US Congress

With the situation in Syria deteriorating every day, and conflict elsewhere displacing millions more from their homes and livelihoods, desperately needed food aid is falling short. Donor fatigue and budget constraints are a problem worldwide, but reform would allow the United States to hel...

In 50 minutes the Pope didn’t once even mention the words Climate Change! Yet at the same time, listening to the speech through a climate lens, the whole speech really was about climate change.

Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)  dropped its long awaited Electrify Africa Act of 2015. It's good news for US development, foreign, and commercial policy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas the last Congress was unable to get similar legislation over the finish...

President Obama has concluded what may be his last official trip to Africa. While it was relatively brief, with visits to just two countries, the messages delivered were loud and they were powerful. Ben Leo summarizes his key points.

Policy wonks usually bemoan the lack of a functional budget and appropriations process. This year, however, CGD’s policy outreach team is (reluctantly) crossing its fingers for a continuing resolution—an outcome that seems increasingly likely with only eight legislative weeks before the ...

My earlier post on congressional funding for multilateral institutions betrayed little optimism about the Senate’s willingness to restore devastating funding cuts imposed by the House of Representatives. I had no idea. The newly released Senate funding levels are just bare...