The Foreign Relations Authorization Act
Tomorrow the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will mark up a State Department reauthorization bill: S.2971, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011. The bill, sponsored by Chairman Kerry and Ranking Member Lugar, reauthorizes development and diplomacy programs generally and seeks to bolster State and USAID. For example, the bill would authorize an additional 1,100 Foreign Service Officers at State and USAID over the next two fiscal years, and it authorizes Foreign Service Officers to participate in one-year exchange programs with foreign governments. The Foreign Relations Authorization Act also strengthens the role of the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General, allows the Millennium Challenge Corporation to undertake longer-term projects with partner countries, and expands the role of the USAID Administrator to engage with the American public about the role of foreign assistance.
