March 4, 2005: Headlines: Congress: Legislation: Appropriations: Budget: Government Executive: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday approved a two-year, $4.5 billion authorization bill for the State Department's diplomatic programs that includes $345 million for the Peace Corps

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Peace Corps Library: Appropriations: January 23, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: Appropriations : March 4, 2005: Headlines: Congress: Legislation: Appropriations: Budget: Government Executive: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday approved a two-year, $4.5 billion authorization bill for the State Department's diplomatic programs that includes $345 million for the Peace Corps

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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday approved a two-year, $4.5 billion authorization bill for the State Department's diplomatic programs that includes $345 million for the Peace Corps

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday approved a two-year, $4.5 billion authorization bill for the State Department's diplomatic programs that includes $345 million for the Peace Corps

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday approved a two-year, $4.5 billion authorization bill for the State Department's diplomatic programs that includes $345 million for the Peace Corps

Senate panel approves authorization for embassy security

By Greta Wodele, CongressDaily
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday approved a two-year, $4.5 billion authorization bill for the State Department's diplomatic programs, keeping intact one of President Bush's key foreign aid initiatives.

The Foreign Affairs Authorization Act for fiscal 2006-07 was approved 18-0. It would provide $1.5 billion for embassy security, construction and maintenance, including $689 million for security upgrades; $681 million for the United States Agency for International Development; $345 million for the Peace Corps, and $133 million to overhaul the State Department's information technology infrastructure.

Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., offered an amendment that would have cut funding to the Millennium Challenge Account -- a program that aims to reduce poverty through economic growth -- by $425 million. The administration has requested $3 billion for the program in the fiscal 2006 budget proposal.

Bush introduced the Millennium Challenge Corporation in 2003. Congress approved $1 billion in FY04 and an additional $1.5 billion in FY05 for the program. Sarbanes' amendment failed 9-9.

Sarbanes argued the department has not spent most of the $2.5 billion and maintained Congress could afford to authorize $425 million less than the president's request in order to increase funding for previously established developmental programs such as initiatives that provide immunizations and fight infectious diseases.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., opposed the amendment, saying the $3 billion price tag was "absolutely essential" to sending a signal to countries that the United States is serious about the Millennium program.

Foreign Relations ranking member Joseph Biden, D-Del., said if the administration felt strongly about the program it should have proposed the $5 billion Bush vowed to seek for next year. "Don't play with us," said Biden. "Come forward with the $5 billion."

The committee also approved by unanimous consent a manager's amendment that included numerous provisions from members, including funding to combat the avian flu. Sen. Barak Obama, D-Ill., who sponsored the provision, said the "bird flu" might develop into a global pandemic.

Obama said his amendment is a "small first step on what is going to be a big issue." The amendment would provide $25 million in immediate assistance, a quarter of the funding called for by the World Health Organization.

The committee also approved by unanimous consent an amendment offered by Lugar to combat the global proliferation of shoulder-fired missiles and other conventional weapons. The program is modeled after the international buy-back program created by Lugar and former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga.





When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

The Peace Corps Library Date: February 7 2005 No: 438 The Peace Corps Library
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March 1: National Day of Action Date: February 28 2005 No: 471 March 1: National Day of Action
Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.
Coates Redmon, Peace Corps Chronicler  Date: February 26 2005 No: 457 Coates Redmon, Peace Corps Chronicler
Coates Redmon, a staffer in Sargent Shriver's Peace Corps, died February 22 in Washington, DC. Her book "Come as You Are" is considered to be one of the finest (and most entertaining) recountings of the birth of the Peace Corps and how it was literally thrown together in a matter of weeks. If you want to know what it felt like to be young and idealistic in the 1960's, get an out-of-print copy. We honor her memory.

February 26, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Date: February 26 2005 No: 454 February 26, 2005: This Week's Top Stories
Folk-Singer Steve Schuch releases "Trees of Life" 26 Feb
Christopher Bartlett maintains Marine Protected Area 25 Feb
Joseph Frey uses amputation experience to help others 25 Feb
James McCann concerned by maize in Ethiopia 25 Feb
Sen. Obama says PC can help improve diplomacy 24 Feb
PCVs help remove batteries in Belize 24 Feb
Jimmy Carter praises mother's PC service 24 Feb
Craig D. Wandke's lunar passion began in Honduras 23 Feb
Char Andrews discusses her experience with cancer 23 Feb
Beverly Seckinger tells stories through film 23 Feb
J. Tyler Dickovick: As Togo goes, so may go Africa 23 Feb
Andres Hernandez searches for PCV for 40 years 23 Feb
Bulgaria is now like second home to Aaron Wills 22 Feb
Bernadette Roberts to serve as diplomat in Albania 22 Feb
USA Freedom Corps downgraded at White House 22 Feb
Tom Skeldon seeks to control pit bull trade 21 Feb
Gabriela Lena Frank writes music on Dad's PCV service 21 Feb

Make a call for the Peace Corps Date: February 19 2005 No: 453 Make a call for the Peace Corps
PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.
Peace Corps Calendar: Tempest in a Teapot? Date: February 17 2005 No: 445 Peace Corps Calendar: Tempest in a Teapot?
Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments.
WWII participants became RPCVs Date: February 13 2005 No: 442 WWII participants became RPCVs
Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service.
Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps Date: February 7 2005 No: 436 Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps
The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress.
RPCVs mobilize support for Countries of Service Date: January 30 2005 No: 405 RPCVs mobilize support for Countries of Service
RPCV Groups mobilize to support their Countries of Service. Over 200 RPCVS have already applied to the Crisis Corps to provide Tsunami Recovery aid, RPCVs have written a letter urging President Bush and Congress to aid Democracy in Ukraine, and RPCVs are writing NBC about a recent episode of the "West Wing" and asking them to get their facts right about Turkey.

Read the stories and leave your comments.






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Story Source: Government Executive

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Congress; Legislation; Appropriations; Budget

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