The massive, year-end spending bill passed by Congress on Friday contains a boost for foreign aid, putting a strong focus on anti-terrorism efforts and addressing instability in the Middle East. It also aims to protect American diplomats and facilities abroad and to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need.
Overall spending for State and Foreign Operations in 2016 totals roughly $53 billion – up almost $3.5 billion from the 2015 budget. That money funds the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and a number of other international programs, including the Voice of America.
Some development professionals say they are happy about the increase, but are concerned about an overreliance on the Overseas Contingency Account (OCO), created to finance the global war on terror. A media platform for the development aid community, Devex, says foreign aid advocates worry that a heavy reliance on OCO money may help in the short term, but may expose their programs to long-term risk when anti-terrorism operations wind down.
The rise in OCO funding is offset by a decrease in what is termed “base appropriations,” the basic pool of funding that has paid for international aid programs for many years.
The House Appropriations Committee says the OCO funding is to combat the Islamic State terrorist group and other U.S. enemies. Republican Committee Chair Hal Rogers says the bill exceeds President Barack Obama’s request for embassy security and provides funding to prevent and protect against future terrorist attacks, unrest and other acts of violence. The funding increase for embassy security comes in response to the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
Source-VOA
