The House Appropriations State & Foreign Operations Subcommittee tomorrow (May 9) has scheduled a mark-up of the fiscal year 2013 funding bill.
"The bill totals $40.1 billion in regular discretionary funding, which is $2 billion or 5% below last year’s level," the full committee said in a statement. "The bill also includes $8.2 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terror (OCO/GWOT) funding, which will adequately provide for continued U.S. involvement in front-line countries and other war-related efforts. In total, including war funding, the bill is $5 billion – or 9% – below fiscal year 2012."
Among various anticipated battlegrounds between Congress and the White House are several proposed budgetary items that are significantly lower than the Obama Administration has requested.
For instance:
The bill contains a total of $12.9 billion in discretionary funding for operational costs of the State Department and related agencies – a decrease of $433 million below last year’s level and $1.5 billion below the President’s request.
Likewise:
The bill contains $1.2 billion for USAID – a reduction of $73 million from last year’s level and $252.5 million below the President’s request. An additional $258 million in OCO/GWOT funding is provided to cover costs of USAID operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The panel in the meantime has made the bill publicly available online. A full committee summary likewise is available.
U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor later today will offer its own summary of the legislation.