International Affairs Budget headed for Continuing Resolution
With less than a week left until the start of the new fiscal year, Congress must pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open until it can finish all of the FY 2010 Appropriations bills. The House passed a month-long CR this morning, and the Senate will vote on the measure next week. The CR will fund the federal government at non-emergency FY09 spending levels, leaving the International Affairs Budget at $38.2 billion.
While the House has completed all 12 Appropriations bills, the Senate has only passed 6 so far. The Senate has yet to consider the $48.7 billion FY10 State, Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, the largest component of the International Affairs Budget. Given that the Democratic leadership would like to wrap up the appropriations process by the end of October, there is a good chance the Senate will run out of time as the health care debate looms large on its agenda. If this happens, any remaining bills will be put together into a larger “mini-bus” bill, and it is expected the FY10 State, Foreign Ops bill may be passed this way.
The USGLC will continue to monitor progress of the FY10 State, Foreign Ops bill and alert its membership if any action is necessary to ensure the highest possible funding level. The FY10 International Affairs Budget remains on track to be funded at $51 billion.
One piece of good news is that the Senate unanimously passed legislation last night to triple non-military aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion for each of the next five years. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said this was “a collaboration between both Democrats and Republicans, in both Senate and the House, to forge a new long-term relationship between the people of America and Pakistan.”
FY 2011 International Affairs Budget
While Congress is focused on completing the FY10 Budget, last week most federal agencies, including the State Department and USAID, submitted their initial FY 2011 Budget requests to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB will now review the requests and make further funding recommendations. By the first Monday in February, the President will then formally submit his FY 2011 Budget request to Congress.
Each year, USGLC leaders meet with key Administration officials, including OMB, to ensure the highest possible funding request. In addition, we support a letter from Congress to the President urging as robust a request as possible for the International Affairs Budget. Congressional champions are expected to begin circulating a similar letter for the FY11 International Affairs Budget as soon as the FY10 Budget process is done.
