Omnibus: Appropriations Update for Fiscal Year 2014
Last night House and Senate leaders unveiled a 1500 page, $1 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2014. The bill largely protects key poverty focused foreign aid accounts, and provides increases for several priority issues.
The proposal includes full funding for the Global Fund – $1.65 billion, which puts the U.S. on track to meet its $5 billion matching challenge to other donors. The bill also restores bilateral TB funding to the FY12 enacted level of $236 million, rejecting a $45 million cut proposed by the Administration.
Building on the momentum of the June 2013 Nutrition for Growth Summit, the bill funds global nutrition programs at $115 million, a 21 percent increase over last year’s level. The bill also increases funding for Maternal and Child Health programs to $705 million, a $77.7 million increase over the enacted level in FY2013. This includes $175 million for GAVI, which would fulfill the Administration’s three-year $450 million pledge.
Microfinance funding is protected at its current level of $265 million.
The bill provides $800 million for basic education, but does not specify a funding level for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). However, the bill does authorize a contribution to multilateral education organizations like GPE, and instructs the Administration to consult with the Appropriations Committees before a contribution is made.
The bill is expected to be taken up by the House first, and passed by Congress and sent to the President this weekend. As the committees release reports to accompany the actual bill, additional details may emerge on Congress’s policy and funding priorities for the year.
As the FY2014 bills wrap up, RESULTS will start ramping up our advocacy efforts to influence FY2015. The work you do to get face-to-face meetings with your members of Congress early in the year continues to have a huge impact in mobilizing resources to make a difference in the world on issues of poverty.