U.S. foreign aid system broken and flawed

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia held a hearing on consolidating U.S. foreign assistance bureaucracy.

Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) said U.S. foreign assistance includes economic development, security, health, governmental, and disaster response efforts. He said there is a great need to design a comprehensive national assistance strategy with a clear mission and the full means to accomplish it. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) said now the aid system is fractured and cumbersome. He said the current, ineffective structure must be compounded to become well-managed, well-funded, and well-staffed.

Richard Greene, deputy director of U.S. foreign assistance at the State Department, said the aid system needs more funding flexibility, driven by demand rather than availability. He said foreign assistance is the most complicated effort in the public policy arena, adding that little has been done to simplify the accounts structure. Akaka said there are 20 government agencies and 50 programs providing international assistance. Greene admitted that it would be smart to consolidate all of the government entities.

Voinovich said $36 billion dollars are disposed for aid, while the defense budget is $683 billion. He said even the funds should be better distributed because foreign aid provides great returns in improving the image of the U.S.