24 September 2004
Senate Approves $300 Million for Darfur in FY05 Aid Bill
Measure earmarks $75 million to support African Union peacekeepers
By Kathryn McConnell
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The U.S. Senate has passed a foreign aid bill for the next fiscal year that includes $300 million for disaster and famine relief in the Darfur region of Sudan, including $150 million diverted from unspent money originally allocated for Iraq's reconstruction.
The $19.5 billion spending bill for the fiscal year beginning October 1 (FY05) was approved by voice vote late September 23. As part of the aid package, the Senate also approved by voice vote an amendment to make available $75 million for logistical support for African Union peacekeeping forces that might be deployed to Darfur, according to news reports.
The Senate boosted the amount for Darfur aid from the $175 million approved by its Appropriations Committee earlier in September.
Of the $300 million for the region, $200 could be made available immediately for Darfur refugees and the remainder upon the signing of a peace agreement that has been in the works for months.
The bill also would give the administration authority to move another $360 million from the Iraq reconstruction fund to eliminate debt Iraq owes to the United States.
The House of Representatives in July approved $311 million for Sudan when it approved its $19.4 billion foreign operations spending bill. The Senate and House now must negotiate a final foreign aid bill and send it to President Bush for signature or veto.
The Senate spending bill would reward U.S. allies in the war on terrorism by fully funding Bush's request for military and economic aid to Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, reports said.
It would provide $2.6 billion for Israel, $1.8 billion for Egypt, $500 million for Jordan and $700 million for Pakistan.
The measure would fall short by $1.8 billion of the amount Bush had requested for foreign aid but is $2 billion more than the fiscal 2004 allocation.
The Senate bill includes $2.4 billion for programs to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, surpassing by $200 million the administration's request.
However, the bill would provide $1.1 billion, or less than half of Bush's request, for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), a new supplemental aid program for poor countries that make progress on human rights, democratization and market reform.
The bill would provide $929 million for Afghanistan, including at least $504 million for humanitarian assistance.
It would also provide $731 million for anti-drug efforts in the Andean region and $83 million for Haiti.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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