[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 3 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 3
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should provide,
on an annual basis, an amount equal to at least one percent of United
States gross domestic product for nonmilitary foreign assistance
programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 8, 2019
Ms. Lee of California submitted the following concurrent resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should provide,
on an annual basis, an amount equal to at least one percent of United
States gross domestic product for nonmilitary foreign assistance
programs.
Whereas, on April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed into law the Economic
Recovery Act of 1948, inspired by a plan of economic trade and
assistance for European countries proposed by Secretary of State George
C. Marshall, otherwise known as the Marshall Plan;
Whereas, from the years 1947 to 1951, the United States gave $13 billion,
equivalent to approximately $143 billion in 2017 and less than one
percent of United States gross domestic product (GDP) for nonmilitary
foreign assistance programs for 2016, in economic aid and technical
assistance to assist in the economic recovery of 16 European countries;
Whereas the Marshall Plan, among other objectives, sought to assure global peace
and defend the national security of the United States through direct
foreign assistance programs aimed at combating economic, social, and
political degradation;
Whereas poverty, lack of opportunity, and environmental degradation are
recognized as significant contributors to socioeconomic and political
instability, as well as to the exacerbation of disease pandemics and
other global health threats;
Whereas elevating the United States standing in the world represents a critical
and essential element of any strategy to improve national and global
security by mitigating the root causes of conflict and multinational
terrorism, strengthening diplomatic and economic relationships,
preventing global climate change, curbing weapons proliferation, and
fostering peace and cooperation between all nations;
Whereas the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, signed into law on September 4,
1961, reaffirms ``the traditional humanitarian ideals of the American
people and renews its commitment to assist people in developing
countries to eliminate hunger, poverty, [and] illness'';
Whereas Congress created the Peace Corps in 1961 and the United States has since
sent more than 230,000 volunteers to 141 nations to promote the Peace
Corps' mission of world peace and friendship through service in the
developing world;
Whereas, on November 3, 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the aim of
providing direct support to developing countries in a manner free of
political and military influence;
Whereas over the last 11 years, Congress and successive administrations have
worked to more than double foreign assistance and implement a number of
new foreign aid initiatives to support global health, development, human
rights, and good governance, including the Millennium Challenge Account
(MCA), the President's International Education Initiative, the
President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), the President's Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Food Security and Feed the Future
Initiatives, and the Global Health Initiative;
Whereas the United States has pledged its support, along with every United
Nations member state and numerous international organizations, to
achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in order to
reduce extreme poverty, support sustainable development, and address the
needs of the world's most vulnerable populations;
Whereas the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, derived from the United
Nations Millennium Declaration signed on September 8, 2000, seek to
eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary
education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child
mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other
diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global
partnership for development;
Whereas the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs indicates
that in September 2015, major gaps still persisted in development aid
monetary flows to the least developed countries and in eliminating trade
barriers for developing countries;
Whereas, additionally, many people could not access essential medicines--generic
medicines were available on average in 58 percent of public sector
facilities--and only 32 per 100 citizens in developing countries had
access to the Internet at affordable prices;
Whereas the World Bank estimates that in 2015, 767 million people across the
globe were experiencing extreme poverty, living on less than $1.90 a
day;
Whereas according to the United Nations Development Program's ``2016 Human
Development Report'' more than 1.5 billion people (across 102 countries
examined in the report) live in multidimensional poverty according to
the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), an indicator which provides a
comprehensive picture of severe deprivations common to poor households
including in health, education, and standard of living;
Whereas the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that the number of
undernourished people in the world has been on the rise since 2014 and
increased to 821 million in 2017;
Whereas the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Secretariat has indicated that by 2050, the cost of adapting to global
climate change in developing countries could amount to anywhere between
$280 and $500 billion annually;
Whereas, in 2017, the United States was in 22nd place behind most industrialized
nations in official development assistance funding as a percentage of
gross national income (GNI), totaling $35.2 billion and representing
0.18 percent;
Whereas a principal objective of the foreign policy of the United States, as
codified in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, is ``the encouragement
and sustained support of the people of developing countries in their
efforts to acquire the knowledge and resources essential to development
and to build the economic, political, and social institutions which will
improve the quality of their lives'';
Whereas broad-based country- and community-ownership, sustainable and
responsible trade opportunities, the robust engagement of vulnerable
populations, including women, and a commitment to improve governance and
the rule of law, are all critical to the long-term success of
development programs;
Whereas individuals, businesses, and philanthropic organizations across the
United States continue to play a vital and increasing role in
international efforts to create a more peaceful and prosperous world for
all individuals through direct and indirect assistance;
Whereas studies indicate that 65 percent of the individuals in the United
States, whose tax dollars fund Federal expenditures, support increasing
funding to meet the Millennium Development Goals and to committing a
higher percentage of GDP to address global poverty provided that other
wealthy countries are willing to make the same commitment; and
Whereas a firm and significant financial commitment to enhance United States
foreign assistance programs exemplifies the compassion and resolve of
the people of the United States to benefit and empower all peoples of
the world for the betterment of humankind: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes that foreign assistance programs are of
critical importance in promoting national security,
demonstrating the humanitarian spirit of the people of the
United States, and improving the credibility and standing of
the United States in world affairs; and
(2) expresses its support for attaining the goal of
providing, on an annual basis, an amount equal to no less than
one percent of United States gross domestic product (GDP) for
nonmilitary foreign assistance programs.
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