Beyond The "Fiscal Cliff:" Congress And The 2013 Federal Budget

Jeremy Kadden's picture
Submitted by Jeremy Kadden on Fri, 12/07/2012 - 3:33pm

Many Americans are focused right now on the impending “fiscal cliff,” a package of across-the-board spending cuts and tax hikes set to take effect Jan. 1. But let’s not forget about that other impending fiscal decision that has been delayed for months – the 2013 budget. As those budget negotiations continue, it is critical that foreign assistance funding not suffer disproportionate cuts.
 
Currently, all sorts of programs – domestic, international, defense and otherwise – are stuck at last year’s spending levels. That’s because Congress has yet to pass any long-term spending bills for fiscal year 2013, which began on October 1, 2012, and instead approved a stopgap continuing resolution. This measure essentially sets funding at the same level as in 2012. While it lasts until nearly the end of March, it is more of a band-aid solution than a final package.
 
As budget negotiations proceed, there are two bills on the table that differ significantly in the amount of funding for foreign assistance. These bills were proposed and approved by the House and Senate appropriations committees:

  • The Senate Appropriations Committee has passed a bipartisan bill, nearly unanimously, that provides critical funding for foreign assistance in key areas such as health, food security, education, sanitation, and migration and refugee assistance.
  • By contrast, the House appropriators wrote a spending plan that calls for significantly less funding for foreign assistance, particularly for the poverty-focused programs InterAction members care about most.

InterAction and Mercy Corps have teamed up to produce and post data about just what the House and Senate packages mean, in terms of lives affected on the ground. The contrasting spending levels could quite literally mean the difference between lives saved or lives lost. Under the Senate bill:

  • Approximately 9 million more people could receive food assistance, while simultaneously reducing the need for future emergency assistance by helping families improve farming techniques and build self-reliance.
  • An additional 3.37 million children and their mothers could be supported in their fight against malnutrition.
  • More than 5 million more people could receive bed nets.
  • More than 6.9 million more child immunizations could be administered for tetanus, pertussis and hepatitis.

Learn more about these critical programs. Contact your elected officials and tell others to do the same (#cutscostlives).

Jeremy Kadden is the senior legislative manager at InterAction.