From Mark Overmann at the Alliance for International Education and Cultural Exchange:
Department of State educational and cultural exchange programs will be funded at $635 million in FY 2010, as reported in the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act Summary for State and Foreign Operations, now available on the Senate Appropriations Committee website. This funding level is $97 million above the FY 2009 level of $538 million and $2 million above the President’s request.
The State and Foreign Operations bill also includes:
- $8.227 billion for diplomatic and consular programs, $1.164 billion above the FY 2009 level (this appropriation includes funds to hire more than 700 new Foreign Service personnel);
- $1.39 billion for USAID operating expenses, $330 million above FY 2009 (this appropriation includes funds to hire 300 additional Foreign Service Officers as part of the Development Leadership Initiative);
- $400 million for the Peace Corps, $60 million above 2009 and $27 million above the request (“to accelerate the President’s pledge to expand the Peace Corps”);
- $149 million for oversight of the State Department and foreign operations, including State Department and USAID Inspectors General, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), and Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), $2 million above the request;
- $2.520 billion for development assistance, $720 million above FY 2009.
As reported earlier today, Congress is working against a December 18 deadline, at which time the current continuing resolution funding the federal government expires. CQ.com now reports that the omnibus package of spending bills could be adopted “as early as this week.”
