[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 159 (Friday, November 16, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S12007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 182--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
 UNITED STATES SHOULD ALLOCATE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RESOURCES TO COMBAT 
                             GLOBAL POVERTY

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Smith of Oregon, and Mr. Leahy) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 182

       Whereas the World Bank estimates that 1,200,000,000 people 
     in the world live on less than $1 a day, and of these, more 
     than 550,000,000 are in South Asia, which is 40 percent of 
     the South Asian population, and more than 290,000,000 are in 
     sub-Saharan Africa, which is approximately 50 percent of the 
     sub-Saharan population;
       Whereas 3,000,000,000 people, about half the world's 
     population, live on approximately $2 a day;
       Whereas 1,200,000,000 people lack access to safe drinking 
     water;
       Whereas 2,900,000,000 people have inadequate access to 
     sanitation;
       Whereas at least 1,000,000,000 people in developing nations 
     are unemployed or underemployed;
       Whereas according to a Congressional Budget Office report 
     entitled ``The Role of Foreign Aid in Development'', United 
     States spending on foreign assistance has fluctuated from 
     year-to-year but has been on a downward path since the 
     1960's;
       Whereas in 1962, more than 3 percent of the Federal budget 
     was spent on foreign assistance;
       Whereas in 2001, foreign assistance amounts to 0.79 percent 
     of the Federal budget, less than half of what it was 15 years 
     ago, and less than a third of what it was 40 years ago;
       Whereas United States foreign economic and development 
     assistance represents less than 0.60 percent of the Federal 
     budget;
       Whereas United States foreign assistance amounts to only 
     slightly more than 0.10 percent of Gross Domestic Product, or 
     approximately $30 per American citizen per year;
       Whereas according to the Organization for Economic 
     Cooperation and Development, the United States in recent 
     years has ranked next to last among 21 industrialized donor 
     countries in per capita foreign assistance spending; and
       Whereas reducing poverty, promoting equitable economic 
     growth, and developing democratic institutions advances 
     United States national security interests, and the failure to 
     address these issues, and the resulting social, economic, and 
     political instability and violence, places United States 
     national security interests and the welfare and safety of 
     United States citizens at risk: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) widespread poverty in developing nations contributes to 
     social, economic, and political instability and violence 
     which can lead to failed states and the conditions in which 
     terrorist recruitment and terrorist organizations flourish;
       (2) United States bilateral assistance programs and 
     contributions to multilateral assistance programs must be 
     robust enough to effectively address development needs;
       (3) the United States, the world's wealthiest, most 
     powerful Nation, in order to promote its humanitarian, 
     economic, and security interests around the world, should 
     increase foreign assistance spending by at least 25 percent 
     per year for the next 5 years, and with the goal of reaching 
     an amount equal to or exceeding 3 percent of the Federal 
     budget by 2010; and
       (4) the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
     International Development should--
       (A) conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation of current foreign 
     assistance efforts to evaluate effectiveness;
       (B) work with private voluntary organizations, foundations, 
     and corporations to identify areas where increased, targeted 
     foreign assistance could help reduce poverty, and promote 
     equitable economic growth and the development of democratic 
     institutions; and
       (C) not later than 6 months after the date of adoption of 
     this resolution, submit a report to the appropriate 
     committees in Congress describing the Administrator's 
     findings and recommendations for foreign assistance funding 
     and policies to reduce poverty, and promote equitable 
     economic growth and the development of democratic 
     institutions.

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