III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 312 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on empowering and strengthening the 

United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 13, 2009 

Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. CARDIN, and Mr. BOND) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on empowering and 

strengthening the United States Agency for International 

Development (USAID). 

Whereas foreign development assistance is an important foreign policy tool in addition to diplomacy and the military; 

Whereas the United States is currently involved in two wars, 

both of which military and civilian experts agree can only 

be solved with sound development strategies to complement military efforts; 

Whereas development assistance is part of any comprehensive 

United States response to regional conflicts, terrorist 

threats, weapons proliferation, disease pandemics, and 

persistent widespread poverty; 


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•SRES 312 IS 

Whereas, in 2002 and 2006, the United States National Security Strategy included global development, along with 

the military and diplomacy, as the three pillars of national security; 

Whereas, in its early years, the United States Agency for 

International Development (USAID) had more than 

5,000 full-time Foreign Service Officers and 15,000 total 

staff; 

Whereas, in 2008, USAID had slightly more than 1,000 fulltime Foreign Service Officers and 3,000 total staff; 

Whereas the loss in permanent staff and institutional expertise at USAID has compelled it to rely disproportionally 

on outside contractors to help manage programs in more 

than 150 countries; 

Whereas the USAID managed program budget, calculated in 

real dollars, has dropped more than 40 percent since 

1985; 

Whereas, from the early 1960s until 1992, the Office of Management and Budget enforced a rule mandating that all 

foreign aid programs and spending must go through 

USAID, except when USAID chose to contract with 

other Federal agencies; 

Whereas today more than half of all aid programs are administered by Federal agencies other than USAID, and development funding is spread across more than 20 United 

States Government agencies; and 

Whereas this decline in personnel, budgets, and coordinating 

leadership has diminished the capacity of USAID and the 

United States Government to provide development assistance and implement foreign assistance programs: Now, 

therefore, be it 


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•SRES 312 IS 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) a highly capable and knowledgeable indi3 vidual should be nominated with all expediency and 

4 exigency to serve as the Administrator of the United 

5 States Agency for International Development; 

6 (2) the Administrator should— 

7 (A) serve as the chief advocate for United 

8 States development capacity and strategy in 

9 top-level national security deliberations; 

10 (B) serve as a powerful advocate and effec11 tive leader of an empowered USAID; and 

12 (C) marshal the resources, knowledge, ca13 pacity, and experiences of the Agency— 

14 (i) to effectively represent the Agency 

15 in interagency debate and in advancing 

16 and executing foreign policy; and 

17 (ii) to improve ultimately the effective18 ness and capability of United States for19 eign assistance; 

20 (3) the United States Agency for International 

21 Development must be empowered to be the primary 

22 development agency of the United States and to 

23 serve as the principal advisor to the President and 

24 national security organs of the United States GovVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:51 Oct 14, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR312.IS SR312

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•SRES 312 IS 

1 ernment on the capacity and strategy of United 

2 States development assistance; 

3 (4) the Administrator should substantially and 

4 transparently increase the total number of full-time 

5 Foreign Service Officers employed by the Agency in 

6 order to enhance the ability of the Agency to— 

7 (A) carry out development activities 

8 around the world by providing the Agency with 

9 additional human resources and expertise need10 ed to meet important development and humani11 tarian needs around the world; 

12 (B) strengthen the institutional capacity of 

13 the Agency as the lead development agency of 

14 the United States; and 

15 (C) more effectively help developing na16 tions to become more stable, healthy, demo17 cratic, prosperous, and self-sufficient; and 

18 (5) the Administrator should submit a strategy 

19 to Congress that includes— 

20 (A) a plan to create a professional training 

21 program that will provide new and current 

22 Agency employees with technical, management, 

23 leadership, and language skills; 

24 (B) a 5-year staffing plan; and 


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•SRES 312 IS 

1 (C) a description of further resources and 

2 statutory changes necessary to implement the 

3 proposed training and staffing plans. 

Æ 


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