The following is a guest post from former MFAN Country Ownership Working Group Co-Chairs Rodney Bent and Tessie San Martin, Plan International USA CEO. To read the full blog post on ModernizeAid, click here.
The annual funding of U.S. bilateral economic assistance is generally a lengthy process, from the President’s request at the beginning of the year to Congressional action over the summer and early fall. These budget resources are precious and scarce, which is why Congress spends considerable time reviewing the request. According to the State Department, the FY 2015 budget estimate for bilateral economic assistance was about $21 billion; for FY 2016, the President is requesting $21.7 billion. At whatever the final level of funding that the President and Congress can agree upon, the U.S. needs to use these resources to best effect in promoting good governance and economic growth, and reducing human suffering.
To read the full blog, click here.