COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Contact: Kirstin Brost, Full Committee, 202-225-2771 Josh Zembik, Chair Lowey, 202-225-6506

SUMMARY: 2008 STATE AND FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS
Full Committee Markup
The State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill is key to our nation's efforts to combat terrorism, foster diplomacy, and improve the quality of life of some of the world's most vulnerable peoples. The bill makes significant investments in global health efforts for AIDS, TB and Malaria prevention, treatment, and care, putting us on track to exceed the President's recent pledge to provide $30 billion for these efforts over the next 5 years. Development efforts play a crucial role in increasing global stability. To that end, the bill works to improve access to education for children around the world and to provide communities with access to clean drinking water. The bill provides for those most in need with funding for peacekeeping, refugee assistance, international disaster assistance, and international organizations whose mission is to support vulnerable populations. Roughly $950 million is included for the Sudan with nearly double the President's request to address the crisis in Darfur. The bill provides nearly $1 billion for reconstruction and counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan, it continues our efforts to fight drugs in Colombia, and it provides military and economic support to our allies.

Bill Total 2007 Enacted: President's request: Committee Mark:

$31.287 billion $34.943 billion $34.243 billion

KEY INVESTMENTS
Global Health: $6.517 billion, $994 million above 2007 and $513 million above the President's request, for critical global health programs to strengthen the global public health infrastructure and surveillance network in order to save lives overseas and to protect the health of the United States.

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HIV/AIDS: $5.082 billion, $1.249 billion above 2007 and $585.7 million above the President's request, for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs around the world. o Global Fund: $550 million, $76 million below 2007 and $550 million above the President's request, for the Global Fund to provide grants to countries for AIDS, TB and Malaria prevention, treatment and care programs. With the $300 million included in the Labor, Health and Education Appropriations bill, the overall contribution to the Global Fund would be $850 million - $126 million above 2007. (When you add funds provided in the Labor, Health and Education bill and this bill, the Appropriations Committee will provide $6.342 billion for international HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria assistance in bilateral programs and through the Global Fund, exceeding the President's recent commitment to provide $6 billion for these programs every year for the next five years.) Child Survival and Health Programs Fund: $1.955 billion, $237 million above 2007 and $391 million above the President's request (includes $600 million of the HIV/AIDS funding)

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Sudan: $949.3 million, $104 above the President's request. Of this amount, $210.5 million is for critical humanitarian and peacekeeping programs in Darfur, which is $100 million above the President's request. The remaining funds are for development assistance to build the economic base and strengthen democratic institutions in Southern Sudan. Basic Education: The bill provides $750 million for grants to organizations that support basic education programs. This includes $265 million to help countries that have national education plans, as outlined in Education for All Initiative, the international commitment to provide all children with access to a quality education. Improving Access to Safe Drinking Water: $300 million for safe water programs, including $100 million for a new initiative requiring the Administration to develop a strategy to help high priority countries address their water issues, including: help providing sources for safe drinking water (such as pumps and wells); building water systems; and support for safe hygiene programs. Environment: $501 million for clean energy and biodiversity programs worldwide, including funding for the Global Environmental Facility and international conservation programs to work with developing nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve parks and protect wildlife. World Wide Embassy Security Upgrades: $1.772 billion, $191 million above 2007 and the same as the President's request, for ongoing security upgrades to ensure that our embassies remain safe and secure for the tens of thousands of military and civilian staff serving in roughly 260 posts worldwide. International Organizations: $333.4 million, $7.2 million above 2007 and $44 million above the President's request, to reinvest in multi-lateral programs to confront global challenges. Specifically, the bill includes, $128 million for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and a total of $40 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Refugee Assistance: $830 million, $3 million below 2007 and $56 million above the President's request, to help displaced people around the world with food, water, shelter and other basic needs.

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Disaster Assistance: $322 million, after accounting for a transfer of $51.5 million to the Development Assistance account, this amount is $12.5 million above 2007 and $25 million above the President's request to avert famines and provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters. Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Countries: $695 million, $31 million below 2007 and $54 million above the President's request, to slow the President's cuts to assistance for young democracies, specifically Kosovo and Macedonia, and to continue civil society assistance in Russia and Central Asia. Broadcasting: $682.3 million, $35.6 million above 2007 and $14 million above the President's request, for radio programs critical to the nation's overall public diplomacy efforts. Peacekeeping Activities · Dues for U.N. Peacekeeping Missions: $1.3 billion, $167 million above 2007 and $195 million above the President's request, for Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA). These funds help support peacekeeping operations throughout the world, including Liberia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Haiti, Timor-Leste, the Middle East, and Kosovo. Targeted Peacekeeping Operations: $293.2 million, $69.9 million above 2007 and $72 million above the President's request for Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), targeted missions that are of particular interest to the United States. An additional $100 million is included to provide critical support to the African Union Peacekeepers in Darfur.

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Educational and Cultural Exchanges: $501.4 million, $55.7 million above 2007 and $15 million above the President's request, to fund the participation of over 42,000 individuals in educational, cultural and professional exchange programs worldwide. Includes Fulbright student and scholar exchanges and the International Visitors Program. These exchanges are critical to improving our nation's security by rebuilding our status oversees through diplomacy. Peace Corps: $333.5 million, $13.9 million above 2007 and matching the President's request, for the program which has 7,749 volunteers in 67 posts serving 73 countries.

SIGNIFICANT CUTS
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC): $1.8 billion, nearly $50 million above 2007 and $1.2 billion below the President's request to develop country-driven compacts that will have the greatest overall impact on poverty reduction and economic growth. This program is cut below the President's request because there is roughly $2 billion in unobligated balances, making funds provided in this bill sufficient to move forward on new compacts. Funding for Iraq: The bill does not fund $456 million requested by the President for Iraq as the Administration has not provided sufficient justification on how it will spend the $2.862 billion recently provided in the 2007 emergency supplemental appropriations bill.

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Diplomatic and Consular Programs: $4.78 billion, $446.3 million above 2007 and $157.9 million below the President's request for non-security operations. Promoting Development and Fighting Drugs in Colombia: $530.6 million, $59 million below the President's request, and $86.5 million below 2007 for drug interdiction and eradication efforts coupled with economic development assistance for drug affected communities, realizing the drug war cannot be won without addressing the economic pressures that feed into it. Cuts were made to restore funding levels for other Latin American countries.

OTHER IMPORTANT POLICY ITEMS
Shift from Economic Support Funds to Development Assistance: Shifts $365 million in requested Economic Support Fund and International Disaster and Famine Assistance accounts to the Development Assistance account to reassert the role of USAID as the primary development agency of the U.S. Government. Increasing Green Exports: The bill includes a provision to encourage the Export-Import Bank to seek out investments in renewable energy and other environmentally beneficial products. This initiative could result in an estimated $1 billion in additional green exports in 2008 and will encourage the use of renewable energy worldwide while helping to support U.S. producers of renewable energy and green products. HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs: Gives the President the flexibility to determine the levels and types of prevention programs funded under the HIV/AIDS funds in this bill. Egypt: $200 million of the foreign military financing for Egypt provided in the bill is withheld until the Secretary of State certifies that Egypt is taking steps to address human rights concerns by reforming its judiciary and training its police as well as addressing concerns about the smuggling of weapons from Egypt to Gaza. Modifying Existing Policy Related to Contraceptives: Modifies existing policy to allow the provision of contraceptives to international NGOs otherwise denied U.S. Government funding in order to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.

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