On September 5, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs, approved, by voice vote, the FY2003 foreign operations spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). While Congress allocated $16.32 billion in FY2002, the FY2003 spending measure would allocate $16.55 billion.
Under the measure, $786 million would be provided for HIV/AIDS activities, including $250 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and up to $100 million for the Mother-to-Child HIV Prevention program. An amendment offered by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would have added $400 million to fight HIV/AIDS worldwide; however, the amendment was rejected, 7-6. Global HIV/AIDS programs received $475 million in FY2002.
In addition, the measure would provide an increase from $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion in FY2003 for the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund, which funds activities and programs aimed at reducing child mortality and morbidity. Of that amount, $120 million would be level-funded for the United Nation’s Children’s Fund.
The FY2003 foreign operations spending bill also would allocate $1.4 billion in development assistance for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Last year, Congress funded development assistance at $1.2 billion. The total funding for USAID in FY2003 would be $4.1 billion, with the bulk of the money going towards HIV/AIDS programs and basic education programs.
Under the measure, international family planning programs would receive $425 million. Last year, these programs received $446 million. Funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) would be level-funded at $34 million. In FY2002, Congress appropriated $34 million for UNFPA; however, the administration recently announced that it will not release the funding to the organization because of its activities in China. In July, the Senate Appropriations Committee allocated $50 million for UNFPA (See The Source 7/26/02).
Further details of the measure will be available after the full committee mark-up.
