Three cheers to Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and Adam Smith (D-WA) for launching the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance last week. My three wishes for the caucus: be active; make the presidential policy directive on U.S. global development reality; and look beyond aid.The caucus aims to bring Republican and Democratic members of Congress together to improve U.S. foreign assistance and educate their colleagues on the subject while making the case that better, smarter aid is in the United States' moral, economic and security interests. USAID Administrator Raj Shah, MCC board member Mark Green and members of the NGO community helped launch the caucus at a packed event on Capitol Hill last week.A bipartisan effort to take a serious look at what works and what doesn't in foreign assistance (and avoid partisan spats) is especially important in tough budget times. But I have three additional wishes for the caucus:
- Be active. There are nearly 200 congressional caucuses for everything from "Friends of Liechtenstein" and "civility" to those for Blue Dog Democrats and the Tea Party. (Dare I say that some caucuses are more equal than others?) The success of the new caucus on foreign aid will depend on how active it is and how willing it is to engage in serious debate about what works, what should be improved and what should change or end.
- Make the presidential policy directive on U.S. global development reality. The presidential policy directive on U.S. global development policy articulates clearer objectives and priorities for better, smarter U.S. development and foreign assistance. The caucus could ensure the vision is fulfilled and includes congressional input and support.
- Go beyond aid. While many of the speakers used "foreign assistance" and "development" interchangeably, my hope is that the caucus looks beyond bilateral aid mechanisms to multilateral efforts (in tandem with the Caucus for Congressional-World Bank Dialogue, perhaps?) and other U.S. policies like trade and migration that can have a big impact on prosperity and security in developing countries (and back at home).
What do you think of the new caucus? How can it be most useful?
