04 February 2002

Fact Sheet: FY2003 Budget Request For International Affairs

The State Department issued the following fact sheet February 4 outlining the president's FY 2003 budget request for International Affairs.

(Note: In the following text, "billion" equals $1,000 million.)

The President's FY 2003 request for International Affairs (Function 150 of the Federal budget) totals $25.4 billion -- an increase of 5.9 percent over the FY 2002 level.

The request includes funding for a wide array of international assistance programs and for the operations of the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Four appropriations subcommittees on each side of Capitol Hill have jurisdiction. The two largest components of the request go before the subcommittees on Foreign Operations and Commerce, Justice, State.

Priorities of the request include:

War on terrorism: estimated $5 billion.

• $3.6 billion for economic and security assistance, military equipment, and training for front-line states and other partners, including programs in Russia and the NIS to reduce availability to terrorists of weapons of mass destruction and counterterrorism engagement programs, training, and equipment.

• $1.4 billion for secure diplomatic facilities, including security-driven construction ($755 million), upgrades for worldwide security ($553 million), and a new Center for Anti-terrorism Security Training ($52 million).

• $60 million for an aggressive public diplomacy effort through international broadcasting to eliminate support for terrorists.

Andean Counterdrug Initiative: $731 million

• Funds for a multi-year counterdrug effort in Colombia and other Andean countries that are the source of the cocaine sold on America's streets.

Diplomatic Readiness Initiative: $100 million

• Funds to continue initiative to recruit, hire, train, and deploy the right work force to advance U.S. national interests.

Global Health and HIV/AIDS: $1.4 billion

• More than half of funds for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in the developing world.

• $540 million for AIDS bilateral programs, plus a contribution of $100 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.