[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8464-8465]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMENTS TO INTERACTION ANNUAL FORUM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 12, 2008

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, last week I had the 
opportunity to speak at InterAction's Annual Forum in the Washington 
area regarding the importance of modernizing U.S. foreign assistance. 
With 165 member organizations, InterAction is the largest coalition of 
U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations focused on the 
world's poor and vulnerable people. I would like to enter my remarks 
from this event into the Congressional Record.

                  Comments to InterAction Annual Forum

       Thank you for the invitation to be here today. I'd like to 
     thank InterAction's President, Sam Worthington, along with 
     Todd Shelton and Evan Elliot for being great partners and 
     extraordinary advocates for your organizations and people in 
     need around the world.
       Like all of you, I strongly believe foreign assistance and 
     development are part of the essential work of the U.S. 
     Government and essential to our country's role as a super 
     power.
       I support a back-to-basics approach to development. For me, 
     investments in child and maternal health, clean water, basic 
     education, family planning, agriculture and food security are 
     the foundation of successful long-term development. This is 
     the work your organizations do everyday.
       In my travels to places like Tanzania, Malawi, Afghanistan 
     and Peru I have seen both real human need and real successes 
     from U.S. development investments. And it was in these 
     travels that I met you--smart, committed, passionate people 
     giving hope and opportunity to people who often have very 
     little.
       Today, I want to talk with you about our present 
     challenge--doing development better. It's time to modernize 
     and strengthen U.S. foreign assistance to meet the challenges 
     and realities of the 21st century. I know modernizing foreign 
     assistance is a priority for InterAction and your efforts to 
     inform and educate Congress are important and appreciated.
       The 9/11 Commission predicted future threats to America 
     would be transnational rather than international. We didn't 
     have to wait long. A new generation of moral and national 
     security challenges have already reshaped our foreign policy, 
     including: terrorism, ethnic conflicts, food security, global 
     health threats, climate change . . . the list goes on.
       Confronting this new generation of challenges demands that 
     we make foreign assistance especially development--central to 
     our foreign policy.
       The Pentagon appears to be convinced. Last November, 
     Secretary of Defense Gates said, ``One of the most important 
     lessons from our experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, and 
     elsewhere has been the decisive role reconstruction, 
     development, and governance plays in any meaningful, long-
     term success.''
       Our top security officials know that sandals on the ground 
     today can prevent boots

[[Page 8465]]

     on the ground tomorrow. Development is the right thing to do 
     and it's a smart investment.
       The direct link between development and security is now 
     national policy. President Bush's 2006 National Security 
     Strategy states, ``Development reinforces diplomacy and 
     defense, reducing long-term threats to our national security 
     by helping to build stable, prosperous and peaceful 
     societies.''
       Foreign assistance is more important to America's national 
     security and foreign policy than ever before. But our Cold-
     War mechanisms aren't up to the challenge.
       The structure of U.S. foreign assistance needs 
     modernization. Today, more than 20 executive branch agencies 
     have responsibility for administering foreign assistance 
     programs. This means duplication, confusion and inefficiency. 
     But the problem goes beyond structure.
       What is the overarching strategy guiding U.S. foreign 
     assistance? The 1961 Foreign Assistance Act is still the 
     basis for policy. Nearly 50 years of amendments have burdened 
     the Act with conflicting objectives and priorities. Your 
     organizations feel the impact of this confusion in the field, 
     as do the families and communities you serve.
       We need a new strategy focused on today's global realities. 
     We need to find agreement on a coherent foreign assistance 
     strategy and we need to create the necessary structure to 
     implement it.
       We all know there are strains on the current system. Due in 
     part to a lack of confidence and capacity in civilian 
     agencies, the U.S. military has become a major player in 
     development. I want to read you a quote from last week's 
     Financial Times article entitled: ``U.S. military seeks more 
     Afghan aid funds.''
       ``U.S. forces in east Afghanistan are already involved in a 
     variety of non-military activities, from road-building to 
     improving farming techniques . . . The Commanders' Emergency 
     Response Fund allows battalion commanders to spend up to 
     twenty-five thousand dollars on anyone project without 
     seeking permission from higher command. Taskforce chiefs can 
     spend up to two-hundred thousand.''
       How many of you have this kind of discretion with U.S. 
     funds? Our troops are the best in the world, but they aren't 
     development specialists. Major development projects need to 
     be implemented by development professionals. If civilian 
     agencies aren't working we need to fix them, not ignore them. 
     If there aren't enough civilian personnel, we need to hire 
     and deploy more of them.
       Expanding global security and prosperity in the 21st 
     century requires a new American commitment to foreign 
     assistance. That means being smarter about our strategy, 
     structure and resources. We need comprehensive modernization. 
     Half-way reforms won't cut it.
       Blue-ribbon panels, commissions, think tanks and NGOs have 
     reached the same conclusion. There's agreement that: 
     resources should be matched to objectives; results should be 
     measured; the Government's civilian capacity should be 
     expanded; the number of agencies responsible for development 
     should be reduced; and development should be elevated to be 
     an equal partner with defense and diplomacy.
       Today, development isn't an equl partner with defense and 
     diplomacy--it's not equal strategically or structurally. It's 
     often, at best, a secondary concern. There are different 
     ideas about how to elevate development. Some suggest the 
     solution is an expanded role for development within the State 
     Department. Others may want to build up USAID to its former 
     glory.
       I strongly believe the U.S. needs a cabinet-level 
     Department of Development. A cabinet-level Secretary of 
     Development could advocate directly to the President for 
     long-term development investments, aid effectiveness, and 
     coordination across agencies.
       The national security policy of the United States is clear: 
     defense, diplomacy, and development are the essential 
     components of America's engagement with the world. It's time 
     to translate that policy into reality by elevating 
     development as a foreign policy priority.
       Some of my colleagues may disagree. I welcome that, because 
     it means they've joined the debate. Many Members of Congress 
     haven't. Many Members still don't fully appreciate the 
     linkages between national security and foreign assistance.
       Chairman Berman announced that rewriting the Foreign 
     Assistance Act will be the top priority for his Committee 
     next year. Because of his leadership, the debate over 
     modernization will take place. To be successful in the House, 
     and the Senate, and the White House with this huge effort, 
     we'll need a broad, bipartisan consensus that U.S. foreign 
     assistance is vital to America's national security and too 
     important not to fix.
       And to be successful, a commitment to change and 
     modernization needs to be a priority for the next 
     Administration. This means we need to make sure the 
     Presidential campaigns are engaged. Those of you with 
     advocacy arms in your organization should be asking the 
     Presidential candidates three questions: Do you believe 
     foreign assistance is important to America's future role in 
     the world? How will you elevate development to realize the 
     goals of U.S. national security strategy? Will you support 
     modernizing foreign assistance to meet the needs of the 21st 
     century?
       And we need to be asking candidates for the Senate and the 
     House the same questions.
       Friends, this is an important moment. You cannot be shy or 
     quiet.
       We have a unique opportunity to create a strategy for U.S. 
     foreign assistance rooted in innovation, coordination, and an 
     understanding of culture and the complexity of local 
     conditions. We have the responsibility to make the needs of 
     the world's poor a strategic U.S. priority.
       Together, we can get more for every dollar invested, by 
     finding ways to better leverage bilateral, multilateral, 
     private sector and NGO investments.
       And together, we can refocus our nation's global 
     development policy on achieving quality outcomes for families 
     in the world's poorest countries.
       This is our work and I look forward to the challenge ahead.
       Thank you.

                          ____________________