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March 26, 2009

Congress May Cut Some Foreign-Aid Money From Proposed Budget

International charities may not receive as much money from President Obama’s budget as they have hoped.

In an interview with National Public Radio this morning, Kent Conrad, the Democratic senator who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, said he intends to cut $4-billion in foreign assistance from Mr. Obama’s proposed budget. The president’s proposal would have increased foreign aid to more than $50-billion by 2012.

An article today in The Christian Science Monitor said the Obama administration is signaling that its pledge to increase foreign aid to $50-billion may not be met by the end of the president’s first term. “With a significantly worse economic and budgetary picture, the White House Office of Management and Budget speaks of ‘extending out’ the goal of doubling foreign aid — presumably into what administration officials envision as a second term for the president,” the newspaper reports.

— Caroline Preston

Thursday March 26, 2009 | Permalink

Comments

1. A recent article in Wall Street Journal suggested that foreign aid was doing more harm than good in Africa by creating a welfare dependency that is not helping to build self-esteem and/or self sustainabilty. I wonder how much of each dollar actually gets to the people in need?

   — Tom    Mar 27, 03:27 PM    #

2. at home in america , he is pumping money shamelessly into a messed up economy. In Africa where the economy is still going strong, there is no financial scandal, no financial melt-down, no credit crunch,,,, and he wants to cut our share.. obama is that justice? America who has failed the world is getting lots and lots of money, while Africa that is not involved in any of the global credit crunch or financial melt-down, is the budget cut victim… WHY?

   — dede    Mar 27, 04:49 PM    #

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