Please email or mail a letter to Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressmen George Radanovich, Devin Nunes, and Dennis Cardoza to cosponsor the...

The Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act

Email the senate and congress at

http://bread.org

On July 28, 2009, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry (D-MA) introduced S. 1524, the “Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009,” to strengthen the capacity, transparency, and accountability of United States foreign assistance programs to effectively adapt and respond to new challenges of the 21st century. Senators Lugar (R-IN), Menendez (D-NJ), Corker (R-TN), Risch (R-ID), and Cardin (D-MD) were also original cosponsors. Feinstein co-sponsored 10/29/09.   Please encourage Senator Boxer to co-sponsor this legislation.

The bill includes the following sections:

1. A statement finding the promotion of global development, good governance, and the reduction of poverty and hunger as U.S. policy.
2. Rebuilds the policy and strategic planning capacity at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
   The bill establishes a Bureau for Policy and Strategic Planning, whose primary duties include developing and formulating U.S. development policy, ensuring long-term strategic planning, and conducting research and evaluation on development and aid effectiveness. Currently our government’s global development policies and programs are scattered across 12 departments, 25 different agencies, and nearly 60 government offices. A more efficient foreign assistance system—with better coordination, better accountability, better clarity— means that people get help faster and more effectively.

1. Establishes a Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance (CORE) to evaluate the impact of foreign assistance programs.
   CORE’s main purposes will be to evaluate the impact of U.S. foreign assistance programs and establish an integrated research and development program.

CORE will be a completely independent organization with an advisory board comprised of fourteen (14) individuals, including both government representatives as well as private-sector individuals.

1. Begins the rebuilding of USAID’s human resources capacity.
   The bill requires the USAID Administrator to establish a workforce and human resources task force. The taskforce is to be comprised of nine (9) members from both within and outside of the U.S. government.
   The bill requires the USAID Administrator to establish career guidelines for Foreign Service officers and civil service officers that incorporate rotational assignments with interagency, intergovernmental or international organizations.

1. Increases transparency.
   The bill requires the President to make publicly available all information on U.S. foreign assistance on a program-by-program and country-by-country basis.
   The bill encourages the President to engage with and participate in the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

1. Begins reform of USAID Administrative Expenses.

Since we started the Offering, we have conducted more than 700 workshops and other educational activities in communities across the country. Bread members have organized more than 800 Offerings of Letters in every place -- from churches to campuses to CROP Walks to bike rides. You have written and delivered more than 85,000 personalized letters and made more than 5,000 phone calls on H.R. 2139. You have also made countless visits to your representatives’ offices, both on Capitol Hill and in their districts.

During Lobby Day on June 16, 325 Bread activists from 38 states visited more than 180 congressional offices. On that day alone, four representatives agreed to cosponsor H.R. 2139. Today, we have 121 cosponsors, and we hope to add many more.

David Beckmann has testified at several hearings on the need to reform foreign assistance. His most recent appearance was on July 22 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—just before the committee introduced S.1524.

Our government relations team has also worked hard, meeting with congressional staffers, reviewing drafts of legislation, attending hearings, and providing information. In fact, Monica Mills, our director of government relations, was honored by The Hill newspaper as one of the most effective lobbyists in Washington. More than 50 national religious denominations and organizations have adopted the Statement of Religious Principles.

Progress Against Benchmarks

1. Congressional hearings on approaches to foreign aid reform.
   a. Since January, committees in both the House and Senate have held hearings related to aid reform. From late February to April, hearings were held weekly.
2. Appointment of a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator who shares some or all of Bread’s goals and principles.
   a. No one has been nominated as of Aug. 6.
3. A sign-on letter circulating in Congress that embraces most of Bread for the World’s principles.
   a. A letter from 21 denominations and faith organizations supporting the goals of H.R. 2139 was sent to all representatives in mid-June.
   b. A “Dear Colleague” letter from Reps. Berman and Kirk, the original co-sponsors of H.R. 2139, was circulated in June.
   c. Letters to targeted members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from religious leaders in their congressional districts were delivered in mid-May.
4. A presidential directive that mandates better coordination of U.S. foreign assistance and elevates attention to development in foreign policy decision-making.
   a. The White House has not made any public statements on reforming foreign assistance. There are indications that a presidential study directive on U.S. development policy is forthcoming.
5. Introduction of a bipartisan congressional resolution in support of Bread for the World’s goals.
   a. Although we originally anticipated that we may need to secure a congressional resolution in 2009 in the absence of an appropriate foreign assistance reform bill, both the House and Senate now have bills under consideration. (See Benchmark 9 for more details.)
6. Appointment of a person or high-level group to formulate a national strategy for global development and/or foreign assistance.
   a. The Secretary of State’s office has actively opposed H.R. 2139 to create the national strategy for global development, stating that its creation should be left to the State Department and not move to the National Security Council’s office within the White House.
   b. The State Department has also opposed S. 1524, the Senate’s first step in foreign aid reform.
7. Introduction of legislation in both houses of Congress that represents an emerging consensus on a fresh approach to global development and U.S. foreign assistance.
   a. H.R. 2139 was introduced on April 28, 2009, by Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). The bill currently lists 121 bipartisan cosponsors including Jim Costa, but not Devin Nunes, Dennis Cardoza, or George Radanovich.