Bread for the World Praises Senate Vote to Improve Foreign Aid Effectiveness

2 MIN READ
Joseph Molieri/Bread for the World

Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World applauds the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016 (H.R. 3766), and urges the House of Representatives to quickly pass this bipartisan, common-sense bill.

“Making U.S. foreign assistance more transparent and accountable will help ensure that every tax dollar is used effectively,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “This is especially important now that the global community has embraced new goals to end hunger and poverty by 2030.”

The bill establishes important guidelines to ensure that U.S. foreign assistance dollars are administered in a transparent, accountable, and effective way. Similar versions of this bill were passed in previous years in both the House and Senate.

“More openness and transparency will help improve our foreign assistance programs and better allocate resources to where they are needed most,” said Beckmann.

The bill requires the president to establish uniform guidelines across all U.S. foreign assistance programs. It also requires a public website—known as the Foreign Assistance Dashboard (www.foreignassistance.gov)—with detailed information about how such aid is used. Each relevant federal department or agency would be required to publish and update the dashboard quarterly with such information as budgets, evaluations, and strategies.

Over the years, Bread for the World and its members have sought to improve U.S. foreign assistance by emphasizing a stronger focus on reducing poverty and clearer accountability for how U.S. tax dollars are spent.

“We thank Senators Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin for their continued work to pass this common-sense, bipartisan bill,” Beckmann said. “We urge the House to act quickly and pass this bill so the president can finally sign it into law.”

Related Resources