Senate Spending: A Slight Improvement

Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations resumed a markup of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, setting their priorities for spending on Foreign Affairs for the 2013 fiscal year.  This was an important and revealing moment for the Senate because what they designate money for in the international affairs budget shows where their foreign policy priorities lay.  The Senate showed a much stronger commitment to international development and human rights than the House did, and we applaud them for that.

Fortunately, the Senate bill provides $1.6 billion for Contributions to International Organizations (CIO), which is slightly above the level requested by the President.  However, for contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA), the bill provides $2 billion for UN peacekeeping, which is $100 million less than the President's request.

One glaring issue with the Senate bill is the question of funding for UNESCO.  Due to an almost 20-year-old law, the United States is barred from contributing to UNESCO because of the recent vote that made Palestine its newest member.