Number: RL33491
Title: Restructuring U.S. Foreign Aid: The Role of the Director of Foreign Assistance in Transformational Development
Authors: Connie Veillette, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: The creation of a new State Department position - Director of Foreign Assistance - has sparked congressional interest regarding the management of U.S. foreign aid programs, its possible impact on funding levels, and any possible future reform of foreign aid operations and account structure. The Director of Foreign Assistance (DFA), who serves concurrently as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is Randall Tobias, the former Global AIDS Coordinator. Charged with coordinating U.S. assistance programs, the DFA has authority over most State Department and USAID programs, and will provide "guidance" to other agencies that have foreign aid programs. Details of the restructuring have been unveiled in the form of a new Strategic Framework for Foreign Assistance. The restructuring raises a number of questions with regard to how Tobias will be able to coordinate aid programs spread throughout almost every government department. Executive officials have said that the current restructuring is a first step in a more thorough overhaul of U.S. foreign assistance.
Pages: 12
Date: January 23, 2007