Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Wall Street Journal - June 5, 2007
David Rogers, david.rogers@wsj.com
Military aid to Pakistan and the Millennium Challenge foreign aid initiative are two accounts most impacted by the proposed savings. But on balance the bill, which won subcommittee approval Tuesday, is far more generous than many in the past under Republican Congresses and total spending would grow by $2.96 billion over the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Included in the total is $5.078 billion to fight AIDS overseas, including $550 million for the Geneva-based Global Fund, in the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Child survival programs would grow to $1.957 billion, $239 million over this year and $393 million above the administration's request. Apart from AIDS, an estimated $263 million is provided to fight tuberculosis overseas and $352 million to combat malaria.
In the case of Pakistan, the administration is sure to resist the proposed $50 million cut from the $300 million in military aid sought by Mr. Bush. But the bigger budget problem lies with the Millennium Challenge program, which has been a signature issue for the White House and now faces budget pressure to make good on commitments to developing countries that have labored to meet its eligibility standards.
Mindful of this, the administration had requested about $3 billion for the program in 2008, almost double this year's funding of $1.757 billion. The bill now provides $1.8 billion, a virtual freeze, and Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf, the ranking Republican on the foreign operations subcommittee, warned that at least $2.1 billion is needed to meet the corporation's commitments.
"It's a good program but we are waiting to really see some results before we fund it at the $3 billion which the administration requested," said Rep. Nita Lowey (D., N.Y.), the bill's manager.
Apart from these funding issues, Mr. Wolf warned the family planning provisions in the bill could yet provoke a veto threat from the White House. But Ms. Lowey countered that virtually all the existing anti-abortion restrictions on foreign aid were left intact and chief change is to allow only the distribution of contraceptives to family planning groups, if they are barred from receiving cash aid from the U.S.
"This is a good bill. There's a lot here to think about before a veto," Ms. Lowey said.
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