Earlier this afternoon, the Senate Appropriations Committee released detailed text of its Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011. A quick first-cut analysis of the text and how it impacts poverty-focused and humanitarian assistance is contained in the Washington Update section of the Weekly Update.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a busy week on Capitol Hill as she testified at three separate hearings this week (including a demanding 3 ½ hour round with the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, March 1) on topics ranging from the foreign policy implications of the proposed cuts in the House-passed Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 to the current imbroglio in the Middle East.

In a sheer act of mercy, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs postponed a hearing in which Secretary Clinton was scheduled to testify, averting what would have been a fourth hearing for her in two days! Please read our substantive, but concise hearing summaries included in the Update to glean the foreign policy topics/regions in which representatives and senators expressed a personal interest, as well as Clinton’s full-throated defense of development aid as a key pillar of U.S. foreign and national security policy.

InterAction and its member NGOs are continuing to monitor the situation unfolding in Libya. Some InterAction members have deployed staff to border areas to both help with those fleeing the violence and to be well-positioned to enter Libya if their presence is feasible and becomes necessary. Please find a statement released by InterAction earlier this week copied below and also at this link: http://www.interaction.org/sites/default/files/libyastatement.pdf

Please enjoy the rest of our update which includes news regarding new Sudan/Lord’s Resistance Army legislation introduced on the House floor, an update on the ever-changing FY2011 and FY2012 budget and appropriations process, a comprehensive listing of upcoming hearings on Capitol Hill and articles of interest. 

Public Policy Update 3-4-2011.pdf