What legislative vehicles can be used to take forward a poverty-reduction agenda for US foreign aid policy?
The main legislative vehicle in recent years for foreign aid policy has been the foreign operations appropriations bill. But this approach, with its spending focus, has led to a patchwork foreign aid policy without a coherent structure. The legislative vehicle for foreign aid policy should be a foreign aid authorization bill, but Congress has been unable to pass such a bill since 1985. Whether in an authorization bill or an appropriations bill, we will advocate for a comprehensive foreign aid policy that addresses international poverty reduction goals. What poverty reduction goals should be the focus of US foreign aid? International poverty goals include halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty, enrolling all children in elementary schools, and reducing infant and child mortality rates. We believe that efforts should focus on sub-Saharan Africa, where the needs are most urgent. Statistics suggest that the trend-lines towards reaching the international poverty reductio
