Congress Approves Foreign Aid Bill
December 21, 2001On December 20, ending one of the longest-running sessions in recent history, Congress passed the foreign operations appropriations bill for fiscal year 2002, approving nearly $15.4 billion for international development assistance programs, including increased funding for family planning, maternal and child health, and HIV/AIDS programs.
Now is an ideal opportunity to editorialize in support of international development assistance programs—especially reproductive health programs.
Funding Increased for Family Planning
Congress approved $446.5 million for international family planning programs, representing an increase of $21.5 million over FY 2001, and the largest allocation since 1995. In addition, Congress approved $34 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an increase of $9 million. Significantly, the House agreed to drop long-standing "China Penalty" language, which reduced the total U.S. contribution to UNFPA by one dollar for every dollar spent by UNFPA on programs in China.
Finalization of the foreign assistance bill had been stalled for over a month, after an initial compromise between House and Senate conferees on specific funding levels for UNFPA and USAID-administered family planning programs was rejected by the House leadership. At that point, the conferees deadlocked and remained so until this week. In the end, Sen. Patrick
Leahy (D-VT) and Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) played key roles in brokering the final agreement and in ensuring that funding for international family planning was increased.
Future of the Global Gag Rule
Passage of the foreign operations bill concludes debate over the Global Gag Rule (also known as the Mexico City policy) for this session of Congress. Regrettably, language included in the Senate version of the bill overturning the Gag Rule was rejected in conference, leaving the restrictions intact. Reacting to this outcome, Lisa Moreno, Senior Legislative Policy Analyst at PAI, said, "We're disappointed that Congress chose not to overturn this harmful policy. But we made a lot of progress this year that indicates this is far from being over. We'll be back."
The Global Gag Rule, reinstated by President Bush on his first day in office, withholds USAID funds from any foreign organization that, with non-U.S. money, performs, refers, counsels on,
or advocates around abortion, regardless of whether abortion is legal in their country. The Global Gag Rule imposes unjust and unnecessary restrictions on how foreign organizations use even non-U.S. funds - sometimes forcing clinics and other places where reproductive health services are provided to choose between doing what is right for their community, or doing what the United States dictates.
As the U.S. remains the largest single bilateral donor to international reproductive health programs, this policy is likely to have a measurable impact that warrants further study. Efforts to assess the impact of the policy when it was first in effect (1984-93) are discussed in a recent article by Richard P. Cincotta, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate at Population Action International (PAI), and Barbara Crane, Executive Vice-President of Ipas, entitled "The Mexico City Policy and U.S. Family Planning Assistance." The article appears in the October 19 issue of the journal, Science, and is also available via PAI's website at www.populationaction.org.
Additional information on the Global Gag Rule is included in a new PAI publication, What you Need to Know About the Global Gag Rule Restrictions, which can also be accessed through our website. This unofficial guide provides details on what abortion-related activities are and are not permitted under the policy.
U.S. Pledges Greater Investment in AIDS Prevention
The foreign assistance bill also allocates $475 million for HIV/AIDS programs overseas, demonstrating heightened awareness on the part of Congress of the importance of U.S. efforts to help combat the pandemic. Additionally, $100 million (derived from various accounts of the bill) will go to the Global AIDS Trust fund, to which the United States has pledged a total contribution of $200 million to this fund. The remaining funds will come from other appropriations bills.
This is the second time this month that Congress has acted to increase support for the global effort to fight AIDS. Just last week, the House passed the "Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education and Treatment Act," authorizing the appropriation of $1.3 billion for HIV/AIDS programs. One of the sad ironies of the bill, however, is that it does not mention - even once - the word "condom," despite extensive language on the importance of prevention efforts.
In the absence of a vaccine, preventative measures, such as education about HIV transmission and provision of condoms, remain the most effective and affordable interventions for slowing the spread of the disease. Currently, many nations face a critical shortage of these potentially life-saving supplies, and donor funding for condoms is not keeping pace with demand. Concerted effort is needed now to ensure sufficient supplies of condoms.
As expressed by Amy Coen, President of PAI, in a recent letter to The New York Times, "Any credible U.S. initiative to truly 'combat' HIV/AIDS must explicitly recognize the crucial role of condoms in HIV prevention efforts. Without condoms, the war against AIDS will never be won."
For additional information or to speak with a PAI expert, please contact Kimberley Cline, (202) 557-3423 or Sally Ethelston, (202) 557-3418.
PAI seeks to increase political and financial support for effective population policies and programs grounded in individual rights. PAI advocates the expansion of voluntary family planning and related health services, and of educational and economic opportunities for women. PAI is a private, non-profit organization and accepts no government funds.
Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.
