FY11 International Affairs Budget Request
Budget season officially began on Monday with a bang, as the President submitted his FY11 Budget, which includes a strong $58.5 billion request for the International Affairs Budget, a $6.1 billion increase over current spending levels. The bulk of the increase (59%) is concentrated on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, leaving a modest growth of $2.5 billion for all other International Affairs programs. Assuming Congress approves the new war supplemental request that includes $4.5 billion for International Affairs accounts, it would represent a 2.8 percent increase over 2010 spending.
This marks the ninth year in a row that a president requested an increase in the International Affairs Budget, a clear sign of the bipartisan recognition that the United States’ civilian capacity is drastically underfunded. Click here to read USGLC’s in-depth analysis of the FY11 International Affairs Budget request.
The entire International Affairs Budget, which includes monies for the State Department, USAID, and all our Foreign Operations, is a mere 1.4% of the total FY11 Budget. Yet the International Affairs Budget funds America’s “smart power” tools of development and diplomacy – two of the three pillars of U.S. national security. This is why last month 247 Members of Congress (58 Senators and 189 Representatives) from both parties sent a letter to President Obama urging a robust request for the International Affairs Budget in FY 2011.
Continuing the bipartisan precedent set by the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration views the International Affairs Budget as part of overall national security spending along with Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans programs. Key Administration officials, Members of Congress and former senior policymakers have come out in support of an increased FY11 International Affairs Budget. Noting that “we live in a dangerous world and a world of opportunity,” USGLC Honorary Chairman and former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell commended the President’s budget request and said that “increasing our diplomatic and development resources is absolutely critical and money well spent.”
