06.28.16

FY17 State & Foreign Operations Subcommittee Markup Bill Summary

      

SUMMARY

STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS FISCAL YEAR 2017 APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Subcommittee Mark:  June 28, 2016

         

Washington, D.C.–The fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations bill provides a total of $52.08 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority. 

        

U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, said:

         

“I want to thank Senator Graham who is a strong defender of this budget and who has been a real partner in writing this bill.  The Department of State and Foreign Operations bill provides the funding for the diplomacy and development programs that complement the defense budget.  We have learned since 9/11 that military power alone cannot defeat terrorism or build stable, democratic, or prosperous societies.  Our highest ranking military officers have made this point over and over.  Political repression and stifling economic policies produce extremism and conflict.  We also face many other challenges, from humanitarian crises in the Middle East, Africa, and Central America, to the threat of climate change and infectious disease pandemics.  The funding in this bill totals $591 million below the fiscal year 2016 level, so there are serious shortfalls. There are also some provisions that I and other Democrats disagree with.  But while I expect there will be modifications to some provisions going forward, on the whole the bill is balanced and will provide the Department of State, USAID, the Department of the Treasury, and other agencies the means to implement U.S. foreign policy.”

        

Key Points & Highlights

       

The bill provides funding for the Department of State (State), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of the Treasury, and other agencies responsible for the diplomacy, development and national security programs that enable the United States to exert global leadership.  State administers funds for a wide range of diplomacy and foreign assistance programs, and U.S. contributions to the United Nations and other international organizations.  Our embassies and consulates assist millions of Americans doing business, serving in the government and studying abroad, as well as the citizens of those countries seeking visas to visit the U.S.  USAID maintains overseas missions that implement global health, economic development, and humanitarian relief programs, which can mean life or death for hundreds of millions of people.  Treasury administers contributions to the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

       

  • Department of State and USAID Operations – For operations, the bill provides the Department of State $4.95 billion, $157 million more than fiscal year 2016, and USAID $1.37 billion, $92 million more than fiscal year 2016.

         

  • Commitments to International Organizations – Investments in multilateral international organizations help to build a safer, more stable world.  The bill substantially funds U.S. commitments to international organizations, preserving U.S. leadership.  However, portions of the funds are conditioned on transparency, audit and reporting requirements.  The bill supports our contributions to the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international agencies.

      

  • Embassy Security – The safety of our diplomats, consular officers and aid workers is paramount.  This bill provides the amount requested by the President for security for diplomatic and consular personnel, property, and information ($3.7 billion) as well as embassy construction ($2.36 billion).

      

  • Global Health – The bill provides $8.66 billion for Global Health Programs, $162 million more than the fiscal year 2016 enacted level.  Funding for maternal and child health is $815 million and funding for children’s vaccines is $275 million, which are equal to the request levels.  These funds have a direct impact on rates of mortality for tens of millions of children. 

          

The bill provides $6 billion for programs to combat HIV/AIDS, including $4.65 billion for Department of State and USAID bilateral PEPFAR programs and $1.35 billion for the Global Fund, which are equal to the request levels.

         

  • Central America Alliance for Prosperity Plan – The bill provides $650 million for the Alliance for Prosperity Plan, which is $100 million below the fiscal year 2016 enacted and fiscal year 2017 request levels.  (The $750 million appropriated for the Plan last year has not yet been expended.)  These funds are for programs to address the causes of migration of unaccompanied children and families from the poorest and most violent regions of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

      

  • Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) – The bill provides $905 million for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which is $4 million more than the fiscal year 2016 enacted level.  The MCC supports economic growth programs that create jobs in countries that meet key anti-corruption and poverty reduction criteria.

        

  • Peace Corps – The bill provides $410 million for the Peace Corps, which is equal to the request level.

       

  • Trafficking in Persons – The bill provides $60 million for programs to combat trafficking in persons internationally, including to support victims and build the capacity of foreign law enforcement partners.

       

  • Atrocities Prevention – The bill provides $25 million to prevent atrocities and implement the recommendations of the Atrocities Prevention Board, including with respect to the Secretary of State’s determination in March 2016 that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) “is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims [and] is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups and in some cases against Sunni Muslims and Kurds and other minorities.”

        

  • Assistance for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) – The bill provides funding for refugees at the fiscal year 2016 enacted level and cuts assistance for IDPs to $400 million below the fiscal year 2016 enacted level at a time when the number of refugees and IDPs exceeds 60 million worldwide – the most in recent history.  These programs provide life-saving food, water, medicine and shelter for the world’s most vulnerable people who are fleeing violence in Syria, Somalia, Sudan and other volatile regions.  Transfer authority of $400 million from programs funded in the Economic Support Fund account is included to cover the shortfall, but this would require cuts to such programs.

        

  • Export Promotion – In response to economic competition from other countries and expanding U.S. trade with Africa, Asia and Latin America, the bill provides the amount requested for the Export-Import Bank ($110 million) and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency ($80.7 million).  The bill also provides the Overseas Private Investment Corporation with $77 million, which is more than fiscal year 2016.

     

  • International Financial Institutions (IFIs) – The bill provides a total of $1.99 billion for U.S. contributions to the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Global Environment Facility, and other IFIs that are treaty obligations.

        

Other Highlights

       

  • Near East and Africa Relief and Recovery Fund –The bill provides $25 million for programs in areas liberated from, or under the influence of, extremist organizations, including programs to address basic human needs and governance. 

      

  • Assistance for Women and Girls Impacted by Extremism – The bill provides $28 million for assistance for women and girls impacted by extremism.

     

  • Israel and Jordan – The bill provides $3.4 billion for military aid for Israel, which is $300 million more than the current Memorandum of Understanding and the fiscal year 2016 enacted and fiscal year 2017 request levels.  The bill provides a total of $1 billion for assistance for Jordan, which is equal to the current Memorandum of Understanding and the fiscal year 2017 request level.

       

Poison Pill Riders

        

  • Green Climate Fund – The President requested $750 million for a U.S. contribution to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).  The bill prohibits funding for the GCF.  This multilateral fund is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to climate change in countries that are already experiencing serious threats to water availability and food production.  If the U.S. fails to meet its commitments, other governments, most notably China, will have little incentive to do so.  Not only will this derail efforts to mitigate climate change impacts in the world’s most vulnerable countries, it hurts U.S. clean energy companies that are poised to benefit from exports and investments financed by the GCF. 

      

  • Prohibition on Implementation of Rules and Regulations to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions – The bill continues provisions in current law that prevent the enforcement of any rule, regulation or policy implemented by the Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation or the World Bank that would prohibit any coal-fired power plant. 

         

  • Mexico City Policy and UN Population Fund (UNFPA) –The bill codifies the Mexico City policy, which prohibits federal funding to private organizations that use their own private funds to provide abortion services in countries where it is legal.  (The bill continues the longstanding prohibition on the use of federal funds for abortion.)

        

The bill also limits funding for bilateral family planning programs to $461 million, which is $124 million less than the request level, and prohibits a U.S. contribution to the UN Population Fund.

         

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Press Contact

Mara Stark-Alcalá w/Appropriations:             (202) 224-2667                                  

David Carle w/Leahy:                             (202) 224-3693