GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies 

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548 

September 14, 2005 

Congressional Committees 

Subject: Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. 

Policies at the International Monetary Fund 

Over the years, Congress has shown extensive interest in legislating U.S. policies 

regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Currently, the administration is 

charged with responding to dozens of legislative mandates related to the IMF 

including advocacy for certain IMF policies, instructions for U.S. voting positions on 

IMF assistance to borrower countries, and requirements to report to Congress on 

various aspects of U.S. participation in the IMF. 

 

In 2003 and 2004, we reported that the United States had maintained nearly 70 

legislative mandates prescribing U.S. policy goals at the IMF. These mandates 

covered a wide range of policies, including policies regarding combating terrorism,

human rights, international trade, and weapons proliferation. As an international 

organization, the IMF is generally exempt from U.S. law. However, Congress can 

seek to influence IMF policy by directing the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the 

U.S. Executive Director to pursue certain policy considerations or to vote in a 

particular way on IMF programs or on assistance to specific countries, as part of the 

Director’s duties within the IMF’s Executive Board.1

In 2000, Congress directed us to assess the Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) 

efforts in advancing U.S. legislative mandates at the IMF. The Consolidated 

Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 20002

requires us to report annually on the extent 

to which IMF practices are consistent with U.S. policies as set forth in federal law. In 

January 2001, we reported that Treasury instituted a formal process in 1999 to 

systematically promote congressionally mandated policies at the IMF.3

 We also found 

that, although Treasury had had some influence over IMF policies, it was difficult to 

 

1

The Executive Board oversees the day-to-day business of the IMF. The board comprises 24 executive 

directors who are appointed or elected by member countries or by groups of member countries. The 

President appoints, with the advice and consent of the Senate, the U.S. Executive Director to represent 

the United States on the board. 

2

Pub. L. No. 106-113, § 504 (e) (2004). 

3

See GAO, International Monetary Fund: Efforts to Advance U.S. Policies at the Fund, GAO-01-214

(Washington, D.C.: Jan. 29, 2001).
Page 2 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

attribute the adoption of a policy within the IMF solely to the efforts of any one 

member, because the IMF generally makes decisions on the basis of consensus. In 

February 2003 and July 2004, we provided updates on (1) the status of the U.S. 

Treasury’s process for advancing congressional mandates at the IMF and (2) the 

number of U.S. legislative mandates concerning the IMF.4

 This report provides a 

similar update for 2005. 

Results in Brief 

The Department of the Treasury continues to maintain a formal process for 

advancing U.S. policies at the IMF. A task force facilitates coordination between the 

Treasury and the U.S. Executive Director and identifies early opportunities to 

influence decisions of IMF members. Since our July 2004 report, the task force has 

continued to meet on a regular basis to identify opportunities to advance legislative 

mandates at the IMF. Treasury continues to promote the task force as a tool for 

monitoring and promoting legislative mandates and other policy priorities, for 

example, by including discussion on crosscutting policy issues such as debt relief and 

by focusing attention not only on present, but also on prospective, IMF programs. 

We have identified 71 legislative mandates that prescribe U.S. policy goals at the IMF, 

similar to the number—67—that we reported in our 2003 and 2004 reports. Although 

the total number remained comparatively constant, some mandates have expired, and 

others have been added. New mandates address policy issues such as promoting 

peace in Sudan and democratic governance in Belarus. Treasury continues to notify 

the U.S. Executive Director about new mandates through instruction letters. 

Background 

The Department of the Treasury has the lead role within the executive branch for 

formulating U.S. policy toward the IMF. The U.S. Executive Director is appointed by 

the President and pursues U.S. policy objectives through his or her membership in 

the IMF’s Executive Board. Treasury’s Office of International Affairs, along with the 

Office of the U.S. Executive Director of the IMF, formulates, evaluates, and 

implements Treasury policy concerning U.S. participation in the IMF, including the 

policy positions and directives set forth in legislative mandates. 

The legislative mandates that set forth U.S. policy regarding the IMF cover a range of 

issues. Some of these, such as exchange rate policy, are core to the IMF’s mission. 

This report classifies mandates into one of two broad categories: “policy” mandates 

 

4

See GAO, Treasury Maintains a Formal Process to Advance U.S. Policies at the International 

Monetary Fund, GAO-03-401R (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 7, 2003); and Treasury Continues Its Formal 

Process to Promote U.S. Policies at the International Monetary Fund , GAO-04-928R (Washington,

D.C.: July 12, 2004). 
Page 3 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

and “directed vote” mandates.5 Policy mandates seek to foster or advocate a certain 

policy at the IMF by directing Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director to use 

his or her “voice,” “vote,” or both, on behalf of the United States at the Executive 

Board to bring about a policy change at the IMF. For example, the U.S. Executive 

Director is directed to encourage the IMF to adopt internationally recognized worker 

rights for borrowing countries. Directed vote mandates are more prescriptive, in that 

they instruct the United States to “oppose” or “vote against” loans or other IMF 

assistance to particular countries or categories of countries. For example, the U.S. 

Executive Director is directed to vote against financial assistance for a country that is 

not compliant with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act6 (see enclosure I, mandate 

51). 

Treasury Has a Systematic Process for Promoting U.S. Legislative Mandates 

Treasury continues to have a systematic process in place to advance U.S. legislative 

mandates at the IMF. As we reported previously,7Treasury created the Task Force 

on Implementation of U.S. Policy and Reforms in the IMF in March 1999 to strengthen 

the process by which the United States pursues its objectives at the IMF. In 

particular, the task force was to increase awareness among Treasury staff about the 

mandates and identify early opportunities to provide input to the U.S. Executive 

Director to influence decisions regarding IMF members’ programs and economic 

reviews. Treasury also continues to make available to all relevant staff annual 

updates of its comprehensive legislative mandates manual, which contains all 

mandates applicable to U.S. participation in the IMF. 

The task force includes staff-level representatives from the regional and functional 

offices within Treasury’s Office of International Affairs, Treasury’s Office of the 

General Counsel, and the U.S. Executive Director’s office. Task force members 

continue to meet monthly to discuss how Treasury and the U.S. Executive Director 

can best apply legislative mandates given a country’s economic circumstances.8 

According to Treasury officials, the task force serves an important role as a 

mechanism to systematically remind Treasury officials of the need to address 

legislative mandates. Prior to each monthly meeting, task force members review a 

tentative schedule of IMF Executive Board meetings for upcoming weeks to stay 

abreast of what countries will be discussed by the board. Also, Treasury officials 

may prepare for the meetings by obtaining information about other opportunities to 

 

5

Reporting mandates that require Treasury to report to Congress on various issues related to U.S. 

participation in the IMF constitute a third category of legislative mandates. This report does not cover 

reporting mandates because they are not related to advancing U.S. policy goals at the IMF. 

6

22 U.S.C. § 7107 (2004). 

7

GAO-01-214; GAO-03-401R; GAO-04-928R. 

8

Although the task force helps facilitate coordination between Treasury officials and the U.S. 

Executive Director, it is not the final arbiter for determining the U.S. policy position toward the IMF on 

any given issue. The task force is not a review or approval mechanism to give Treasury sanction to 

pursue individual mandates. 
Page 4 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

attempt to influence the IMF. For example, Treasury officials may hold discussions 

with IMF officials when an IMF mission is planned to a particular country as part of 

negotiations for a new or existing program or an economic review. 

At the task force meetings, members discuss opportunities to implement mandates, 

including mandates of potential relevance for specific countries. The aim of the 

discussion is to identify the best opportunities to make a credible and convincing 

case for pursuing a mandate at a given time. Once agreement is reached on how to 

pursue a mandate, Treasury officers for the specific country collaborate with U.S. 

Executive Director staff and functional specialists to draft a policy position for the 

U.S. Executive Director. The policy position can take the form of input for a written 

statement or talking points for an oral statement to the Executive Board. The U.S. 

Executive Director pursues U.S. objectives, including the legislative mandates, 

through various channels at the IMF. For example, the U.S. Executive Director 

regularly makes oral or written statements to the board to apprise it of U.S. policy 

objectives regarding requests from countries for new programs, IMF reviews of 

existing programs, and regular IMF reviews of all members’ economic policies. 

Since creating the task force, Treasury has made occasional modifications to its 

efforts to monitor and promote legislative mandates at the IMF. For example, in 

March 2001, the task force expanded its agenda to include not only countries 

scheduled for discussion by the IMF board but also countries that might need a 

program over the next several months. This enabled task force participants to focus 

attention on countries not yet on the board’s calendar. In April 2004, Treasury 

officials initiated efforts to make the task force more useful for participants by, for 

example, reorganizing the meeting agenda into a table format that clearly indicates 

mandates that are relevant to particular countries. They also categorized the 

countries under discussion by differentiating those that currently have an IMF 

program from those that may need one. In early 2005, Treasury began transitioning 

its task force meetings from a biweekly to a monthly basis, while holding periodic 

meetings among the country desk officers, the Office of General Counsel, and the 

Executive Director’s Office, as needed. The task force also added crosscutting policy 

discussions to the agenda. As a result, according to Treasury officials, attendance at 

the task force meetings increased. 

Slight Increase in Number of U.S. Legislative Mandates Concerning the IMF 

The number of U.S. legislative mandates concerning the IMF has remained relatively 

constant for the last 3 years. Through our legal analysis, supplemented by 

documentation obtained from the Department of the Treasury, we identified a total of 

71 IMF-related mandates as of August 2005, 4 more than we identified in each of our 

February 2003 and July 2004 reports. In the year since our last update, only mandates 

enacted by appropriations acts have expired. Although these mandates expired when 

the appropriated funds were no longer legally available, they were each replaced by 

the fiscal year 2005 appropriations act.9

 New mandates address policy issues such as 

 

9

Appropriations for Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and related programs for fiscal year 2005, 

Pub. L. No. 108-447, Div. D, 118 Stat. 2809 (2004) (various sections). 
Page 5 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

oversight of the extraction of natural resources,10 membership and leadership 

positions at the IMF,11 promoting peace in the Sudan,12 and support for the 

development of democracy in Belarus.13 Treasury continues to provide annual 

notification letters concerning new mandates to the U.S. Executive Director’s office. 

These notification letters instruct the U.S. Executive Director to take appropriate 

actions with respect to IMF mandates. 

Enclosure I identifies all directed vote and policy mandates that prescribe U.S. policy 

goals at the IMF under current federal law. The enclosure briefly describes the broad 

policy objectives that the mandates address and some of the actions that are required 

by the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Executive Director. The mandates date from 1945 

to 2004, with the majority enacted in the last decade. Some mandates address 

multiple policy issues, sometimes overlapping one another. Enclosure II identifies 

some policies that are addressed in multiple mandates.14 For example, nine mandates 

pertain to trade and seven pertain to debt issues. 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 

We received written comments on a draft of this report from the Department of the 

Treasury, which are reprinted in enclosure III. Treasury concurred with the facts 

presented in this report. Treasury reiterated its position that the extensive legislative 

mandates could potentially undermine its effectiveness and influence at the IMF. 

Scope and Methodology 

To describe the current process that Treasury has in place to advance congressional 

mandates at the IMF, we reviewed the list of topics discussed in the monthly task 

force meetings from July 2004 to June 2005, which summarizes major issues relating 

to the mandates. To determine the current number of IMF mandates, we analyzed 

Treasury’s compilation of legislative mandates pertaining to the international 

financial institutions and documents obtained through our own legal research. In 

addition, we reviewed a December 2004 memorandum for distribution from Treasury 

to the U.S. Executive Director concerning new mandates and Treasury’s 2005 

compilation of legislative mandates applying to international financial institutions. 

We used two criteria to identify the relevant laws for this review: (1) any current law 

that explicitly directs the U.S. Executive Director to the IMF to use his vote at the 

IMF to achieve a policy goal and (2) any current law that seeks to have the U.S. 

 

 

10Pub. L. No. 108-447, Div. D, § 576(c), 118 Stat. at 3029. 

11Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-458, § 7111, 118 Stat. 3638, 

3794-95 (2004). 

12Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act, Pub. L. No. 108-497, § 6, 118 Stat. 4012, 4018-4019 (2004). 

13Belarus Democracy Act, Pub. L. No. 108-347, § 5, 118 Stat. 1383, 1385–1386 (2004). 

14Within enclosures I and II, mandates shown in bold represent those added since our last report in 

July 2004. Some of these additional mandates replace expired mandates, while others cover new 

topics. 
Page 6 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

Executive Director use his voice at the IMF to promote a U.S. policy or make a policy 

change. To address both objectives, we also interviewed officials in Treasury’s 

Office of International Monetary Policy and the Office of the General Counsel. 

We conducted this review from July 2005 to August 2005 in accordance with generally 

accepted government auditing standards. 

----- 

We are sending copies of this report to other congressional committees, the Secretary 

of the Treasury, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and other 

interested parties. We also will make copies available to others upon request. In 

addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO Web site at 

http://www.gao.gov. If you and your staff have questions, please contact Thomas 

Melito at (202) 512-9601 melitot@gao.gov or Stephanie J. May at (202) 512-6293 

maysj2@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and 

Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made 

major contributions to this report are listed in enclosure IV. 

Thomas Melito 

Director, International Affairs and Trade 

Stephanie J. May 

Managing Associate General Counsel 

General Counsel 

Enclosures – 4 
Page 7 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

List of Congressional Committees 

The Honorable Mitch McConnell 

Chairman 

The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy 

Ranking Minority Member 

Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, 

 and Related Programs 

Committee on Appropriations 

United States Senate 

The Honorable Richard G. Lugar 

Chairman 

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 

Ranking Minority Member 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

United States Senate 

The Honorable Jim Kolbe 

Chairman 

The Honorable Nita M. Lowey 

Ranking Minority Member 

Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, 

 Export Financing and Related Programs 

Committee on Appropriations 

House of Representatives 

The Honorable Michael G. Oxley 

Chairman 

The Honorable Barney Frank 

Ranking Minority Member 

Committee on Financial Services 

House of Representatives 

The Honorable Henry J. Hyde 

Chairman 

The Honorable Tom Lantos 

Ranking Minority Member 

Committee on International Relations 

House of Representatives 
Page 8 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

Enclosure I 

U.S. Legislative Mandatesa Concerning the IMF 

Law and date of 

enactmentb Subject matter Required actions 

Direct

ed 

vote 

1 22 U.S.C. 262d 

Oct. 3, 1977 

Human rights, 

international 

terrorism, 

religious 

freedom, and 

others, including 

nuclear material 

acquisition 

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) shall instruct the U.S. 

Executive Director (USED) to oppose loans to countries whose 

governments engage in a pattern of gross violations of internationally 

recognized human rights or provide refuge to individuals committing 

acts of international terrorism by hijacking aircraft, unless such 

assistance is directed to serve basic human needs. Severe violations 

of religious freedom should be considered in determining if the country 

has engaged in gross violations of internationally recognized human 

rights. Further, Treasury is to instruct the USED to consider a list of 

concerns when carrying out its duties, including whether recipient 

countries are seeking to acquire unsafeguarded special nuclear 

material. 

Yes 

2 22 U.S.C. 262e 

Oct. 3, 1977 

Salaries and 

benefits of 

International 

Monetary Fund 

(IMF) employees

The President shall direct the USED to take all appropriate actions to 

keep the compensation for IMF employees at a level comparable to 

the compensation provided employees of both private business and 

the U.S. government in comparable positions. 

No 

3 22 U.S.C. 262h 

Oct. 15, 1986 

Trade, mining, 

and surplus 

commodities 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use his voice and vote on behalf of 

the United States to oppose any IMF assistance for the production or 

extraction of any commodity or mineral for export, if it is in surplus on 

world markets and if the export of such commodity or mineral would 

cause substantial injury to the U.S. producers of the same, similar, or 

competing commodity or mineral. 

Yes 

4 22 U.S.C. 262k 

Aug. 15, 1985 

Impact of country 

adjustment 

programs on 

industries and 

commodity 

markets and 

opposition to 

assistance for 

copper refining 

and copper 

commodity 

export 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to consider, when reviewing loans, 

credits, or other uses of IMF resources, the effect that country 

adjustment programs would have on individual industries’ sectors and 

international commodity markets including specific criteria to be 

considered as a basis for a vote against certain mining and related 

project proposals. Specifically, in the case of copper, Treasury shall 

instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of the United States to 

oppose any assistance using appropriated funds for the production of 

any copper commodity for export or for the financing of the expansion, 

improvement, or modernization of copper mining, smelting, and 

refining capacity. 

No 

5 22 U.S.C. 262k-1 

Sept. 30, 1996 

Military spending 

and audits 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use his voice and vote to oppose 

any loan, other than for basic humanitarian needs, to any country that 

the Secretary of the Treasury determines does not have in place a 

functioning system for reporting to civilian authorities audits of receipts 

and expenditures that fund activities of the armed and security forces 

and that has not provided to the IMF information about the audit 

process requested by the institution. 

Yes 

6 22 U.S.C. 262k-2 

Sept. 30, 1996 

Female genital 

mutilation 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use his voice and vote to oppose 

any loan, other than for basic humanitarian needs, for any government 

that the Secretary of the Treasury determines has a known history of 

practicing female genital mutilation and has not taken steps to 

implement educational programs designed to prevent this practice. 

Yes 

7 22 U.S.C. 262n-3 

Oct. 21, 1998 

Trade barriers 

and agricultural 

commodities 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use aggressively his voice and 

vote to vigorously promote policies to encourage the opening of 

markets for agricultural commodities and products by requiring 

recipient countries to make efforts to reduce trade barriers. 

No 
Page 9 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

8 22 U.S.C. 262o-1 

Aug. 23, 1994 

Military spending 

and good 

governance 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to consider, when deciding whether 

to support a country’s loan program, the extent to which IMF borrowing 

countries have demonstrated a commitment to (1) providing accurate 

and complete data on military spending; (2) establishing good and 

publicly accountable governance, including to end excessive military 

involvement in the economy; and (3) to make substantial reductions in 

excessive military spending and forces. The USED shall promote a 

policy that seeks to channel funding toward growth and development 

priorities and away from unproductive expenditures, including military 

spending. 

No 

9 22 U.S.C. 262o-2 

Oct. 21, 1998 (as 

amended by Pub. 

L. No. 108-458, 

Dec. 17, 2004).

Transparency, 

debt, private 

sector, trade, 

crisis lending, 

exchange rates, 

labor, the 

environment, 

military spending, 

sound banking, 

social safety 

nets, good 

governance, 

corruption, the 

poor, and ethnic 

and social strife, 

and money 

laundering and 

financing of 

terrorism

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use aggressively his voice and 

vote to enhance the general effectiveness of the IMF with respect to 

numerous issues, including exchange rate stability, trade liberalization, 

antitrust reform, core labor standards, social safety nets, sound 

banking principles, private sector burden-sharing, disclosure of market 

information, debt, crises lending, good governance, procurement 

reform, corruption and bribery, drug-related money laundering, 

excessive military spending, ethnic and social strife, environmental 

protection, transparency, and microenterprise lending, especially to the 

world’s poorest, heavily indebted countries, and anti-money 

laundering (AML) and combat the financing of terrorism (CFT) 

regimes. 

 No 

10 22 U.S.C. 262p-4n 

Nov. 5, 1990 

Equal 

employment 

opportunities at 

the IMF 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use his voice and vote to urge the 

IMF to adopt policies and procedures that ensure that the IMF does 

not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, ethnicity, 

gender, color, or religious affiliation in any determination related to 

employment. 

No 

11 22 U.S.C. 262p-4o 

Aug. 23, 1994 

Respect for 

indigenous 

peoples 

Treasury shall direct the USED to use his voice and vote to bring 

about the creation and full implementation of policies designed to 

promote respect for and full protection of the territorial rights, 

traditional economies, cultural integrity, traditional knowledge, and 

human rights of indigenous peoples. 

No 

12 22 U.S.C. 262p-4p 

Aug. 23, 1994 

Internationally 

recognized 

worker rights 

Treasury shall direct the USED to use his voice and vote to urge the 

IMF to adopt policies to encourage borrowing countries to guarantee 

certain internationally recognized worker rights and to include the 

status of such rights as an integral part of the policy dialogue with each 

country. In addition, the USED shall urge the IMF to establish formal 

procedures to screen projects and programs for any negative impact in 

a borrowing country with respect to those rights. 

No 

13 22 U.S.C. 262p-4q 

Apr. 24, 1996 

State support of 

international 

terrorism 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use his voice and vote to oppose 

any loan for a country for which the Secretary of State has made a 

determination that it is a terrorist state. 

Yes 

 14 22 U.S.C. 262p-4r 

Oct. 26, 2001 Terrorism Treasury may instruct the USED to use aggressively the voice and 

vote of the United States to require an auditing of IMF disbursements 

to ensure that no funds are paid to persons who commit, threaten to 

commit, or support terrorism. In addition, if the President determines 

that a country has committed to take actions that contribute to efforts 

of the United States to respond to, deter, or prevent acts of 

international terrorism, Treasury may instruct the USED to use the 

voice and vote of the United States to support any loan or other use of 

IMF funds for such country. 

No 
Page 10 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

15 22 U.S.C. 262p-6 

Nov. 29, 1999 

Debt relief Treasury should urge the IMF to complete a debt sustainability 

analysis by December 31, 2000, and determine eligibility for debt relief 

for as many countries under the modified Heavily Indebted Poor 

Countries Initiative as possible. Treasury shall make every effort 

(including instructing the USED) to ensure that an external 

assessment of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative takes 

place by December 31, 2001. 

No 

16 22 U.S.C. 262p-7 

Nov. 29, 1999 

Extended 

Structural 

Adjustment 

Facility reform 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use his voice and vote to promote 

the IMF’s establishment of poverty reduction policies and procedures 

to support countries’ efforts under programs developed and jointly 

administered by the World Bank and the IMF containing those 

components listed in the mandate. 

No 

17 22 U.S.C. 262t 

Dec. 19, 1989 

Personnel 

practices at the 

IMF 

It shall be U.S. policy that no initiatives, discussions, or 

recommendations concerning the placement or removal of any 

personnel employed by the IMF shall be based on the political 

philosophy or activity of that individual. 

No 

18 22 U.S.C. 286e-8 

Oct. 10, 1978 

Treatment of 

creditors in debt 

rescheduling 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to seek to assure that no decision by 

the IMF departs from U.S. policy regarding the comparability of 

treatment of public and private creditors in cases of debt rescheduling 

where official U.S. credits are involved. 

No 

19 22 U.S.C. 286e-9 

Oct. 10, 1978 

Investment, 

employment, and 

basic human 

needs 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to encourage IMF staff to formulate 

economic stabilization programs that foster a broader base of 

productive investment and employment, especially in those productive 

activities that are designed to meet basic human needs. 

No 

20 22 U.S.C. 286e-11 

Oct. 10, 1978 

Countries 

harboring 

international 

terrorists 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to work in opposition to financing for 

countries either harboring international terrorists or failing to take 

measures to prevent acts of international terrorism. 

No 

21 22 U.S.C. 286k 

July 31, 1945 

International 

trade and 

economic 

stability 

In considering the policies of the United States in foreign lending, the 

USED shall give careful consideration to progress made in reaching 

agreement among nations to reduce restrictions on international trade 

and promote international economic stability. 

No 

22 22 U.S.C. 286s 

Oct. 7, 1980 

Basic human 

needs and 

economic 

adjustment 

programs 

The USED shall recommend and work for changes in IMF guidelines 

to ensure the effectiveness of economic adjustment programs by 

considering the effect the program will have on issues such as jobs 

and investment. The USED shall also work toward improved 

coordination among the IMF, the World Bank, and other appropriate 

institutions in this area. 

No 

23 22 U.S.C. 286u 

Oct. 7, 1980 

Dollar-Special 

Drawing Rights 

substitution 

account 

Treasury shall encourage IMF member countries to negotiate a dollarSpecial Drawing Rights substitution account in which equitable 

burden-sharing would exist among participants in the account. 

No 

24 22 U.S.C. 286v 

Oct. 7, 1980 

Membership for 

Taiwan in the 

IMF 

The USED shall notify the IMF that it is U.S. policy that Taiwan be 

granted appropriate membership in the IMF. 

No 

25 22 U.S.C. 286w 

Oct. 7, 1980 

Denial of 

membership for 

the Palestinian 

Liberation 

Organization 

The USED shall notify the IMF that it is U.S. policy that the Palestinian 

Liberation Organization not be given membership or other status at the 

IMF. 

No 

26 22 U.S.C. 286x 

Oct. 7, 1980 

Assistance to 

private sector of 

El Salvador, 

Nicaragua, and 

other nations 

The USED shall promote the use of IMF programs to assist the private 

sector in any nation, though particularly El Salvador and Nicaragua, in 

creating an environment that will stabilize a nation’s economy. 

No 

27 22 U.S.C. 286y 

Nov. 30, 1983 

Exchange rate 

stability 

The USED shall work for adoption of policies in the IMF to promote 

exchange rate stability. Also, in determining a vote of assistance to 

any IMF borrower, the USED shall take into account whether the 

borrower’s policies are consistent with certain IMF requirements. 

No 
Page 11 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

28 22 U.S.C. 286z 

Nov. 30, 1983 

Transparency Treasury shall instruct the USED to initiate discussions at the IMF and 

propose and vote for adoption of procedures to increase both the 

sharing of information among IMF members and the public 

dissemination of certain IMF information concerning international 

borrowing and lending. 

No 

29 22 U.S.C. 286aa 

Nov. 30, 1983 

Denial of lending 

to communist 

dictatorships 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to actively oppose any facility 

involving use of IMF credit by any communist dictatorship unless 

certain conditions are met. 

Yes 

30 22 U.S.C. 286bb 

Nov. 30, 1983 

Elimination of 

predatory 

agricultural 

export subsidies 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to propose and work for the adoption 

of an IMF policy encouraging members to eliminate all predatory 

agricultural export subsidies that might result in the reduction of other 

member countries’ exports. 

No 

31 22 U.S.C. 286cc 

Nov. 30, 1983 

Trade, bank 

solvency, and 

external debt 

servicing 

The USED shall recommend and shall work for changes in IMF 

guidelines and policies that encourage countries to formulate 

economic adjustment programs that deal with their balance-ofpayment difficulties and external debt owed to private banks. The 

USED shall also oppose and vote against fund assistance for a 

country whose annual external debt services exceed 85 percent of its 

annual export earnings, unless Treasury can document why an 

exception should be given. 

Yes 

32 22 U.S.C. 286dd 

Nov. 30, 1983 

Bank bailouts 

and debt 

rescheduling 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to oppose and vote against any IMF 

drawing by a member country that would be used to repay loans 

imprudently made by banking institutions to a member country and to 

ensure that the IMF encourages borrowing countries and banking 

institutions to renegotiate a rescheduling of debt that is consistent with 

safe and sound banking practices and the country’s ability to pay. 

Yes 

33 22 U.S.C. 286ee 

Nov. 30, 1983 

International 

lending and 

external 

indebtedness 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to propose that the IMF adopt 

policies with respect to international lending, including a policy to 

examine the trend and volume of external indebtedness of private and 

public borrowers in Article IV consultations. 

No 

34 22 U.S.C. 286ff 

Nov. 30, 1983 

IMF interest rates Treasury shall instruct the USED to propose and work for the adoption 

of IMF policies regarding the rate of remuneration paid on use of 

members’ quota subscriptions and the rate of charges on IMF 

drawings to bring those in line with market rates. 

No 

35 22 U.S.C. 286gg 

Nov. 30, 1983 

Elimination of 

trade and 

investment 

restrictions 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to consult with the IMF to reduce 

obstacles to and restrictions upon international trade and investment in 

goods and services, eliminate unfair trade and investment practices, 

and promote mutually advantageous economic relations. The USED 

shall also work to have the IMF obtain agreement with countries to 

eliminate certain unfair trade and investment practices and shall take a 

country’s progress into account in formulating its position on requests 

for loans for periodic financial disbursements. 

No 

36 22 U.S.C. 286kk 

Dec. 19, 1989 

Impact of IMF 

programs on the 

poor and the 

environment 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to seek policy changes at the IMF 

that will result in a review of policy prescriptions implemented by the 

IMF to determine both, if IMF objectives were met, and the social and 

environmental impacts of such prescriptions, and the establishment of 

procedures to ensure that policy options that reduce the potential 

adverse impact on the poor or the environment are included in future 

economic reform programs. 

No 

37 22 U.S.C. 286ll 

Oct. 24, 1992 

IMF policy 

concerning 

transparency, the 

poor, and the 

environment 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to promote regularly and vigorously 

in program and quota increase discussions a variety of policy 

proposals including a proposal designed to alleviate poverty, promote 

policy audits in the areas of poverty and the environment, and allow 

public access to certain IMF information. 

No 
Page 12 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

38 22 U.S.C. 286mm 

Oct. 24, 1992 

Measures to 

reduce military 

spending 

The USED shall use his voice and vote to urge the IMF to continue to 

develop an economic methodology to measure the level of military 

spending by every developing country. The USED shall also urge the 

IMF to provide annual reports that estimate the level of military 

spending by each developing country and urge the IMF to include in 

every Article IV consultation with such countries an analysis on this 

issue. 

No 

39 22 U.S.C. 286nn 

Nov. 29, 1999 

Debt reduction Treasury is authorized to instruct the USED to vote to approve the sale 

of gold such that proceeds can be used toward debt reduction for the 

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and to support a decision to 

terminate the Special Contingency Account 2 (SCA-2) and make the 

funds in the SCA-2 available to the poorest countries. 

No 

40 22 U.S.C. 286oo 

Nov. 6, 2000 

Short- and 

medium-term 

financing, 

misreporting, and 

premium pricing 

It is the policy of the United States to work to implement reforms in the 

IMF to achieve the following goals: primarily using short-term balanceof-payments financing, limiting the use of medium-term financing, 

introducing premium pricing for lending that is greater than 200 

percent of a member’s quota in the IMF, and redressing cases of 

misreporting of information in the context of IMF programs. 

No 

41 22 U.S.C. 2225 

 Dec. 30, 1974 

Integration of 

women 

Treasury is requested to instruct the USED to encourage and promote 

the integration of women into the national economies of IMF member 

countries and into professional positions within the IMF organization. 

In addition, Treasury is to take any progress or lack of progress into 

account when making contributions to the IMF. 

No 

42 22 U.S.C. 2370a 

Apr. 30, 1994 

Expropriation of 

U.S. property 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to vote against any use of IMF funds 

for the benefit of any country that has, after 1956, nationalized or 

expropriated U.S. property without compensation or adequate 

arbitration, unless the funds are directed to programs that serve the 

basic human needs of the citizens of that country, or the President 

waives this prohibition on the basis of U.S. national interests. 

Yes 

43 22 U.S.C. 2656 note

(Pub. L. No. 107-

228, sec. 633, 

Sept. 30, 2002) 

East Timor Treasury shall instruct the USED to use the voice, vote, and influence 

of the United States to support economic and democratic development 

in East Timor. 

No 

44 22 U.S.C. 2799aa-1 

Apr. 30, 1994 

Nuclear transfers 

and illegal 

exports 

The U.S. government shall oppose the extension of any IMF loan or 

financial or technical assistance to any country that transfers to a nonnuclear weapon state a nuclear explosive device or any design 

information or component for use in the development or manufacture 

of a nuclear explosive device. Additionally, the U.S. government shall 

oppose the extension of any IMF loan or financial or technical 

assistance to any non-nuclear weapon state that receives or detonates 

a nuclear explosive device or seeks and receives any design 

information or component for use in the development or manufacture 

of a nuclear explosive device. The President may waive application of 

this section with respect to India and Pakistan under certain 

conditions. (See Pub. L. No. 106-79, sec. 9001.) 

Yes 

45 22 U.S.C. 5605 

Dec. 4, 1991 

Sanctions 

against use of 

chemical and 

biological 

weapons 

The United States shall oppose, in accordance with 22 U.S.C. 262d, 

the extension of any loan or financial or technical assistance to any 

country that the President determines uses chemical or biological 

weapons either in violation of international law or against its own 

nationals. The President may waive application of this section under 

certain conditions.

Yes 

46 22 U.S.C. 6034 

Mar. 12, 1996 

Opposition to 

Cuban 

membership 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of the 

United States to oppose admission of Cuba as a member of the IMF 

until the President submits a determination that a democratically 

elected government is in power in Cuba. 

Yes 

47 22 U.S.C. 6302 

Apr. 30, 1994 

Nuclear 

nonproliferation 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of the 

United States to oppose any use of IMF funds to promote the 

acquisition of unsafeguarded special nuclear material or the 

development, stockpiling, or use of any nuclear explosive device by 

any non-nuclear-weapon state. 

Yes 
Page 13 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

48 22 U.S.C. 6445 

Oct. 27, 1998 

Religious 

freedom 

The President shall instruct the USED to oppose and vote against 

loans primarily benefiting a foreign government, agency, 

instrumentality, or official determined by the President to be a violator 

of religious freedoms. 

Yes 

49 22 U.S.C. 6713 

Oct. 21, 1998 

U.S. liability, 

confidential 

business 

information, and 

chemical 

weapons 

The United States shall oppose any IMF loan or financial or technical 

assistance to any foreign person, officer, or employee of the 

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons whose actions 

taken in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention 

make the United States liable. The United States shall also oppose 

any IMF loan or financial or technical assistance to any foreign person, 

business entity, or country that knowingly encourages or assists such 

a person in disclosing U.S. confidential business information. 

Yes 

50 22 U.S.C. 6901 note

(Pub. L. No. 107-

228, sec. 616, 

Sept. 30, 2002) 

Tibet Treasury shall instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of the 

United States to support projects in Tibet, so long as the projects are 

designed in accordance with certain enumerated principles, such as 

that the project fosters self-sufficiency and self-reliance of Tibetans. 

No 

51 22 U.S.C. 7107 

Oct. 28, 2000 

Combat 

trafficking in 

persons 

The President will instruct the USED to vote against, and to use his 

best efforts to deny, any loan or other use of IMF funds for the 

subsequent fiscal year to a country that fails to comply or is not making 

significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum 

standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons. If certain 

requirements are met, this mandate does not apply to humanitarian 

assistance, trade-related assistance, or development assistance and 

can be waived by the President if the continuation of assistance is in 

the national interest. 

Yes 

52 50 U.S.C. 1701 note 

(Pub. L. No. 103-

160, sec. 1511, Nov. 

30, 1993 & Pub .L. 

No. 104-208, sec. 

540, Feb. 12, 1996) 

Serbia or 

Montenegro 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of the 

United States to oppose any IMF assistance to the governments of 

Serbia or Montenegro, except for basic human needs or unless a 

proper waiver or certification is made. 

Yes 

53 Pub. L. No. 104-

208, sec. 570, 

Sept. 30, 1996 

Burma and 

human rights and 

democratic 

government 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to vote against any utilization of IMF 

funds for Burma until such time as the President certifies to Congress 

that Burma has made measurable and sustainable progress in 

improving human rights practices and implementing a democratic 

government in Burma, or the President waives the sanction by 

certifying to Congress that the sanction is contrary to U.S. national 

interests. 

Yes 

54 Pub. L. No. 106-113, 

sec. 504, Nov. 29, 

1999 

IMF Operational 

Budget 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use the voice and vote and 

influence of the United States to urge vigorously the IMF both to 

publish the operational budgets of the IMF on a quarterly basis, not 

later than 1 year after the end of the period covered by the budget, and 

to continue to forgo reimbursements of the expenses incurred by the 

IMF in administering the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility, until 

the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative is terminated. 

No 

55 Pub. L. No. 107-99, 

sec. 4, 

Dec. 21, 2001 

Zimbabwe If the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees 

that certain conditions have been met in Zimbabwe, including the 

restoration of the rule of law and a commitment to equitable, legal, and 

transparent land reform, then the Treasury should direct the USED to 

propose to undertake financial and technical support for Zimbabwe, 

especially support that is intended to promote Zimbabwe’s economic 

recovery and development, the stabilization of the Zimbabwean dollar, 

and the viability of Zimbabwe’s democratic institutions. Until the 

President makes a certification, however, and except as may be 

required to meet basic human needs or for good governance, the 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to oppose and vote against any IMF 

loan, credit, or guarantee to the government of Zimbabwe or any 

cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the government of 

Zimbabwe to the IMF. 

Yes 
Page 14 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

56 Pub. L. No. 107-245, 

sec. 6, Oct. 21, 2002 

Sudan After April 10, 2003, and every 6 months thereafter, if the President 

certifies that the government of Sudan has not engaged in good faith 

negotiations to achieve a permanent and just peace agreement, or has 

unreasonably interfered with humanitarian efforts in Sudan, then the 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to continue to vote against, and 

actively oppose, any extension of any IMF loan, credit, or guarantee to 

the government of Sudan. 

Yes 

57 50 U.S.C. 1701 note 

(Pub. L. No. 108-61, 

sec. 5, Jul. 28, 2003) 

Burmese 

Freedom and 

Democracy Act 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to oppose and vote against 

extending any IMF loan or financial or technical assistance to Burma 

until certain conditions are met, including that the SPDC has made 

substantial progress to end human rights violations, to implement a 

democratic government, and that Burma is not designated as a 

country that has failed demonstrably to adhere to its obligations under 

international counternarcotics agreements. 

Yes 

58 Pub. L. No. 108-11, 

sec. 1503, Apr. 16, 

2003 (as amended 

by Pub. L. No. 108-

106, sec. 2204, 

Nov. 6, 2003). 

Lifting of Iraqi 

Sanctions 

Provisions of law that direct the United States Government to 

vote against or oppose loans or other use of funds, including for 

financial or technical assistance, in the IMF for Iraq shall not be 

construed as applying to Iraq. 

No 

59 Pub. L. No. 108-

347, sec. 5, Oct. 20, 

2004 

Belarus 

Democracy Act 

Treasury should instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of 

the United States to oppose the extension of any financial 

assistance, including any technical assistance or grant, to the 

government of Belarus, except for loans and assistance to serve 

humanitarian needs. 

Yes 

60 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

501, Dec. 8, 2004 

Compensation 

for the USED 

No funds appropriated by the Foreign Operations, Export 

Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2005, may 

be made as payment to the IMF while the USED is compensated 

by the IMF at a rate that, together with the compensation the 

USED receives from the United States, is in excess of the rate 

provided for an individual occupying a position at level IV of the 

Executive Schedule under 5 U.S.C. 5315, or while the alternate 

U.S. Director is compensated by the IMF at a rate in excess of the 

rate provided for an individual occupying a position at level V of 

the Executive Schedule under 5 U.S.C. 5316. 

No 

61 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

514, Dec. 8, 2004 

Trade, mining, 

and surplus 

commodities 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of the 

United States to oppose any IMF assistance for the production or 

extraction of any commodity or mineral for export, if it is in 

surplus on world markets and if the assistance will cause 

substantial injury to the U.S. producers of the same, similar, or 

competing commodity. 

Yes 

62 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

531, Dec. 8, 2004 

Burma Treasury shall instruct the USED to oppose and vote against 

extending IMF loans or financial or technical assistance or any 

other utilization of IMF funds to and for Burma. 

Yes 

63 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

554, Dec. 8, 2004 

Cambodia Treasury should instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of 

the United States to oppose loans to the central government of 

Cambodia, except loans to support basic human needs. 

Yes 

64 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

561, Dec. 8, 2004 

Countries 

providing 

sanctuary to 

indicted war 

criminals 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to vote against any new project 

involving the extension of financial or technical assistance to any 

country whose authorities have failed, as determined by the 

Secretary of State, to take necessary and significant steps to 

apprehend and transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for 

the former Yugoslavia all persons indicted by the Tribunal and to 

otherwise cooperate with the Tribunal. This section does not 

apply to humanitarian assistance and assistance for 

democratization. 

Yes 
Page 15 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

65 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

562, Dec. 8, 2004 

User fees Treasury shall instruct the USED to oppose any loan, grant, 

strategy, or policy of the IMF that would require user fees or 

service charges on poor people for primary education or primary 

health care, including prevention and treatment efforts for Human 

Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 

malaria, tuberculosis, and infant, child and maternal well-being, in 

connection with the IMF’s financing program. 

Yes 

66 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

563, Dec. 8, 2004 

Serbia and 

Montenegro 

After March 31, 2004, Treasury should instruct the USED to 

support loans and assistance to the government of Serbia and 

Montenegro subject to certain conditions, including that the 

government of Serbia and Montenegro is taking steps consistent 

with the Dayton Peace Accord to end financial, political, security, 

and other support that served to maintain separate Republika 

Srpska institutions. With respect to such loans, 22 U.S.C. 262k-1, 

which requires transparency of military budgets, shall not apply. 

Yes 

67 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

576(c), Dec. 12, 

2004 

Extraction and 

export of 

natural 

resources 

Treasury shall inform the management of the IMF that it is the 

policy of the United States that the IMF should not provide 

assistance for the extraction and export of oil, gas, coal, timber, 

or other natural resource to any country unless the government 

of the country has in place or is working to establish functioning 

systems to (1) accurately account for revenues and expenditures 

in connection with the extraction and export of such natural 

resource, (2) independently audit such accounts and disseminate 

the audits, and (3) verify government receipts against company 

payments and disseminate such payment information in a 

manner that does not create competitive disadvantage or 

disclose proprietary information. 

No 

68 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

580, Dec. 8, 2004 

Zimbabwe Treasury shall instruct the USED to vote against any extension of 

any IMF loans to the government of Zimbabwe, except to meet 

basic human needs or to promote democracy, unless the 

Secretary of State determines and certifies to the Committees on 

Appropriations that the rule of law has been restored in 

Zimbabwe, including respect for ownership and title to property, 

freedom of speech and association. 

Yes 

69 Pub. L. No. 108-

447, Div. D, sec. 

581, Dec. 8, 2004 

Tibet Treasury should instruct the USED to use the voice and vote of 

the United States to support projects in Tibet, if the projects do 

not provide incentives for migration and settlement of nonTibetans into Tibet or facilitate the transfer of ownership of 

Tibetan land and natural resources to non-Tibetans; are based on 

a thorough needs-assessment; foster self-sufficiency of Tibetan 

people and respect Tibetan culture and traditions; and are 

subject to effective monitoring. 

No 

70 Pub. L. No. 108-

458, sec. 7111, Dec. 

17, 2004 

Membership 

and leadership 

positions 

The President, acting through the Secretary of the Treasury, 

should use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to 

(1) reform, where appropriate, the criteria for leadership and, in 

appropriate cases, for membership, at the IMF so as to exclude 

countries that violate the principles of the organization; (2) make 

it an IMF policy that a member country may not stand in 

nomination for membership or in nomination or in rotation for a 

significant leadership position if the country is subject to 

sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council; and (3) work to 

ensure that no member country stands in nomination for 

membership or in nomination or in rotation for a significant 

leadership position if the government has been determined by the 

Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of 

international terrorism. 

No 

71 Pub. L. No. 108-497 

(50 U.S.C. 1701 

note), Dec. 23, 2004 

Comprehensive 

Peace in Sudan 

Act 

Notwithstanding the certification requirement in paragraph (1) of 

Section 6(b) of the Sudan Peace Act (Pub. L. No. 107-245), 

Treasury shall instruct the USED to continue to vote against, and 

actively oppose, any extension of any IMF loan, credit, or 

guarantee to the government of Sudan. 

Yes 

Source: GAO. 
Page 16 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

Notes: 

The information shown in this enclosure is based on a GAO analysis of policy and directed vote legislative 

mandates concerning the IMF. 

Mandates shown in bold represent mandates that were enacted since our last report in July 2004 and simply 

replace older mandates or represent amendments to mandates. Mandates shown in bold with a shaded 

background represent new mandates that were added in recent legislation since our July 2004 report. 

Mandates contained in FY 2005 Appropriations Acts remain in effect through September 30, 2005. 

aTreasury puts mandates in three broad categories: “policy,” “directed vote,” and “reporting” mandates. Policy 

mandates direct the United States to foster or urge a certain policy at the IMF. Directed vote mandates instruct 

the United States to “oppose” or “vote against” loans or other IMF assistance. Reporting mandates are outside 

the scope of this report. 

bThis column reports the original date of enactment. However, many of these mandates were amended 

subsequent to this date. 
Page 17 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

Enclosure II 

Examples of Broad Policies that Are Addressed in Multiple Laws a 

Broad policy objective Law 

Administrative and personnel matters 22 U.S.C. 2225 (Dec. 30, 1974) 

22 U.S.C 262e (Oct. 3, 1977) 

22 U.S.C. 262t (Dec. 19, 1989) 

22 U.S.C. 262p-4n (Nov. 5, 1990) 

Pub. L. No. 108-447, sec. 501 (Dec. 8, 2004) 

Banking 22 U.S.C. 286cc (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 286dd (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Burma Pub. L. No. 104-208, sec. 570 (Sep. 30, 1996) 

50 U.S.C. 1701 note (Pub. L. No. 108-61, sec. 5 (Jul. 

28, 2003)) 

Pub. L. No. 108-477, sec. 531 (Dec. 8, 2004) 

Debt 22 U.S.C. 286e-8 (Oct. 10, 1978) 

22 U.S.C. 286cc (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 286dd (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 286ee (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

22 U.S.C. 286nn (Nov. 29, 1999) 

22 U.S.C. 262p-6 (Nov. 29, 1999) 

Employment 22 U.S.C. 2225 (Dec. 30, 1974) 

22 U.S.C. 286e-9 (Oct. 10, 1978) 

Environment 22 U.S.C. 286kk (Dec. 19, 1989) 

22 U.S.C. 286ll (Oct. 24, 1992) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Exchange rate stability 22 U.S.C. 286y (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Governance 22 U.S.C. 262o-1 (Aug. 23, 1994) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Human rights 22 U.S.C. 262d (Oct. 3, 1977) 

22 U.S.C. 262p-4o (Aug. 23, 1994) 

Pub. L. No. 104-208, Sec. 570 (Sep. 30, 1996) 

Investment 22 U.S.C. 286e-9 (Oct. 10, 1978) 

22 U.S.C. 286s (Oct. 7, 1980) 

22 U.S.C. 286gg (Nov. 30, 1983) 

Labor 22 U.S.C. 262p-4p (Aug. 23, 1994) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Poverty alleviation and education 22 U.S.C. 286kk (Dec. 19, 1989) 

22 U.S.C. 286ll (Oct. 24, 1992) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

22 U.S.C. 262p-7 (Nov. 29, 1999) 

Pub. L. No. 108-447, sec. 562 (Dec. 8, 2004) 

Military spending and military audit 22 U.S.C. 286mm (Oct. 24, 1992) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-1 (Aug. 23, 1994) 

22 U.S.C. 262k-1 (Sep. 30, 1996) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Nuclear and chemical nonproliferation 22 U.S.C. 2799aa-1 (Apr. 30, 1994) 

22 U.S.C. 6302 (Apr. 30, 1994) 

22 U.S.C. 6713 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

22 U.S.C. 5605 (Dec. 4, 1991) 

Religious freedom 22 U.S.C. 262d (Oct. 3, 1977) 

22 U.S.C. 6445 (Oct. 27, 1998) 
Page 18 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

Serbia 50 U.S.C. 1701 note (Pub. L. No. 103-160, sec. 

1511 (Nov. 30, 1993) & Pub. L. No. 104-208, sec. 

540 (Feb. 12, 1996)) 

Pub. L. No. 108-447, sec. 563 (Dec. 8, 2004) 

Terrorism 22 U.S.C. 262d (Oct. 3, 1977) 

22 U.S.C. 286e-11 (Oct. 10, 1978) 

22 U.S.C. 262p-4q (Apr. 24, 1996) 

22 U.S.C. 262p-4r (Oct. 26, 2001) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998)

Tibet 22 U.S.C. 6901 note (Pub. L. No. 107-228, sec. 616 

(Sep. 30, 2002)) 

Pub. L. No. 108-447, sec. 581 (Dec. 8, 2004) 

Trade 22 U.S.C. 286k (Jul. 31, 1945) 

22 U.S.C. 286bb (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 286cc (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 286gg (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 262k (Aug. 15, 1985) 

22 U.S.C. 262h (Oct. 15, 1986) 

22 U.S.C. 262n-3 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Pub. L. No. 108-447, sec. 514 (Dec. 8, 2004) 

Transparency 22 U.S.C. 286z (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 286ll (Oct. 24, 1992) 

22 U.S.C. 262o-2 (Oct. 21, 1998) 

Use of IMF resources 22 U.S.C. 286u (Oct. 7, 1980) 

22 U.S.C. 286ff (Nov. 30, 1983) 

22 U.S.C. 286oo (Nov. 6, 2000) 

Women’s issues 22 U.S.C. 2225 (Dec. 30, 1974) 

22 U.S.C. 262k-2 (Sep. 30, 1996) 

Zimbabwe Pub. L. No. 107-99, sec. 4 (Dec. 21, 2001) 

Pub. L. No.108-447, sec. 580 (Dec. 8, 2004) 

Source: GAO. 

Notes: 

The information shown in this enclosure is based on a GAO analysis of policy and directed vote legislative 

mandates concerning the IMF. 

Mandates shown in bold represent mandates that were added since our last report in July 2004. Some of these 

mandates simply replace older mandates that had expired while others cover new topics. 

aTreasury puts mandates in three broad categories: “policy,” “directed vote,” and “reporting” mandates. Policy 

mandates direct the United States to foster or urge a certain policy at the IMF. Directed vote mandates instruct 

the United States to “oppose” or “vote against” loans or other IMF assistance. Reporting mandates are outside 

the scope of this report. 

 
Page 19 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

Enclosure III 

Comments from the Department of the Treasury 
Page 20 GAO-05-1015R Treasury Continues to Maintain Its Formal Process to Promote U.S. Policies

Enclosure IV 

GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments 

GAO Contacts 

Thomas Melito (202) 512-9601 melitot@gao.gov or Stephanie J. May at (202) 512-6293 

maysj2@gao.gov 

Staff Acknowledgments 

Cheryl Goodman, Claude Adrien, Patrick Dickriede, Tracey King, Reid Lowe, and 

Grace Lui made key contributions to this report. 

(320367) 
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U.S. Government Accountability Office 

441 G Street NW, Room LM 

Washington, D.C. 20548 

To order by Phone: Voice: (202) 512-6000 

TDD: (202) 512-2537 

Fax: (202) 512-6061 

Contact: 

Web site: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm 

E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470 

Gloria Jarmon, Managing Director, JarmonG@gao.gov (202) 512-4400 

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7125 

Washington, D.C. 20548 

Paul Anderson, Managing Director, AndersonP1@gao.gov (202) 512-4800 

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 

Washington, D.C. 20548 

GAO’s Mission 

Obtaining Copies of 

GAO Reports and 

Testimony 

Order by Mail or Phone 

To Report Fraud, 

Waste, and Abuse in 

Federal Programs 

Congressional 

Relations 

Public Affairs 

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