Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduces foreign relations authorization act for FY12-13

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry (D-Mass.) released a bill (.pdf) on Wednesday that would authorize FY12 and FY13 funding for the State Department and foreign operations, as well as key programs and initiatives, Foreign Policy's blog "The Cable" reports.

Though legislation introduced in the House "would severely restrict U.S. foreign aid to a host of countries, such as Pakistan, Lebanon, and Yemen, Kerry's bill doesn't include prohibitions on foreign aid funding to countries that have major policy differences with the United States," the blog writes (Rogin, 7/27). "Kerry's plan also lays out views on global development that include recognition that climate change affects poor nations more than developed countries, and that climate change is harming food security because developing nations face climate-related decreases in crop yields," according to The Hill's "E2 Wire" blog (Geman, 7/27). "The Cable" notes it is not clear when the bill will undergo committee markup or "floor action, but it won't happen until at least September." 

A Senate Foreign Relations Committee press release includes a summary of the bill (7/27).