| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
Africa: US Aid Decision Nears
Date distributed (ymd): 960827
Congress is now deciding how much it will spend next year to help the poor abroad. Last year, the US dropped to fourth place in total dollars spent on development and humanitarian aid. Of 21 industrialized countries, the US spends the smallest proportion of its national wealth on aid--just 0.1 percent of GNP. While the total amount allocated to foreign assistance in fiscal year 1997 year looks likely to be around $12 billion, Congress has already voted to spend $276.7 billion on defense next year--$11.2 billion more than the Pentagon requested.
Two different versions of the FY97 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill (H.R. 3540) have passed in the House and the Senate. Soon after Congress returns from the August recess, members of both houses will meet in the Foreign Operations Appropriations conference committee to reconcile differences between the two bills.
The Senate bill allocates more money for foreign assistance: a total of $12.2 billion, as opposed to $11.9 billion in the House version. It also reestablishes the Development Fund for Africa (DFA), which was eliminated in last year's bill. The DFA was created by Congress in 1987 to direct US aid to Africa's poor majority. The Senate language holds US contributions to the International Development Association (IDA), the interest-free lending facility of the World Bank, at $700 million. This is not sufficient to fulfil US commitments, but is higher than the House version. Finally, the Senate allocates $27 million for debt reduction programs which would benefit many highly-indebted African nations.
The House version offers stronger support for the African Development Foundation (ADF). Although it keeps the ADF's funding at last year's level ($11.5 million), it protects these funds by preserving the ADF's separate budget line.
What you can do:
[Note to non-US readers: This posting is provided both for your background information and for possible forwarding to those of your US contacts you think would be interested.]
It is vital that you contact your Members and express
your support for aid to Africa by calling for the strongest
policy language and highest funding levels from the
two bills. Please visit, call, or write your representative
and senators in their home district offices or their
Washington offices no later than September 5. Ask
them to support these higher levels of development
aid. In particular, urge them to:
* adopt the Senate provision restoring the DFA.
* adopt the higher Senate level of $27 million for debt
reduction.
* adopt the Senate-passed funding of $700 million for
IDA. adopt the House-passed funding of $11.5 million
for ADF and keep the separate line item.
It is especially vital to be in contact with members
of the conference committee. If your Members are
not on the committee, ask them to urge their colleagues
on the committee to support more aid for Africa. Conference
committee members are:
Senate: Bennett (R-UT), Byrd (D-WV), Gregg (R-NH), Harkin
(D-IA), Hatfield (R-OR), Inouye (D-HI), Jeffords (R-VT),
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Leahy (D-VT), Mack (R-FL), McConnell
(R-KY), Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Shelby (R-AL),
Specter (R-PA).
House: Bunn (R-OR), Callahan (R-AL), Forbes (R-NY),
Knollenberg (R-MI), Lightfoot (R-IA), Livingston (R-LA),
Lowey (D-NY), Obey (D-WI), Packard (R-CA), Pelosi (D-CA),
Porter (R-IL), Torres (D-CA) Wilson (D-TX), Wolf (R-VA),
Yates (D-IL).
You may contact members of Congress by calling the Capitol
switchboard at 202-224-3121 or write to them at:
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
or
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
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Message-Id: <199608271832.LAA18740@igc3.igc.apc.org> From: "Washington Office on Africa" <woa@igc.apc.org> Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 14:34:35 -0500 Subject: Africa: US Aid Decision Nears
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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