Prioritizing Debt Reduction in U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 2013

Bill: 113-hr-2830
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10]
Introduced: 2013-07-25
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt

Congressional oversight

Foreign aid and international relief

Securities
Latest action: action_date: 2013-07-25
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-07-25
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Prioritizing Debt Reduction in U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the growing federal debt jeopardizes U.S. national security and economic stability, and (2) paying money owed to America's major foreign debt holders is a better use of American taxpayer dollars than providing such debt holders with foreign assistance.</p> <p>Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit, with specified exceptions, assistance to any country whose government holds more than $500 billion in U.S. Treasury securities. </p> <p>Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the provision of U.S. foreign assistance to countries whose governments hold U.S. Treasury securities.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2830 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 25, 2013 Mr. McCaul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To prohibit assistance to foreign countries whose governments hold more than $500,000,000,000 in United States Treasury securities, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Prioritizing Debt Reduction in U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 2013 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on the Budget of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives. (2) Major foreign debt holder The term major foreign debt holder means any foreign country the government of which the Secretary of the Treasury determines holds more than $500,000,000,000 in United States Treasury securities. (3) United States Treasury securities The term United States Treasury securities means obligations issued by the United States under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code. 3. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The Federal debt of the United States is approximately $17 trillion. (2) Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen, has repeatedly stated that the biggest threat to the national security of the United States is its debt. (3) A growing proportion of the Federal debt of the United States is held by foreign governments, to some of which the United States provides direct foreign assistance. (4) According to a Department of the Treasury report entitled Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities , foreign holdings of United States Treasury securities stood at more than $4 trillion at the end of December 2012. (5) In August 2011, Standard and Poor’s downgraded the United States long-term sovereign credit from AAA to AA+ due to America’s excessive borrowing and unsustainable spending levels. 4. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the growing Federal debt of the United States jeopardizes the national security and economic stability of the United States; and (2) paying money owed to America’s major foreign debt holders is a better use of American taxpayer dollars than providing such debt holders with United States foreign assistance. 5. Statement of policy It shall be the policy of the United States to— (1) prohibit further United States foreign assistance to major foreign debt holders; and (2) aggressively address the unsustainable Federal debt of the United States. 6. Prohibition on assistance to major foreign debt holders Chapter 1 of part III of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 620N. Prohibition on assistance to major foreign debt holders (a) Prohibition Except as provided in subsection (b), no assistance may be provided directly or indirectly under this Act to any foreign country the government of which the Secretary of the Treasury determines holds more than $500,000,000,000 in United States Treasury securities. (b) Exceptions Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to the following: (1) Assistance to respond to an emergency. (2) Assistance to meet humanitarian needs, including needs for food, medicine, medical supplies and equipment, education, and clothing. (c) Waiver The Secretary of State may waive the prohibition under subsection (a) if the Secretary submits to the appropriate congressional committees a written certification that the waiver is in the national security interests of the United States. (d) Definitions In this section— (1) the term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on the Budget of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives; and (2) the term United States Treasury securities means obligations issued by the United States under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code. . 7. Report on assistance to foreign debt holders (a) Annual report Not later than September 30 of each year, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the provision of United States foreign assistance to foreign countries whose governments hold United States Treasury securities. (b) Content of report Each report submitted under this section shall include the following: (1) An analysis of the current and foreseeable risks to the long-term national security and economic stability of the United States posed by the Federal debt of the United States. (2) How much foreign assistance per country, per year, has been provided to foreign countries whose governments hold United States Treasury securities. (c) Form Each report submitted under this section shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex if necessary. (d) Public availability The Secretary of State shall make each report required by subsection (a) available, in its unclassified form, to the public by posting it on the Internet website of the Department of State in a conspicuous manner and location.