IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 63 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should provide, 
on an annual basis, an amount equal to at least 1 percent of United 
States gross domestic product (GDP) for nonmilitary foreign assistance 
programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2009 
Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. 
LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. CONNOLLY of 
Virginia, Mr. HONDA, Mr. HOLT, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. FILNER, 
and Mr. STARK) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States 
should provide, on an annual basis, an amount equal 
to at least 1 percent of United States gross domestic 
product (GDP) for nonmilitary foreign assistance pro-
grams. 
Whereas, on April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed 
into law the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, inspired by 
a plan of economic trade and assistance for European 
countries proposed by Secretary of State George C. Mar-
shall, otherwise known as the Marshall Plan; 
Whereas, from the years 1947 to 1951, the United States 
gave $13 billion, equivalent to $137 billion in 2007, in 
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•HCON 63 IH 
economic aid and technical assistance to assist in the eco-
nomic recovery of 16 European countries; 
Whereas the Marshall Plan, among other objectives, sought 
to assure global peace and defend the national security 
of the United States through direct foreign assistance 
programs aimed at combating economic, social, and polit-
ical degradation; 
Whereas poverty, lack of opportunity, and environmental deg-
radation are recognized as significant contributors to so-
cioeconomic and political instability, as well as to the ex-
acerbation of disease pandemics and other global health 
threats; 
Whereas elevating the United States standing in the world 
represents a critical and essential element of any strategy 
to improve national and global security by mitigating the 
root causes of conflict and multinational terrorism, 
strengthening diplomatic and economic relationships, pre-
venting global climate change, curbing weapons prolifera-
tion, and fostering peace and cooperation between all na-
tions; 
Whereas the Foreign Assistance Act, signed into law on Sep-
tember 4, 1961, reaffirms ‘‘the traditional humanitarian 
ideals of the American people and renews its commitment 
to assist people in developing countries to eliminate hun-
ger, poverty, [and] illness’’; 
Whereas Congress created the Peace Corps in 1961 and the 
United States has since sent 187,000 volunteers to 139 
nations to promote the Peace Corps’ mission of world 
peace and friendship through service in the developing 
world; 
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•HCON 63 IH 
Whereas, on November 3, 1961, President John F. Kennedy 
established the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) with the aim of providing direct 
support to developing countries in a manner free of polit-
ical and military influence; 
Whereas over the last 8 years Congress and the Bush Admin-
istration have more than doubled foreign assistance and 
implemented a number of new foreign aid initiatives to 
support global health, development, human rights, and 
good governance including the Millennium Challenge Ac-
count (MCA), the President’s International Education 
Initiative, the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), and 
the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief 
(PEPFAR); 
Whereas President Obama has expressed his commitment to 
achieve the Millennium Development Goal of cutting ex-
treme poverty and hunger around the world in half by 
2015, as well as his intent to double the level of foreign 
assistance to meet that goal; 
Whereas the United States has pledged its support, along 
with every United Nations member state and numerous 
international organizations, to achieve the United Na-
tions Millennium Development Goals in order to reduce 
extreme poverty, support sustainable development, and 
address the needs of the world’s most vulnerable popu-
lations; 
Whereas the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, 
derived from the United Nations Millennium Declaration 
signed on September 8, 2000, seek to eradicate extreme 
poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, 
promote gender equality and empower women, reduce 
child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/ 
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•HCON 63 IH 
AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensure environmental 
sustainability, and develop a global partnership for devel-
opment; 
Whereas the United Nations Department of Economic and 
Social Affairs indicates that in June 2008, progress was 
either insufficient, absent, or deteriorating for more than 
half of key targets related to compliance with the United 
Nations Millennium Development Goals; 
Whereas the World Bank estimates that in 2005, 1.4 billion 
people across the globe were experiencing extreme pov-
erty, living on less than $1.25 a day; 
Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organiza-
tion (FAO) estimates that the number of undernourished 
people in the world rose to 963 million in 2008, an in-
crease of 40 million people from 2007; 
Whereas the United Nations Framework Convention on Cli-
mate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat has indicated that 
by 2030, the cost of adapting to global climate change 
could amount to more than $100 billion annually, with 
$28 billion to $67 billion per year required to meet the 
needs of the developing world; 
Whereas in 2007, net official development assistance by the 
United States, totaling $21.8 billion, decreased by 9.9 
percent (in real terms) from fiscal year 2006; 
Whereas in 2007, as a percentage of gross national income 
(GNI), the United States was tied for last among the 
world’s 22 wealthiest countries in official development as-
sistance funding, at 0.16 percent; 
Whereas, on November 26, 2007, United States Secretary of 
Defense Robert M. Gates stated that funding for non-
military foreign affairs programs ‘‘remains disproportion-
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•HCON 63 IH 
ately small relative to what we spend on the military and 
to the importance of such capabilities’’ and called for a 
‘‘dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instru-
ments of national security—diplomacy, strategic commu-
nications, foreign assistance, civic action, and economic 
reconstruction and development.’’; 
Whereas a principal objective of the foreign policy of the 
United States, as codified in the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961, is ‘‘the encouragement and sustained support of 
the people of developing countries in their efforts to ac-
quire the knowledge and resources essential to develop-
ment and to build the economic, political, and social insti-
tutions which will improve the quality of their lives’’; 
Whereas individuals, businesses, and philanthropic organiza-
tions across the United States continue to play a vital 
and increasing role in international efforts to create a 
more peaceful and prosperous world for all individuals 
through direct and indirect assistance; 
Whereas studies indicate that a majority of the individuals in 
the United States, whose tax dollars fund Federal ex-
penditures, support increasing funding to meet the Mil-
lennium Development Goals and to committing a higher 
percentage of GDP to address global poverty; and 
Whereas a firm and significant financial commitment to en-
hance United States foreign assistance programs exempli-
fies the compassion and resolve of the people of the 
United States to benefit and empower all peoples of the 
world for the betterment of humankind: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
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•HCON 63 IH 
(1) recognizes that foreign assistance programs 
are of critical importance in promoting national se-
curity, demonstrating the humanitarian spirit of the 
people of the United States, and improving the 
credibility and standing of the United States in 
world affairs; and 
(2) expresses its support for attaining the goal 
of providing, on an annual basis, an amount equal 
to no less than 1 percent of United States gross do-
mestic product (GDP) for nonmilitary foreign assist-
ance programs. 
Æ 
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