Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008

Military Aid
In the bill, military aid serves as a program that provides loans and grants to purchase U.S. military aid and services, training and support of peacekeeping operations and anti-drug efforts. The Bush administration authroized the bill and denied economic and military aid to countries who adhere to the International Criminal Court requirement. Those who violated the U.S policy, would be brought to trial for Genocide and Crimes against humanity and turned over to the ICC. The U.S. policy is to deny aid unless those countries agree not to apply the requirement to U.S. personnel in the country.

Various countries would be denied military or other aid. Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Iran, Syria and countries seized by military coups would be denied direct loans, credits, insurance and guarantees of the Export-Import Bank or its agents.

Funds for the President
The bill appropriates funds to the president for a variety of programs including disaster and health aid, the provision of peacekeeping support and grants and loans to purchase U.S. military aid. In 2004, The Millennium Challenge Corporation was established through funds allowing the U.S. Government to give aid to the Third World countries. The coorperation supports and enhances economic growth and decreases poverty.President Bush’s provided economic and other aid, which was at $1.2 billion and less than the president had requested. Sudan would receive added humanitarian aid and peacekeeping funds for Darfur.

New Programs
A new initiative to improve drinking water in priority countries is included. The new program, Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH), intends to enhance “economic opportunities for very poor, poor, and low-income women in developing countries.” The program focuses on increasing women-owned enterprise development, property rights for women, access to financial services and increasing women in leadership in implementing organizations such as indigenous nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, and regulated financial intermediaries.

Middle East and Central Asia
Funds are limited to the Palestinian Authority with conditions centered on the type of government, but a traditional presidential waiver continues on those territories that meet certain humanitarian and anti-terrorism conditions.

Afghanistan would receive no less than $1.057 billion for humanitarian, reconstruction, and related assistance. $3 million would be made available for reforestation activities. Funds would be matched, “to the maximum extent possible”, with contributions from American and Afghan businesses. $75 million would be made available to support programs that directly address the needs of Afghan women and girls, including for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, and for women-led nonprofit organizations in Afghanistan.

Iran is funded for democracy programs at $25 million.

$350 million is appropriated for programs in Pakistan, though the bill expresses concerns about Human rights in Pakistan, especially women's rights, and the pace of reform on democratic governance and rule of law.

$7 million in Foreign Military Financing program funds for Lebanon is recommended, while economic support funds are recommended at $45 million. The bill states that not less than $10 million should be used for scholarships and other direct support of the American educational institutions in Lebanon.

House


Amendments

 * The House defeated an amendment related to funding abstinence programs as part of efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The amendment sought "to restore the President's emergency plan for AIDS relief authorization provision requiring 33% of HIV/AIDS prevention funding to be spent on abstinence and fidelity promotion program."



"provisions to Section 622 to prevent unintended pregnancies, abortions,and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS; and to provide that no contract or grant for exclusive purpose of providing donated contraceptives in developing countries shall be denied to any nongovernmental organization solely on the basis of the policy contained in the President's March 28, 2001, Memorandum to the Administrator of USAID with respect to providing contraceptives in developing countries, or any comparable administration policy regarding the provision of contraceptives." 
 * The House passed an amendment regarding the use of funding for the distribution of contraceptives. The amendment inserted:


 * The House defeated an amendment relating to the so-called "Mexico City" policy on family planning by a vote of 218-205.





Passage
On June 21, 2007, the House considered the bill, sponsored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.). It passed, 241-178.



In late June 2007, Reps. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Frank Wolf (R-Va.), Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) issued a letter to President Bush, urging him to reconstitute the Iraq Study Group. The bipartisan group referred to a provision included in the Foreign Operations appropriations bill passed by the House to provide $1 million to the U.S. Institute for Peace to reestablish the Iraq Study Group. The members worried whether the President would sign the bill with that amendment included. Rep. Udall stated that allowing the group to update their report would give the President, Congress, and the public an independent perspective on the situation in Iraq to compare with the report due by General Petraeus in September.

Senate
Following the August recess, the Senate heavily amended the bill. Amendments included $75 million for democracy programs in Iran, increasing funds through an offsetting cut for democracy radio and television broadcasts to Cuba, and providing for aerial eradication of cocoa in Colombia and funds for alternative crops. Senate authorized the creation of a US-Egypt Friendship in order to improve exchanges between the countries.

Funds to Iraq were prohibited until the State Department reported on the Iraq Government efforts to fight corruption. Also for the purposes of conducting oversight, the Committees on Appropriations were permited to access the State Department data on programs in Iraq.

Spending would be increased or minimum funding amounts set depending on various reports. Those countries included Iraq, Colombia, Bolivia, the Western Sahara region, Nepal, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and countries that recruited child soldiers.

International Military Education and Training for Guatemala was limited to the Guatemalan Air Force and Navy, only if the Secretary of State certified that the Guatemalan Air Force and Navy respected human rights and coorperated with civilian judicial investigations and prosecutions of military personnel who credibly alleged to commit violations of human rights.

In regard to the realtionship between U.S. and world organizations, the effort to reduce US dues to the UN failed. 

An effort to prohibit funds to the World Bank for control of Malaria also failed. Both amendments believed that there was a lack of clarity in those organization's management of money and questionable program results.


 * An amendment to prohibit the use of funds by international organizations, agencies, and entities that requires the registration of, or tax guns owned by U.S. citizens was agreed to 81 to 10.


 * An amendment prohibiting funds to organizations that supported coercive abortions or involuntary sterilization passed 48 to 45.




 * An amendment to revise the bill language and allow for funds to non-governmental organizations that would work to aid women and children victims of human rights violations because of pregnancy or rape and to reverse foreign country programs such as coercive abortion succeeded 53 to 41.




 * A motion to extend the Alternative Minimum Tax failed by a vote of 48-46 (it needed 60 to pass due to a unanimous consent agreement).







The Senate passed the bill, as amended, on September 6, 2007, by a vote of 81-12. 

Final House votes






After the Senate passed its version of the bill, the House considered the Senate's amendment. On December 17, 2007, the House voted to accept the Senate amendment and added two amendments of its own in two separate votes. The first vote passed by a margin of 253-154.

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After the Senate concurred with the House amendments, the bill returned to the House where it passed it on December 19, 2007, by a vote of 272-142.

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