope to add many more.
David Beckmann has testified at several hearings on the need to reform foreign assistance. His most recent appearance was on July 22 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—just before the committee introduced S.1524.
Our government relations team has also worked hard, meeting with congressional staffers, reviewing drafts of legislation, attending hearings, and providing information. In fact, Monica Mills, our director of government relations, was honored by The Hill newspaper as one of the most effective lobbyists in Washington.
Bread also serves as the hub for the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN), a coalition of partners working for foreign aid reform. David Beckmann is now co-chair of MFAN, after the previous co-chairs left to work with the Obama administration.
Bread also co-chairs, with Alex Baumgarten of the Episcopal Church, the Religious Working Group on Foreign Aid Reform. More than 50 national religious denominations and organizations have adopted the Statement of Religious Principles.
Progress Against Benchmarks
(Benchmarks are numbered; progress is lettered.)
- Congressional hearings on approaches to foreign aid reform.
a. Since January, committees in both the House and Senate have held hearings related to aid reform. From late February to April, hearings were held weekly. - Appointment of a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator who shares some or all of Bread’s goals and principles.
a. No one has been nominated as of Aug. 6. - A sign-on letter circulating in Congress that embraces most or all of Bread for the World’s principles.
a. A letter from 21 denominations and faith organizations supporting the goals of H.R. 2139 was sent to all representatives in mid-June.
b. A “Dear Colleague” letter from Reps. Berman and Kirk, the original co-sponsors of H.R. 2139, was circulated in June.
c. Letters to targeted members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from religious leaders in their congressional districts were delivered in mid-May. - A presidential directive that mandates better coordination of U.S. foreign assistance and elevates attention to development in foreign policy decision-making.
a. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued supportive statements on development as part of the U.S. foreign policy toolbox. In mid-July, Clinton announced a Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), which will provide blueprints for U.S. diplomacy and development.
b. The White House has not made any public statements on reforming foreign assistance. There are indications that a presidential study directive on U.S. development policy is forthcoming. - Introduction of a bipartisan congressional resolution in support of Bread for the World’s goals and principles.
a. Although we originally anticipated that we may need to secure a congressional resolution in 2009 in the absence of an appropriate foreign assistance reform bill, both the House and Senate now have bills under consideration. (See Benchmark 9 for more details.) - Substantive conversations between the administration and Congress about new approaches to foreign aid and global development.
a. These conversations have yet to occur but will likely happen with the appointment of a USAID administrator. - Appointment of a person or high-level group to formulate a national strategy for global development and/or foreign assistance.
a. The Secretary of State has written guidance for planning the fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget that includes the development of strategic plans to achieve coordination, coherence, and efficiency in their work. These are expected to integrate U.S. government efforts on how to best achieve development objectives.
b. The process for formulating a Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) is still being developed.
c. The Secretary of State’s office has actively opposed H.R. 2139 to create the national strategy for global development, stating that its creation should be left to the State Department and not move to the National Security Council’s office within the White House.
d. The State Department has also opposed S. 1524, the Senate’s first step in foreign aid reform. - House and Senate coordination and cooperation to write a new Foreign Assistance Act.
a. In the House, Chairman Berman’s staff is actively working on a draft now with an eye to introducing a bill before the end of 2009.
b. In the Senate, Chairman Kerry’s staff is working on the initial reform bill and will then focus on a State Department reauthorization.
c. Chairman Kerry’s staff is determining the best strategy to rewrite this act. Kerry has stated he hopes to introduce a revised Foreign Assistance Act in early 2010.
d. Staff from both the House and Senate is meeting regularly. - Introduction of legislation in both houses of Congress that represents an emerging consensus on a fresh approach to global development and U.S. foreign assistance.
a. H.R. 2139 was introduced on April 28, 2009, by Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). This bill, The Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009, begins the process of reform by calling for a national strategy for global development—one of the major principles supported by Bread for the World. The bill currently lists 100 bipartisan cosponsors.
b. S. 1524 was introduced on July 28, 2009, by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA,) Richard Lugar (R-IN,) Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Bob Corker (R-TN,) Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), and Jim Risch (R-ID). The Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 would strengthen the capacity, transparency, and accountability of U.S. assistance, particularly USAID.
c. H.R. 2140 was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the full House. This bill, The State Department Reauthorization Act, contained components of reform supported by Bread for the World including: a quadrennial review, capacity building at USAID, monitoring and evaluation requirements, and transparency requirements. - Passage of legislation that charts a new course for global development and U.S. foreign assistance.
a. This action—the ultimate goal of Bread’s Offering of Letters—is pending.
Moving Forward
When Congress reconvenes after Labor Day, we expect to gain more momentum on our campaign to reform U.S. foreign aid. In the meantime:
- We need your support to get your senator to cosponsor S. 1524.
- At the same time, we still need your support to continue to keep the pressure on the House of Representatives to gain more cosponsors for H.R. 2139.
This progress would not have happened without the persistent voices of Bread for the World members speaking out and acting on behalf of hungry people around the world. Thank you.
