Reuters North American News Service, February 4th, 2008
Feb 4 (Reuters) - The Bush administration's spending plan for
fiscal year 2009, released Monday, includes a 16.5 percent
annual increase for foreign affairs operations, including the U.S.
State Department.
The $38.3 billion spending total for the State Department and
other international programs is $5.4 billion more than the $32.9
billion for the current 2008 fiscal year. It would also mark a
20.8 percent, two-year increase from $31.7 billion spent on
foreign operations in fiscal 2007.
Following are several foreign affairs highlights of President
George W. Bush's $3.1 trillion budget plan for fiscal 2009, which
begins next Oct. 1:
* $400 million to help Iraq achieve economic, democratic and
political stabilization; and $1.1 billion to help Afghanistan
promote economic growth, strengthen its governing institutions,
improve access to health care and education and increase
democratic governance;
* $830 million to Pakistan to aid security, combat terrorism,
promote democracy and further economic development.
* $699 million for U.S. government news and information
television, radio and Internet broadcasts overseas with a focus on
the Middle East, North Korea, Myanmar, Iran and Cuba;
* $6 billion for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief, a program that is expected to spend $30 billion over the
next five years to help millions of people affected by the AIDS
crisis;
* $550 million for the Merida Initiative to fight
drug-trafficking and organized crime in Mexico and Central
America;
* $400 million for a new international clean technology fund
as part of Bush's Climate Change Initiative;
* $1.5 billion for U.N. peacekeeping operations including
initiatives in Sudan, Congo, Liberia, Lebanon and Haiti.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Caren Bohan and Vicki
Allen)
