Africa: US Aid Decision Nears

Africa Policy E-Journal

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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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