The U.S. debt ceiling and deficit debate has led to new scrutiny about spending on foreign aid. The House Foreign Affairs committee approved a State Department and foreign operations authorization (WashPost) bill on July 20 that included over $6 billion in cuts, including restricting aid to Pakistan without greater cooperation on terrorism, as well as other highly debated measures. Stewart Patrick, director of CFR’s International Institutions and Global Governance program, acknowledges that cuts in foreign aid should be on the table, but that they “should be proportional and no more than cuts that are made to the rest of the federal budget.” He also says that while foreign aid could become leaner and more effective, lawmakers “would have to change the paradigm in which we actually deliver foreign assistance.” He argues that foreign aid should be consolidated into less agencies and accounts and should be less donor driven to allow for more opportunities on the ground.
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