PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE September 28, 2012 WASHINGTON UPDATE Senator Rand Paul Bill On September 22, the

Senate overwhelmingly rejected a bill (S.3576) introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), which would have cut funding to Egypt, Pakistan, Libya and any other country where KY), the U.S. embassy may have been attacked or targeted for attack. InterAction staff and InterAction members played a very active role in opposing the bill, sending out action alerts and letters to Capitol Hill in order to ensure the bill defeat. A number of senators spoke out against the bill bills including Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ), Bob Corker (R-TN), John Kerry (R (D-MA), Dan Coats (R-IN), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Marco Rubio (R-FL). A number of additional senators reportedly expressed concern that the bill would even cut off aid ditional to strong, traditional allies like Israel, should our embassy there come under attack. It was therefore rejected by the lopsided margin of 81 81-10, but Senate aides and other analysts believe that Paul is likely to continuing targeting U.S. foreign aid and may garner more support in the future with better-crafted legislation. crafted Continuing Resolution The Senate passed a six-month continuing resolution (CR) early Saturday morning, which will month morning appropriate federal funding at a 0.6% increase over fiscal year 2012 levels through March 27, 2013. The bill was passed 62-30 after votes were held on the four pieces of legislation that were 30 holding up the CR. The resolution has been presented to the president for his signature. presented QDDR Act and Foreign Assistance Transparency Accountability Act Both the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review Act (S. 3341) and the Foreign Assistance Transparency Accountability Act (S. 3310) were reported out of the Senate Foreign reported Relations Committee last week with a positive recommendation. S. 3341 was then passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, though there exists no House companion bill, and the legislations future remains unclear. S. 3310, on the other hand, did not see further action by the full Senate, and its House companion bill (H.R.3159) remains stalled in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY UPDATE This week, the 67th regular session of United Nations General Assembly met in New York. General Concurrently, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) held its 8th annual meeting. In the section below, we have summarized speeches by President Obama at both events and Governor Romney at the CGI. President Obamas speeches were focused primarily on democracy and human rights, with the second speech specifically on the topic of human trafficking. Governor Romneys speech was his first major address specifically on foreign aid. President Obamas United Nations Address In his address to the United Nations Assembly on Tuesday morning, President Obama emphasized the importance of preserving freedom of speech in emerging democracies, even 1

when the temptation is to suppress offensive ideas. Beginning by talking about Chris Stevens, the American diplomat who was killed in an attack on the American compound in Benghazi two weeks ago, the president condemned the violence as well as the video that sparked it. However, he spoke out strongly against banning the video because, as he stated, efforts to restrict speech can quickly become a tool to silence critics and oppress minorities. Declaring that the future must belong to those who eschew violence and fight intolerance, Obama affirmed the importance of diverse communities living together in peace, as well as Americas obligation and goal to broaden prosperity around the world. The president praised the people of every race and every faith who are committed to freedom, dignity and justice, stating that the United States of America will always stand up for these aspirations. The president briefly discussed development issues as well, highlighting several partnerships the United States is taking part in. These partnerships include joint endeavors with G20 members to promote global economic recovery, direct engagement with African governments to address food security issues, and a commitment to the Equal Futures Partnership to increase women and girls participation in politics. The entire address can be found here. Clinton Global Initiative Special Remarks by the U.S. Presidential Candidates President Barack Obama President Obama framed his remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative 2012 Conference around the issue of human trafficking, within both an international and domestic context. He underlined the gravity of the issue, highlighted concrete steps being taken in the fight against trafficking, and reiterated the United States commitment to the cause. Obama condemned trafficking as modern slavery and a barbaric practice that has no place in a civilized world. He emphasized that with over 20 million victims worldwide, trafficking is a global challenge that needs to be addressed on local, national and international levels, through partnerships between dedicated individuals, organizations and businesses. He vowed to recommit to tackling the underlying factors that fuel trafficking through a focus on economic growth, creation of jobs, and the promotion of equality and justice. Similarly, he reiterated his commitment to providing victims of trafficking with the services and care they are entitled to as human beings. His suggested multidimensional approach comprises: Training of law enforcement, teachers, Amtrak personnel and others to better recognize trafficking; Renewing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act; Increasing access to services by victims, including facilitating T Visa procedures; and Partnering with businesses to ensure their support for the cause. President Obama assured his audience that the United States has and will continue to lead by example. He expressed his gratitude for the contribution of individuals affiliated with both faithbased and secular organizations combating trafficking. He also highlighted several initiatives that have recently been put in place. These include: the New Business Coalition against Trafficking, which provides businesses with tools to end trafficking; and new multimillion dollar U.S. government partnership with Humanity United, challenging community members to bring trafficking to an end. The entire speech can be found here.

Governor Mitt Romney Governor Romneys remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative highlighted suggestions for an aid with trade foreign aid policy that is tailored to a free enterprise and private sector partnerships approach. Recognizing the United States position in the donor pool as contributor to nearly onequarter of total global foreign aid, he advocated for a more private sector approach. Romney began by highlighting Americas passion, citing that even though the United States makes up just 4.5% of the worlds population, we donate almost 25% of all foreign aid. He said that too often our passion for charity is tempered by our sense that our aid is not effective and pointed to the concern that U.S. foreign aid went to corrupt nations. Part of this disappointment with foreign aid, according to Romney, is also a failure to realize the shift in development assistance from governments to the private sector. Romney explained that foreign assistance serves three main purposes: to address humanitarian needs, to foster strategic interest of the United States, and to provide aid that elevates people and brings about lasting change. He emphasized that in order for aid to be effective it must embrace partnerships, provide adequate access to free enterprise and leverage the private sectors investments in developing countries. He added that the microfinance model is only designed to cater to small ventures, leaving the needs of larger businesses unmet. To address these needs in a way that is mindful of the aforementioned criteria of effective aid, he is proposing Prosperity Pacts, which would provide incentive assistance packages to developing countries for working with the private sector to identify and remove barriers to free enterprise and opening up their markets to U.S. investment and trade. Romney mentioned the recent outbreaks of violence in the Middle East, stating that the regions overwhelmingly young and chronically unemployed population needs to be diverted from the path of extremism through work, also a benefit of his proposal. He concluded by reiterating the economic benefit of a free enterprise approach to the United States and developing countries and his commitment to fulfilling the moral duty to keep the engine of prosperity running. The entire speech can be found here. UPCOMING HEARINGS There are no upcoming hearings. ARTICLES AND REPORTS Al Jazeera Sept. 27: Malis PM Calls for Foreign Intervention Malis prime minister has requested foreign assistance to help defeat the insurgents who control large regions in the north of the country. However, Secretary Clinton expressed reluctance to do so immediately, saying that efforts should first be concentrated on installing a legitimate government. BBC Sept. 27: Sri Lanka: Displaced Tamil Families Left in the Jungle Activists report that more than 26,000 people remain displaced by the Sri Lankan civil war, and many families still do not have homes or any means with which to rebuild their lives. However, the government denies this, claiming that people are happy with the assistance they have received. 3

Foreign Policy Sept. 25: Demands for Change Shake up Politics in Kabul On Sunday, 20 Afghan political groups and factions in Kabul met to sign a Democratic Charter and announce the formation of a cooperation and coordination council. Their stated aims are to forge a consensus to strengthen democratic governance, ensure free and fair elections, and pressure President Hamid Karzai to commit to electoral reforms. IRIN Sept. 26: Niger: Agencies Scramble to Repair Schools After Floods After flooding in July and August displaced more than 500,000 people, the Niger government is struggling to reopen thousands of schools damaged in the floods so that childrens education will not be further interrupted. New York Times Sept. 26: Obama Tells U.N. New Democracies Need Free Speech In his address to the United Nations Assembly on Tuesday morning, President Obama emphasized the importance of preserving freedom of speech in emerging democracies, even in the face of violence. ReliefWeb Sept. 27: Hunger crisis threatens to derail Yemens development and stability, aid agencies Despite pledges of $6.4 billion dedicated to humanitarian response efforts in Yemen, aid agencies say that Yemens hunger crisis is severely underfunded, a fact that could threaten Yemens stability and security.
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