Bills
| 3.23.22

Does the Executive Branch Need to be More Transparent About Foreign Aid? (H.R. 3766)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 3766?

(Updated May 21, 2019)

This bill was enacted on July 15, 2016

This bill seeks to bring more transparency to how foreign aid is monitored. It directs the President to create a set of guidelines and performance goals for evaluating U.S. foreign development and economic assistance. Those guidelines would then have to be reported to Congress.

Every federal department or agency that administers U.S. foreign development and economic assistance would have to report comprehensive information about their programs to the State Dept. — who would then be responsible for putting that information on their website (ForeignAssistance.gov).

Argument in favor

The State Dept. and federal agencies that offer foreign aid need to be accountable for where that funding goes so the public can rest assured it's not being wasted.

Argument opposed

Federal agencies that provide foreign aid, including the State Department, are already transparent about how that funding is spent.

Impact

Citizens interested in how the federal government spends foreign aid dollars, agencies and departments that distribute foreign aid, and the State Department.

Cost of H.R. 3766

The CBO estimates that implementing this legislation would cost less than $500,000 over the 2016-2020 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) believes that “it is time to modernize and reform the outdated foreign aid program” in order to improve transparency and eliminate waste:

“Under the current system, billions of taxpayer dollars are sent to a majority of the countries in the world, and no one really knows how efficient or effective that aid is. Implementing a system to evaluate the success (or failure) of each program will increase both learning and accountability, making the program stronger. It is also important for Americans to know exactly where their money is sent.”

This bill currently has 20 cosponsors in the House including five Democrats and 12 Republicans, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee reported this legislation by unanimous consent.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user US Embassy Kathmandu)