October 25
This week in MORE POWER:
Cutting Foreign Policy Funding
Resources to Ukraine
Update on Israel Aid
No Tech for Iran
Accounting for China
Congress is still on recess, and there is a lot of news about U.S. involvement in world affairs, so we are bringing you a special edition on foreign policy legislation on the Hill.
Cutting Foreign Policy Funding
Every year, Congress must pass a budget bill to allocate funding to the Department of State and similar agencies. It’s called the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. The House has passed this year’s bill, which cuts funding by 11%. It emphasizes funding Israel while limiting funding for climate change initiatives, as well as diversity and inclusion programs. The bill also bans the use of the allocated funding for sheltering undocumented immigrants on military bases, as the U.S. has, at times, considered or used military installations to temporarily house undocumented immigrants, particularly during times of large influxes of migrants. Next, the Senate has to draft and pass their own version of the bill and the chambers will have to negotiate a final version, pass it in both chambers, and send it to the president to sign it into law.
Resources to Ukraine
The House has passed two bills to allocate additional funding to Ukraine: the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and Ukraine Security Assistance and Oversight Supplemental Appropriations Act. The first bill focuses on a broader range of federal departments and agencies, including economic support and refugee assistance, while the second bill specifically allocates funds to the Department of Defense and establishes the Office of the Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance, which would oversee the accountability of the funding, attempting to prevent waste and fraud. The next step to this funding getting to Ukraine is for the Senate to pass the bill.
Update on Israel Aid
The Biden administration has warned Israel that it must improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk violating U.S. laws governing military aid, meaning future aid could be reconsidered or restricted if conditions don’t improve. However, the House passed a bill that would – if made law – conflict with the Biden administration's approach by ensuring that U.S. aid to Israel continues uninterrupted, even if Israel doesn't meet humanitarian demands. The Israel Security Assistance Support Act would ensure all defense articles or services to Israel are protected, meaning no federal official can withhold allocated federal funds. President Biden has threatened to veto this bill.
Per the Associated Press (AP), since last year, the U.S. has spent about $17.9 billion on military aid for Israel; additionally, the U.S. has spent another $4.86 billion on American military operations. According to AP-NORC’s polling, 35% of Americans feel that the U.S. has offered too much support to Israel; 35% of Americans feel that the U.S. has not supported Palestine enough. Reuters reports that Palestinian Health Ministry stated the death toll as of Sept. 29 was at least 41,595.
No Tech for Iran
The House passed the No Technology for Terror Act with overwhelming bipartisan support, with a margin of 406 to 19. If enacted, this bill would extend the foreign direct product rule to Iran, restricting the transfer of foreign-made items that use U.S. technology. This means that if a product is made using U.S. technology or components, it may be subject to these controls; this would include cameras, lasers, and sensors. Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), who introduced the bill, stated that it aims to prevent terrorist organizations from using U.S.-made components in drones and other weapons systems that threaten American troops overseas.
Accounting for China
The House passed Chinese Currency Accountability Act, which bill would require the U.S. to oppose any increase in the value of China's currency, the renminbi, within the currency basket used for Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which is a financial tool of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that allows countries to access additional currency reserves. SDRs are based on a basket of five currencies, and the U.S. Treasury would instruct officials to resist changes unless China meets specific compliance conditions, ensuring accountability in international currency practices. This bill is a response to what some have viewed as China manipulating its currency to gain an unfair trade advantage.
What Congress Passed
On recess.
On recess.
Nothing.
What POTUS Signed Into Law
Nothing.
