New Bill To Overhaul American Foreign Aid

A new bill was introduced in the US legislature that proposes to overhaul the system for providing global development aid, reports Boston Globe. The bill, introduced on Tuesday, was presented by Senators Robert Menendez and Bob Corker, as reported from Menendez’s office. The bill is said to strengthen the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and will bring about a change in the way American aid is handled.

The bill would require increased coordination and transparency in US aid programs, reestablish a bureau for strategic planning within USAID, and give more authority to USAID staffers in the field, reports the newspaper.

According to Boston Globe, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009, S.1524, calls for establishing, an independent council in the executive branch – the Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance (CORE) – to objectively evaluate the impact and results of all development and foreign aid programs undertaken by the US Government.

Raymond Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America, said: “Over the last two decades, USAID has had its legs cut out from under it – its resources and staff have been slashed, while more development capacity has been shifted to the Department of Defense. Along with rebuilding USAID, the US must shift its focus from development projects that meet short-term political and security goals back to long term development goals that not only help more people escape poverty, but in the long run, create greater stability and goodwill for the US. Rebuilding USAID gives the US and its development policy a start down the right path.”