Referred to the House Committee on Rules.
This resolution creates a 60-member Joint Select Committee of House and Senate members to review how U.S. foreign assistance agencies and programs are organized, funded, staffed, and overseen and to recommend reforms. The committee can hold hearings, issue subpoenas, use GAO/CBO/CRS support, hire staff, and must submit a report with recommendations and any proposed legislation by January 20, 2010. The resolution also sets up a special, faster process for Congress to consider any bill the committee proposes, modeled on prior expedited procedures used for government reorganization recommendations. As a concurrent resolution, it sets up and directs congressional action but does not become law or require the President's signature.
As a concurrent resolution it must be agreed to by both the House and Senate but is not presented to the President and does not itself create binding law. Any bill the committee produces gets expedited consideration: a designated House member or Senator may introduce the committee's bill within 30 days and it receives special fast-track committee and floor procedures modeled on a previous reorganization process.
This concurrent resolution establishes a 60-member Joint Select Committee on Reorganization and Reform of Foreign Assistance Agencies and Programs.
The committee is authorized to investigate organization, objectives, staffing, funding, performance, and congressional procedures related to U.S. foreign assistance, and must report by January 20, 2010, with recommendations and possible proposed legislation.
It has subpoena power, access to GAO/CBO/CRS, staff authority, up to $7,000,000 in funding, and a termination date 30 days after filing the report or one year after adoption.
Narrow, administrative, low-cost committee creation with built-in bipartisan design makes enactment relatively likely, though expedited rules create some friction.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a well-specified authorizing resolution to create a joint select committee for a comprehensive review of U.S. foreign assistance agencies and programs. It clearly defines membership, authorities, resources, reporting deadlines, and procedural features necessary for such a commission.
Liberals emphasize protecting development and human-rights priorities
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Liberals emphasize protecting development and human-rights priorities
Likely supportive of a thorough review to strengthen development effectiveness and align assistance with human rights and poverty reduction.
Would welcome oversight and GAO/CBO involvement but be cautious about any shift privileging security interests over development goals or privatization of aid.
Concerned that expedited legislative rules might limit democratic amendment of major reorganizations.
Generally favorable to an organized, bipartisan review aimed at improving efficiency and coordination of U.S. foreign assistance.
Supportive of evidence-based oversight with GAO/CBO input, but wary of rushed or poorly costed reorganizations.
Will seek bipartisan buy-in and clear cost estimates before backing major legislative proposals from the committee.
Mixed to skeptical: supportive of oversight and potential consolidation for efficiency and national security alignment, but concerned about expanding federal bureaucracy and new spending.
Strongly wary of a large, politically composed committee producing sweeping reorganizations with BRAC-like fast-track rules that limit amendment and local control.
Likely to demand strict fiscal limits and preservation of congressional authority.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Narrow, administrative, low-cost committee creation with built-in bipartisan design makes enactment relatively likely, though expedited rules create some friction.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Liberals emphasize protecting development and human-rights priorities
Narrow, administrative, low-cost committee creation with built-in bipartisan design makes enactment relatively likely, though expedited rul…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a well-specified authorizing resolution to create a joint select committee for a comprehensive review of U.S. foreign assistance agencies and programs. It clearly…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.