Top-level officials of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) teamed up with a Hollywood celebrity Mandy Moore and former first daughter Barbara Bush in Washington on Monday to urge the public and lawmakers not to cut spending on foreign aid, which they say saves lives, strengthens security, and builds economies around the world. USAID claims its global health programs protect the health of Americans at home and promote security but according to a recent survey, only 38 percent of Americans, respectively, agree with this statement.
Panelist Steve Radelet Chief Economist at USAID talked about the economic impact foreign aid has on the U.S. economy. "Investments in heath have a big economic impact. Strengthening health systems in other countries helps our economy. I think that's the point people don't understand. Today the fastest growing U.S. markets are in developing countries around the world and our investments there help build those markets for our companies. Every ten percent increase exports increases jobs here by 7%, he said"
With the administration and Congress facing a deadline for still deeper cuts in spending, government programs across the board face the ax, from public education to the military, but proposed cuts to the State Department and foreign aid come on top of an $8 billion dollar reduction in April, the single largest cut to any one department under the deal that kept the government from shutting down.
Coralie Saint-Louis, a junior print journalism major said she thinks that if the cuts come down to education vs. foreign aid that the government should be more concerned about the future of kids in America.
"Although one percent sounds like a small number if you think about the amount of money that actually is, it's in the billions of dollars. When everything seems so expensive especially the cost of a college education why shouldn't students get a better deal on student loans or more grant programs instead of sending more money to other countries."
Aid effectiveness is a major factor in the decision-making process for officials, and has been a dominant theme in discussions of international development this year. USAID officials said Monday that the organization was running more efficiently, transparently, and with more self-evaluation than ever before and that cutting funding for the agency would mean a major backslide for international development.
Actress Mandy Moore said that investing in programs that work at a time when the U.S. Budget is stretched so thin is important.
"Invest in what is proven, what is working and what is measurable," Moore said. "These are ways of taking very scarce American taxpayer dollars and multiplying them."
Most Americans agree that rethinking U.S. foreign assistance should be a priority and that budget concerns demand the U.S. to focus its efforts on issues facing people at home and on fewer countries abroad. Last year, USAID gave aid to over 150 countries.
If you want to take a closer look about how much money the U.S. spends on foreign visit http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/foreign_commerce_aid/foreign_aid.html
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