About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (January 27, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govegoj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Ra Sinforming the legisi itive delI edrch SerVce te sin'o 1914 Updated January 27, 2022 U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), an independent U.S. government agency, operates under a dual mission to advance overseas economic development and promote U.S. commercial interests. TDA aims to link U.S. businesses to export opportunities for priority infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries by funding project preparation and partnership building activities. Background TDA is authorized permanently under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended (22 U.S.C. §2421, P.L. 87-195), and it operates under the Secretary of State's policy guidance. In 1992, Congress established TDA as an independent agency (P.L. 102-549), but its predecessor dates to the 1980s. The TDA Director is appointed by the President, by and with the Senate's advice and consent. An acting director currently leads TDA. Programs. TDA provides grants to foreign project sponsors (public or private entities that can make decisions and implement projects), who are to select U.S. firms to perform TDA-funded activities. TDA programs include * Feasibility studies to assess technical, financial, legal, environmental, and other aspects of projects to help secure financing and achieve implementation. * Pilot projects to test U.S. equipment and technology in the foreign buyer's market to promote U.S. solutions and identify scalability and replicability opportunities. * Technical assistance to enhance the business environment for U.S. exports, which may include support for legal and regulatory reform, the establishment of industry standards, and infrastructure- planning activities in foreign markets. * Training for foreign decision-makers on technology, regulatory issues, or other matters. * Reverse trade missions to bring foreign delegations to the United States to meet with U.S. firms and showcase U.S. products and technologies. * Conferences and workshops to connect U.S. firms with foreign project sponsors. Requirements. The FAA directs TDA to promote United States private sector participation in development projects in developing and middle-income countries, with special emphasis on economic sectors with significant United States export potential, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment. It also instructs TDA to, as much as possible, require firms and other entities to share the costs of TDA-funded project planning and to reimburse TDA for its expenditures if project implementation is successful. Funding. For FY2021, TDA was appropriated $79.5 million, of which no more than $19.0 million could be used for administrative expenses. The President's FY2022 budget request for TDA is equal to the FY2021 enacted level. FY2022 appropriations have yet to be enacted. In contrast, President Trump's budget requests for FY2018- FY2021 sought an orderly closeout of TDA, based on the premise that the private sector was better suited to carry out TDA's mission and that other federal agencies could continue to support U.S. exports, U.S. businesses overseas, and international infrastructure development. Congress did not implement these requests to eliminate TDA, and instead funded TDA's continued operations for each of those years. Activities. TDA provides services in response to private sector demand, but the agency also seeks to spur export growth in high-return activity, based on data-driven analysis. In FY2021, TDA obligated about $69.5 million for program activities (see Figure 1), up from $68.9 million in FY2020 and $56.3 million in FY2019. Figure I. TDA FY2021 Value of Obligations Total Activities Obligation, FY2021: $69.5 million $ US. miions ACTWIVTIES BY PROGRAM TYPE Technical Assistance 537.9 Feasibility Studies $ 9 Conference/Workshop $51 Desk Study/Definitional Missio 54.2 Reverse Trade Mission $14 - - - - - - - -- ------- ----------- ----- -- --- - -- - - - - ACTIVITIES BY ECONOMIC5ECTOR Energy .$2455 Services $-170 ICT SOY Transportation $100 Other Sectors $7 2 ACTIVITIES BY GEOGRAPHiC REGION Sub-Saharan Africa $19.5 MENA, Europe & Eurasia $14.2 Inchac:ific * $10.5 Latin America & the Cariba 1 8.0 Worldwide $16.4 Monitoring & Evaluati, ;: 9 Source: CRS, based on TDA FY2021 annual report data. Notes: Specific categories are TDA-based. ICT = Information & Communication Technology; MENA = Middle East & North Africa. Among its recent activities, TDA announced grant funding for feasibility studies to expand internet access in underserved communities (Nigeria and Southern Africa). At the 2021 Indo-Pacific Business Forum, TDA announced new funding commitments, including for a feasibility study for solar power plants (the Philippines) and technical assistance to support smart city infrastructure (Vietnam),

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most