Senate Panel Passes 2003 Foreign Operations Spending Bill
(Appropriations Panel sends $16,350 million bill to full Senate) (990)
The Senate Appropriations Committee has completed work on a $16,350
million foreign operations spending bill for the fiscal year that runs
from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003, the Committee
announced.
In a July 18 news release, the Committee said that its spending bill
-- which now goes to the full Senate for its consideration -- is $228
million above the Bush administration's budget request and $954
million above the amount budgeted for the current fiscal year.
The majority of increases support international programs to combat
HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, basic education, assistance
for refugees and disaster relief (particularly in Afghanistan),
military aid to India and Pakistan, aid to the Balkans and the UN
Population Fund, and a large increase in aid to Jordan, according to
the release.
Following is the text:
(begin text)
Senate Committee on Appropriations
July 18, 2002
Press Contact: Tom Gavin
(202) 224-3904
Committee Approves FY03 Foreign Operations Bill
The Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday approved the Fiscal Year
2003 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. The Committee action
clears the way for the legislation to be considered by the full
Senate.
Background
Funding in the bill meets the allocation level of $16,350,000,000 in
discretionary budget authority. This is the same level as the House
allocation, $228,889,000 above the administration's request, and
$953,731,000 above the FY02 enacted level. It also meets the
allocation level of $16,076,000,000 in discretionary outlays.
The majority of increases support international programs to combat
HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases; basic education; assistance
for refugees and disaster relief (particularly in Afghanistan);
military aid to India and Pakistan; a large increase in aid to Jordan;
aid to the Balkans; and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
Highlights
-- $1,780,000,000 for Child Survival and Health Issues. This is an
increase of $346,500,000 from the FY02 enacted level. This includes:
-- $350,000,000 for Maternal and Child Health;
-- $750,000,000 for HIV/AIDS programs (including $200,000,000 for the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria);
-- $185,000,000 for other infectious diseases;
-- $120,000,000 for UNICEF;
-- $450,000,000 for Family Planning/Reproductive Health (an additional
$50,000,000 for UNFPA is included elsewhere in the bill.
-- $1,350,000,000 for Development Assistance, which is $172,000,000
above the FY02 level. This includes $175,000,000 for Energy Efficiency
and Clean Energy Programs, including programs to promote the use of
clean energy technologies (this is $20,000,000 above the FY02 level).
Also included is $200,000,000 for basic education.
-- $157,000,000 for humanitarian, peacekeeping, military, counter
narcotics and reconstruction assistance for Afghanistan. The
administration did not submit a formal request, but we were advised
informally that they budgeted approximately $98,000,000 for these
programs.
-- $255,500,000 for International Disaster Assistance -- $20,000,000
above the administration's request.
-- The Committee has included the administration's requests from both
the Economic Support Fund and Foreign Military Financing accounts for
the Camp David countries -- $600,000,000 and $2,100,000,000 for Israel
and $615,000,000 and $1,300,000,000 for Egypt. $448,000,000 is
included for Jordan, including authority to use funds in the Act and
prior Acts for debt forgiveness. $75,000,000 is earmarked for the
Palestinians.
-- The Committee has included funding above the request for the
Eastern Europe and Baltic States (SEED) and the former Soviet Union
(FSU) by $60,000,000 and $10,000,000 respectively, to $555,000,000 for
SEED and $765,000,000 for FSU.
-- $637,000,000 for the Andean Counterdrug Initiative, with authority
to transfer an additional $35,000,000 from the International Narcotics
Control and Law Enforcement Account for those programs. Up to
$88,000,000 from the Foreign Military Financing Program is available
for the Colombian Armed Forces for pipeline security, of which up to
$71,000,000 is for helicopters.
-- $376,400,000 for the Non-proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining
and Related programs account. This is $4,000,000 above the
administration's request and will support the administration's
counter-terrorism and nonproliferation initiatives.
-- $770,000,000 for the Migration and Refugee account, a $65,000,000
increase from the administration's request. Of this amount,
$60,000,000 is for refugees resettling in Israel, which is the same as
in FY02.
-- $40,000,000 for Tropical Forest Conservation Act programs, the same
as the request.
-- The Committee has provided $80,000,000 for International Military
Training and Education (IMET) which equals the requested level, and
$4,072,000,000 for the Foreign Military Financing Program, which is
$35,200,000 below the requested level.
-- The Committee has provided $125,250,000 for Peacekeeping
Operations, $17,000,000 above the request but $10,000,000 below the
current level. The additional funds are for operations in Afghanistan
and Africa.
-- The Committee has allocated $230,000,000 for International
Organizations and Programs, which is $40,000,000 above the
administration's request. Of this amount, $50,000,000 is for the UN
Population Fund (UNFPA).
Other Provisions
-- The Committee provides the counter-terrorism authority requested by
the administration for Colombia. Conditions are included on human
rights and the use of chemical herbicides that are similar to current
law, the "Byrd" caps on U.S. military and civilian personnel in
Colombia, and there is also a prohibition on U.S. military involvement
in combat in Colombia.
-- Current law ("Kemp-Kasten") prohibits funds to any "organization or
program that supports or participates in the management of a program
of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization." The Committee has
modified language (which the administration has interpreted in
contradictory ways in a period of 18 months), to prohibit funds to
"any to any organization or program that directly participates in
coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization."
-- Language is included which would reverse the "Mexico City"
prohibition on funding for certain private family planning
organizations.
-- Two new accounts are included entitled "Energy Conservation, Energy
Efficiency and Clean Energy" and "Protection of Tropical Forests and
Biodiversity".
-- The bill maintains current law which links aid to Serbia to its
cooperation with the war crimes tribunal.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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