Previous House Votes
Foreign Operations Hits the Senate Floor
The Senate today begins work on its $34.4 billion State-Foreign Operations spending bill. The Senate measure would provide the same total funding as the House-passed bill, but numerous funding differences will need to be reconciled eventually.Debate
One major difference involves Bush's Millennium Challenge initiative, which would receive $600 million less than under the House bill and $1.8 billion less than requested.
Both bills would provide a total of $34.2 billion in discretionary funding, $700 million less than requested but some $2.8 billion above non-emergency appropriations in fiscal 2007. About $5.7 billion in emergency funding was provided this year.
Amendments (GovTrack, Thomas)
All Votes
S.Amdt. 2700 by Sen. Ensign [R-NV]
To strike the provision in section 113 that increases the limit on the United States' share for United Nations peacekeeping operations during fiscal year 2008 from 25 percent to 27.1 percent so that the United States does not pay more than its fair share for United Nations peacekeeping.
Failed 30-63
Debate
S.Amdt. 2707 by Sen. Brownback [R-KS]
To prohibit funding of organizations that support coercive abortion.
Agreed to 48-45
S.Amdt. 2719 by Sen. Boxer [D-CA]
To prohibit the application of certain restrictive eligibility requirements to foreign nongovernmental organizations with respect to the provision of assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
Agreed to 53-41
S.Amdt. 2708 by Sen. Brownback [R-KS]
To prevent contributions to organizations that perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning.
Failed 41-53
S.Amdt. 2774 by Sen. Vitter [R-LA]
To prohibit the use of funds by international organizations, agencies, and entities that require the registration of, or taxes guns owned by citizens of the United States.
Agreed to 81-10
S.Amdt. 2773 by Sen. Coburn [R-OK]
To ensure that the United States contribution to the United Nations is not being lost to waste, fraud, abuse or corruption by maximizing the public transparency of all United Nations spending.
Agreed to 92-1
S.Amdt. 2716 by Sen. Coburn [R-OK]
To provide for the spending of $106,763,000 on programs that save children's lives, such as the President's Malaria Initiative, rather than lower priority programs, such as the Global Environment Facility, which produce few results and are managed by the United Nations Development Program, which utilizes corrupt procurement practices, operates contrary to United Nations rules, and retaliates against whistleblowers.
Failed 46-47
S.Amdt. 2704 by Sen. Coburn [R-OK]
To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for "Contribution to the International Development Association" may be made available for the World Bank malaria control or prevention programs.
Failed 33-60
On Passage of the Bill
Passed 81-12
White House Statement of Administration Policy (PDF)
While the Administration appreciates that H.R. 2764 does not exceed the President’s request in total for the programs funded by the bill, it is below the President’s request level, making it difficult to implement important policy objectives. In addition, the Administration strongly opposes this legislation because it includes provisions that are inconsistent with the Administration’s international family planning policy. Consistent with the President’s letter of May 3, 2007, if the President were presented a bill such as H.R. 2764 that weakens current Federal policies and laws on abortion, he would veto the bill.H.R. 2764, Section 622:
Specifically, the Administration strongly opposes section 622 of the bill, which permits contracts and grants for organizations regardless of whether they perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning and is contrary to the Administration’s Mexico City policy. The Administration also strongly opposes the Committee’s changes to the Kemp-Kasten language, which are inconsistent with and would weaken current policy. Finally, the Administration is concerned that H.R. 2764 would undermine the evidence-based, balanced “ABC” approach to prevention in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
GLOBAL HEALTH ACTIVITIES
SEC. 622. Up to $13,500,000 of the funds made available by this Act for assistance under the heading `Global Health Programs', may be used to reimburse United States Government agencies, agencies of State governments, institutions of higher learning, and private and voluntary organizations for the full cost of individuals (including for the personal services of such individuals) detailed or assigned to, or contracted by, as the case may be, the United States Agency for International Development for the purpose of carrying out activities under that heading:
Provided, That up to $3,500,000 of the funds made available by this Act for assistance under the heading `Development Assistance' may be used to reimburse such agencies, institutions, and organizations for such costs of such individuals carrying out other development assistance activities:
Provided further, That funds appropriated by titles III and IV of this Act that are made available for bilateral assistance for child survival activities or disease programs including activities relating to research on, and the prevention, treatment and control of, HIV/AIDS may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law except for the provisions under the heading `Global Health Programs' and the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 (117 Stat. 711; 22 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.), as amended:
Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under title III of this Act, not less than $461,060,000 shall be made available for family planning/reproductive health: Provided further, That in order to prevent unintended pregnancies, abortions, and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, no contract or grant for the 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 the United States Agency for International Development with respect to providing contraceptives in developing countries, or any comparable administration policy regarding the provision of contraceptives.
