{
  "id": "RL30515",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30515",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101900,
      "date": "2000-09-29",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:33:16.020941",
      "title": "International Affairs Budget Trends, FY1980-FY2000",
      "summary": "There have been sharp debates during recent years in Congress and differences between the\nexecutive\nand legislative branches on the appropriate level of funding for U.S. foreign policy programs. \nEspecially since 1995, the President and some lawmakers have been critical of amounts ultimately\nenacted, charging that congressional cuts placed foreign policy spending far below \"traditional\" levels\nand jeopardized important U.S. economic, security, and diplomatic interests overseas. Foreign policy\nspending has grown the past three years, largely through approval of emergency supplementals in\nsupport of international contingencies and disaster relief assistance.\n  Foreign policy spending supports a variety of U.S. government programs and activities,\nincluding foreign economic and military assistance, contributions to international organizations and\nmultilateral financial institutions, State Department, and U.S. Agency for International Development\n(USAID), operating expenses, and export promotion programs.\n  International Affairs discretionary budget authority, measured in real terms, has experienced\nseveral cycles over the past two decades. There were periods of rapid growth followed immediately\nby sharp declines during the mid-1980s. After several years of relative stable budget levels in the late\n1980s and early 1990s, amounts fell through FY1997. The foreign policy budget rose slightly in\nFY1998 but significantly in FY1999. Estimates for FY2000 are slightly below FY1999. Foreign\npolicy funding for FY2000 ($23.3 billion), in real terms, falls 5.4% below the annual average of\n$24.61 billion for the past 21 years. As a percent of total U.S. government discretionary budget\nauthority, international affairs spending is just slightly less than the 4.06% annual average level since\nFY1980. However, as a percent of the total federal budget, including discretionary and mandatory\nprograms, foreign policy resources are about one-fifth less than the average annual percentage\n(1.571%) over the past 21 years.\n  Foreign aid budget authority experienced steady growth during the early 1980s with a spike in\nFY1985, declining levels in the late 1980s, and a further steady downward pattern since the end of\nthe Cold War and Persian Gulf conflict. There was a sharp drop in FY1996 followed by an increase\nin FY1998 that has continued through FY2000. The current estimate for FY2000 of $15.39 billion\nis higher than any year since FY1992, but lower than any time prior to FY1992, and 11.7% less than\nthe annual average over the past 21 years.\n  Funding allocations for the conduct of foreign affairs and public diplomacy, activities largely\noverseen by the Department of State, have steadily risen, although with short-term reductions in the\nmid-1980s and the FY1996/97 period. Unlike other elements of the International Affairs budget,\ndiplomatic programs for FY2000 are funded at a level about 28% higher than the average annual level\nof the past 21 years.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30515",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Intelligence and National Security"
  ]
}