GPS News  
FARM NEWS
US Congress set to cut overseas food aid

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) April 13, 2011
US lawmakers were on track Wednesday to approve a spending-cut plan this week that will slash environmental protection and overseas food aid, reduce diplomatic programs, and boost military outlays.

The controversial compromise bill -- agreed shortly before midnight on Friday (0400 GMT Saturday) -- funds the US government to October 1 and was due to clear the House of Representatives on Thursday and the Senate shortly thereafter.

US military aid to Israel and Egypt escaped the knife, and the Pentagon will see a $5 billion increase from last year, but the Environmental Protection Agency will be cut $1.6 billion, according to an official summary released by the House Appropriations Committee.

Where President Barack Obama had sought $235 million for international efforts to battle global warming, lawmakers agreed just $50 million, a drop of about $49 million, according to the summary.

And the bill forbids the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from creating a specialized office sought by Obama to track the pace and effects of climate change.

Overseas food aid programs were in for a $194 million cut from last year's levels that amounts to a nearly $300 million reduction from Obama's request for the 2011 fiscal year that began October 1, 2010.

US contributions to the United Nations and other international organizations will see a $377 million cut, while the Millennium Challenge Corporation that forges partnerships with poor countries to foster growth will have to make do with $205 million less.

Lawmakers were still thrashing out the details of the plan: A $1 billion cut to overseas aid to fight HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis, noted on an official summary of the plan early Tuesday, had vanished by Wednesday.

An Appropriations Committee spokeswoman, Jennifer Hing, said there would be "no cut" to the program, which would get "the same as last year."

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) faced a nearly $730-million-dollar cut.

Republicans trumpeted that the compromise included a prohibition on the transfer of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay facility for suspected terrorists to US soil and curbs on their release to other countries.

Democrats crowed that they had held off a Republican effort to cut all funding for the UN Population Fund and that the compromise did not include the so-called "gag rule" that prohibits US monies from going to non-governmental organizations that provide or promote abortion services.

Overall, the US State Department and foreign operations faced a $504 reduction from last year -- some $8.4 billion less than Obama's request.

In a first, an attachment to the spending measure would remove a species of wolf from the endangered species list and let state wildlife agencies manage their populations.

Obama's push for a high-speed railroad network in the United States suffered a double blow: All funding for it through October 1 vanished, and some $400 million in unspent money earmarked for the program this year was taken back.

The bill forbids the use of local tax money being used to provide abortions in the US capital, but Democrats beat back a Republican drive to deny funds from the Planned Parenthood network of health clinics because they provide abortions.

Under US law, no taxpayer funds may pay for abortions, but Republicans have charged that money from Washington means Planned Parenthood can use other sources of cash to do so.

Instead, the Republican-run House and Democratic-held Senate will vote on a stand-alone measure to do so, with a split decision meaning it will be defeated.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


FARM NEWS
Combating Plant Diseases Is Key For Sustainable Crops
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 13, 2011
Climate change is likely to make plants more vulnerable to infectious disease, which will threaten crop yield and impact on the price and availability of food. Dr Adrian Newton, presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate, explains how exploiting diversity in crops is the best option to improve food security in a changing climate. Pest and d ... read more







FARM NEWS
Five held in China steamed bun probe

Invasive Plant Threat Depends On Spatial

New Genetic Study Helps To Solve Darwin's Mystery About The Ancient Evolution Of Flowering Plants

US Congress set to cut overseas food aid

FARM NEWS
ASML quarterly profits soar, record year expected

Motorola Solutions, Huawei settle IP dispute

Technique For Letting Brain Talk To Computers Now Tunes In Speech

Japan's stalled chip sector 'to cost $470bn'

FARM NEWS
Ceramic Coatings May Protect Jet Engines From Volcanic Ash

Airline readiness for volcanic ash clouds tested

S. Korea preferred bid for Indonesian jet contract

Chinese airlines sign deal to buy 35 Embraer jets

FARM NEWS
Japan economy, Toyota feel effects of disaster

IBM driver tool predicts traffic jams

MG roars back with first new car for 16 years

Toyota to halt production at five European plants

FARM NEWS
Brazil seals new deals with China

China, Spain firms sign $1.4 billion in deals

US-China trade debate troubling, says RBA governor

Taiwan's Foxconn mulls $12 bn investment in Brazil

FARM NEWS
Indonesia's carbon-rich wetlands essential

NGO sues to save forest for Paraguay natives

Low Fertilizer Use Drives Deforestation In West Africa

Slash-and-burn threatens African forests

FARM NEWS
Arctic Ice Gets A Check Up

Arctic Ozone Loss

3-D map of Philippines to help combat disasters

For NASA's Aquarius, Quest For Salt A Global Endeavor

FARM NEWS
German cabinet approves CO2 storage bill

Europe pushes plans to hike diesel, coal taxation

Health Effects Of Amines And Their Derivatives

New Method For Preparation Of High-Energy Carbon-Carbon Double Bonds


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement