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1 1 (April 23, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdabg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ,...........s --- r,-b S April 23, 2020 U.S. Foreign Assistance: Budget Development and Execution U.S. foreign assistance provided through Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations is subject to a high level of congressional input, as mandated under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA, P.L. 87-195), as amended. Congress works with the relevant executive agencies through a distinctive executive-congressional process to allocate assistance, especially allocations by country in Titles III and IV. The process described in this product is particular to SFOPS assistance and focuses especially on the executive branch and congressional oversight. More information on appropriations is at https://www.crs.gov/iap/appropriations. K(ey Actors Several entities across the executive and legislative branches play formal decisionmaking roles in the process: Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Part of the Executive Office of the President, OMB formulates funding proposals and oversees federal spending to align with the President's priorities. State Bureau of Budget and Planning (State/BP) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Budget and Resource Management (USAID/BRM): These budget offices coordinate budget development between operating units and OMB, focusing on legal and administrative issues. They administer account funding once it is appropriated. Office of Foreign Assistance Resources (State/F): Based in the State Department (State) and staffed by USAID and State personnel, State/F sets overall strategy for U.S. foreign assistance and steers funding to advance those goals, coordinating between operating units and OMB. Administering Bureau: For each account, a select State or USAID bureau is designated to coordinate budget requests and administer funds after they are appropriated. Operating Units (OUs): Over 200 headquarters bureaus and overseas posts (including missions and embassies) submit budget proposals to their parent agencies and ultimately oversee the expenditure of appropriations. Relevant Committees: The Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee each contribute to foreign assistance allocation decisions. B u§d g et P r oces s The process described here is a composite of government- wide budget procedures, such as the President's Budget, congressional appropriations, and OMB authorities, and those specific to SFOPS, such as the 653(a) Report, country funding directives, and certain congressional notifications. Budg ,et £>s;-ner:und Requizest The budget request that the President submits to Congress is the product of an 18-month negotiation process among OUs, budget offices, State/F, and OMB. Mission/Bureau Resource Request (begins two years prior to fiscal year start). An OU initiates budget planning by developing an explanation of its strategic priorities for the fiscal year and the human and financial resources needed to achieve them. These proposals serve as the basis for the agency-wide budget requests that administering bureaus negotiate with budget offices, which then submit them to OMB. One year before the start of the fiscal year, OMB sends agencies' budget requests back to agencies, requesting revised funding levels that align with the President's budget priorities in a step known as passback. State and USAID negotiate between OMB and OUs to align their budgets with the President's priorities. President's Budget and Congressional Budget Justification (CBJ) (early February prior to fiscal year start). OMB submits the President's Budget, the Administration's annual budget request, to Congress (31 U.S.C. § 1105) after negotiating funding levels with agencies. State publishes its own CBJ on the same day, which articulates requested budget needs and proposed activities. State issues annexes providing detailed country- level account breakdowns after publishing the CBJ, usually several weeks later (FAA Section 634, 22 U.S.C. §2394). Appropriations Act/Conference Report/Joint Explanatory Statement (required before start offiscal year). With the President's Budget, the CBJ, and Administration officials' budget hearings, Congress formulates annual SFOPS appropriations. Titles III and IV of the bill set account appropriations, and Title VII, General Provisions, includes funding directives for certain countries. An accompanying conference report or a Joint Explanatory Statement (JES) includes allocation tables designating account breakdowns for country funding directives. In recent years, Congress has included a provision in SFOPS (Section 7019 of the FY2020 Act) barring the Administration from deviating below funding levels in these allocation tables by more than 10% without congressional consultation. 653(a) Report (sent to Congress 30 days after appropriations enacted, as required by the FAA). State/F, State/BP, and USAID/BRM develop a comprehensive table that satisfies the funding directives and allocation tables set Wy's C.,, N,, ',Ngwq ppmmp mgnowgo 10 0\ ILU

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