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GAO-06-876R 1 (2006-06-29)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptatsg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SGAO Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 June 29, 2006 Congressional Committees Subject: Treasury Has Sustained Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies at the International Monetary Fund In recent years, Congress has demonstrated significant interest in legislating U.S. policies regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Currently, the administration is charged with responding to dozens of legislative mandates related to the IMF, including advocacy for certain IMF policies, instructions for U.S. voting positions on IMF assistance to borrower countries, and requirements to report to Congress on various aspects of U.S. participation in the IMF. Since 2001, we reported that the United States had maintained nearly 70 legislative mandates prescribing U.S. policy goals at the IMF. These mandates covered a wide range of policies, including policies regarding combating terrorism, human rights, international trade, and weapons proliferation. As an international organization, the IMF is generally exempt from U.S. law. However, Congress can seek to influence IMF policy by directing the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director on the IMF's Executive Board' to pursue certain policy considerations or to vote in a particular way on IMF programs or on assistance to specific countries. In 2000, Congress directed us to assess the Department of the Treasury's (Treasury) efforts to advance U.S. legislative mandates at the IMF. The Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 20002 requires us to report annually on the extent to which IMF practices are consistent with U.S. policies as set forth in federal law. In January 2001, we reported that Treasury instituted a formal process in 1999 to systematically promote congressionally mandated policies at the IMF.3 We also found that, although Treasury had had some influence over IMF policies, it was difficult to attribute the adoption of a policy within the IMF solely to the efforts of any one member because the IMF generally makes decisions on the basis of consensus. Since 2003, we have provided yearly updates on (1) the status of Treasury's process for 1The Executive Board oversees the day-to-day business of the IMF. The board comprises 24 executive directors who are appointed or elected by member countries or by groups of member countries. The President appoints, with the advice and consent of the Senate, the U.S. Executive Director to represent the United States on the board. 2Pub.L. No. 106-113, § 504(e), 113 Stat. 1501, 1501A-318 (1999). 3See GAO, International Monetary Fund: Efforts to Advance U.S. Policies at the Fund, (AO-01-1 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 29, 2001). GAO-06-876R U.S. Policies at the IMF

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