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Do you remember when the Administration called for cutting one-third
of our civilian footprint around the world last year? No surprise, we
saw a bipartisan rejection in Congress given the dangers America
faces.


Yesterday, amidst the infrastructure and immigration debates, the
Administration put out its latest budget proposal - and
when it comes to international issues, it's a Groundhog Budget.


It's why the military voice is even louder and stronger over the
past few days with significant press covering more than 1,200 veterans
and more than 150 retired generals and admirals taking aim at any
proposal to shrink the State Department, USAID, and our nation's
development tools.


The proposal is largely the same - a dangerous 30% cut -
but it's worth taking a look at our top 10 takeaways on how the
budget could impact foreign policy.

Click Here for the Full Report
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=v6PyFctwxpZYQ50wCx0NJg

You can read the skinny version below - plus there's some
good news on a new proposal that would be a win-win for fighting
poverty and strengthening American competitiveness around the world.

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC


GROUNDHOG BUDGET?

Despite Growing Dangers Facing America, Budget Request Once Again
Calls for Draconian Cuts to International Affairs

>> Click here to get the full analysis report
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=3oh8IgVSecvBpw1TGaCxyQ


Here are 10 key takeaways on the Administration's latest budget
request for the International Affairs Budget:


BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION IS RISING. The newly proposed 30% cut by the
Administration is already meeting strong bipartisan pushback in
Congress with outright rejection from House Foreign Affairs Leaders Ed
Royce (R-CA) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) along with the powerful
subcommittee chair on House Appropriations, Rep. Hal Rogers
(R-KY).

* Smart fact: The proposal would take funding for the
International Affairs Budget back to levels not seen since 9/11
(inflation adjusted) and would cut funding as a percentage of
GDP to its lowest level since World War II.


A WEAKENED NATIONAL SECURITY FRAMEWORK. The budget request again
rejects the decades-long bipartisan consensus that funding for defense
and international affairs proportionally ebbs and flows together as a
percentage of GDP. For the first time since the State Department and
USAID began relying on a critical wartime account alongside the
Defense Department eight years ago - an account known as
Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) - the
Administration's budget includes no OCO resources for
non-defense programs while at the same time proposing to increase OCO
funding for defense.

* Here's the backstory: While the Administration's
National Security Strategy released in December does not refer
specifically to development, diplomacy, and defense as the three
comprehensive pillars of national security - a cornerstone
of bipartisan National Security Strategies since 9/11 - it
does recognize a whole-of-government approach that includes both
military and civilian tools and calls for the integration of
"all elements of America's national
power-political, economic, and military." The
disparity between the strategy and the resources for civilian
tools has been a growing concern from Capitol Hill since the
Strategy's release.
* One more alarm bell: The budget proposal cuts 71% from civilian
resources to address the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. This comes
on the heels of CENTCOM Commander General Joseph Votel's
visit to Raqqa, Syria with USAID Administrator Mark Green and
the general's comments highlighting the importance of
development programs in recovery efforts.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLKIT. Building on the economic
competitiveness theme in the National Security Strategy, the budget
proposes doubling down on a new standalone U.S. Development Finance
Institution (DFI). With bipartisan Congressional interest in
modernizing America's development finance capabilities, this
proposal is expected to garner significant support and attention on
Capitol Hill. See our press statement from the USGLC welcoming this
proposal.

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=54K5xas4OD7FKP_difcW3Q


TILLERSON'S REDESIGN EFFORT NARROWS. As reported recently in the
media, the budget proposal confirms that the Secretary's
signature Redesign agenda has been replaced with a smaller-scale
"Impact Initiative" to implement keystone modernization
projects focused on processes, procedures and technologies. Under the
leadership of Administrator Mark Green, USAID has undertaken its own
redesign effort, which will focus on implementing process and policy
reforms to ensure USAID programs promote developing countries'
"journey to self-reliance."


PERSONNEL CUTS. The new budget request also proposes cuts to several
accounts that fund the U.S. diplomatic and development presence around
the world and appears to implement the Administration's goal of
reducing State Department and USAID personnel by 8%. Members of
Congress have already expressed concerns about the proposed reductions
in career personnel and the drawdown of America's ability to
conduct foreign policy. Learn more in the USGLC fact sheet.

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=HW2zS4j3PANl7lKtVx5eCA


DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE DOWN. In their proposal, the Administration
again tries to consolidate economic and development assistance into a
new Economic Support and Development Fund (ESDF) managed by the State
Department - pulling programs from USAID - and suggesting
that this would streamline four separate accounts to increase
efficiency and ensure development is focused on strategic priorities.
In either case, this consolidated development fund is dramatically cut
once again, this time by 43%.


HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS CUT. On the humanitarian front, the
Administration's budget proposes to cut humanitarian assistance
by 33% compared to current levels. Even with this cut, the
Administration states that "the U.S. will remain the largest
single donor of global humanitarian assistance" while at the
same time encouraging international partners to provide a greater
share of this assistance. The Administration also proposes eliminating
the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) account while
cutting the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account by 17%.


GLOBAL HEALTH DROPS. The budget proposes a 23% cut to Global Health
Programs compared to current levels and as PEPFAR marks its 15th
anniversary, the request includes a 20% proposed cut to these
life-saving programs even after receiving a $400 million boost after
the budget deal was announced. Moreover, most other global health
programs are cut even more deeply than PEPFAR, and taken as a whole
are cut by 30%.


NEW WINNERS AND LOSERS. While most of the proposed cuts mirror those
in last year's budget request, there are some important
differences worth noting from the Administration's request:

* 24 of the 37 countries saw funding restored that were slated to
be zeroed out last year
* International family planning - which was eliminated last
year - is funded at $302 million, the same level included
in the Bush Administration's final budget request
* The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) is funded at $20 million,
after being eliminated in last year's budget
* Educational and Cultural Exchange programs are cut by a
staggering 75% compared to 55% last year
* The National Endowment for Democracy is slashed by 60% compared
to 39% cut last year
* Contributions to the Global Fund, a critical tool in the fight
against HIV/AIDS, is cut by 31% compared to 17% last year

WHAT'S NEXT? While Congress is already raising alarms that this
FY19 budget request doesn't keep pace with today's
unprecedented global crises, Appropriators are working at this very
moment to hammer out FY18 spending levels as a result of the budget
deal. With a potential shortfall of $8.8 billion (15%) for the
International Affairs Budget - a decision that was made during
the bipartisan budget deal - the USGLC is urging lawmakers to
support no less than current level funding for FY18.

>> Click here to get the full analysis report
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=lQTb0pzRjp0Ra_vfaGpMIA


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