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Conrrtesoa I serhSevc


Updated February 25, 2019


U.S. Foreign Assistance


What   Is U.S. Foreign Assistance?
Foreign assistance is an instrument of U.S. policy through
which the U.S. government provides resources to another
country's government, civil society, or other private sector
entity on a grant or concessional loan basis. Most U.S.
foreign assistance is administered by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID); the Millennium
Challenge Corporation (MCC);  the U.S. Departments of
State, Agriculture, the Treasury, and Defense (DOD); or is
channeled through multilateral organizations.
U.S. foreign assistance can take many forms. On average,
about 2% of aid is provided as direct budget support (cash)
to foreign governments. More often, aid is provided through
projects implemented by U.S. and international agencies,
contractors, or nongovernmental organizations. It takes the
form of expert technical advice, training, equipment, and
construction in a wide range of sectors (see Figure 1), and
can support vaccines and malaria nets, textbooks, food,
roads and other infrastructure, educational exchanges,
microcredit, applied research, and military weaponry.

  ...Strategic development assistance is not charity-it
  is an essential modern tool of U.S. national security.
  joint Testimony of 16 Retired Generals and Flag Officers to
  Senate Armed Services Committee, 6/13/2017

Why   Provide  U.S. Foreign  Assistance?
There are three main overlapping rationales behind U.S.
foreign assistance:
(1) National Security. Aid may help build stability and
counter international threats by promoting global prosperity
and health, environmental protection, democracy and rule
of law, and by bolstering the military readiness and security
of allied nations.
(2) Commercial  Interests. Supporting economic growth in
developing countries may expand markets for U.S. exports,
creating economic opportunities here at home.
(3) Humanitarian  Interests. Providing food, shelter, and
other basic assistance to refugees and other victims of
natural disasters and conflict is a reflection of U.S. values
and global leadership.
Critics of foreign aid maintain that efforts to generate
economic  growth in developing countries, promote
democracy, and train and equip foreign militaries, among
other objectives, have often been ineffective and wasteful.
Other critics argue that foreign aid funds would be better
used to address domestic priorities, or to reduce the federal
deficit.


  I think it's a very simple choice that when we're
  looking at helping those in need in our country, we
  quit sending money to other countries. Senator Rand
  Paul, Senate Floor Speech, 9/7/201 7

How   Much  Is Spent  on U.S. Foreign  Assistance?
In FY2017, the United States obligated an estimated $49.87
billion, about 1.2% of the total federal budget and 4.1% of
discretionary budget authority, for foreign assistance from
all sources, as reported by the U.S. Foreign Assistance
Explorer database (https://explorer.usaid.gov/). This
included aid pursuant to the State, Foreign Operations and
Related Agencies (SFOPS)  appropriations as well as aid
from the Department of Agriculture, DOD, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and other agency
appropriations.

Figure  I. Foreign Aid as a Portion of Federal Budget
Authority  and by Sector, FY201  7 (net obligations)


                           Peace & Security, 34%
                      a    in ve sting iP, Peopl e, 23% )
               A           Humanitaan, 17%
            Pt at          r     ng Ec onmic Growh ,9%
                           Prngr m Management, 7%
                           overning Justly & Democratically, 6%
                           Mu ti-Sector, 4%

Source: Foreign Aid Explorer; CRS calculations.
Note: FY2017 data are the most recent comprehensive data
available.
Excluding military assistance (for which comparable data is
not available), the United States ranked first in the world in
2017 among  official donors of development and
humanitarian assistance in dollar terms, followed by
Germany,  the United Kingdom, Japan, and France. When
such aid is calculated as a percentage of gross national
income, however, the United Arab Emirates tops the list of
major donors, while the United States ranks 25th (OECD
2017). While some argue that the United States should
increase aid levels to address global needs, others assert that
U.S. contributions adequately reflect U.S. global interests
or exceed an appropriate share.
Who   Receives  U.S. Foreign  Assistance?
More  than 200 countries received some form of U.S.
assistance in 2017, reflecting the broad use of aid as a
diplomatic tool. Top U.S. bilateral aid recipients are
typically countries that are strategic allies in the Middle
East, important partners in counterterrorism efforts, or


https://crsreports.congress.gov

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