Please join us for May's Chapter event on the reform of U.S. foreign assistance attracting increasing discussion within the development community.  House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) recently stated, “It is painfully obvious to Congress, the administration, foreign aid experts, and NGOs alike, that our foreign assistance program is fragmented and broken and in critical need of overhaul.”   

While it appears there is a growing consensus that foreign assistance should be more efficient to meet foreign policy challenges, there does not appear to be a consensus on how to address the issue?  Should the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 be rewritten?  Should USAID be made a cabinet level agency?  What needs to occur to have better inter-departmental collaboration amongst the various agencies providing foreign aid?

Panelists for the May Chapter event will discuss this topic and provide their thoughts on the possible models and reforms needed, as well as the challenges facing Congress, the administration, federal agencies, and the development community in adopting these changes.

Panelists will include:

Dr. Gordon Adams, Professor of U.S. Foreign Policy, American University

Mary K. Bush, Chairwoman, The HELP Commission

Gayle Smith, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

This event will be moderated by Beth Tritter, Vice-President in the Government Relations practice of The Glover Park Group.